The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-05-17

AMDAM VA tAAC VvkAGA bANf offices are decidedly In the outfield and too far away from everything for the help to run home or into town for lunch. And government employees have to eat just like every- one else, even If some of the tax
 payres do claim they eat up too much.
 The way most lunch concessions are operated, everything Is on . pretty altruistic basis. If q clerk or messenger wants? to pack his lunch in & newspaper or shoe box, that's all right, and he can come In and sit at a table with the paying customers. YOU BRING "
 THE TEA
 It even goes so far that If Q ste-' nographer or file clerk wants cheap tea, she can bring her N own tea, get free cup and hot wa tre and unashamedly make her brew right In the restaurant. Or the service will furnish a tall glass, free ice nda free sugar. With those ingredients, the customer can get a passable Ice cold lemonade by buying three slices of lemon for Q cent.
 The high -mindedness of the cheap meal policy for government clerks was a long time a.borning. Before the last war, private op- orators had the luncheon and re- freshment sand concessions in the hallowed halls of government and they were uniformly bad. With the big influx of war workers, the superintendent of the army and navy buildings set up revolving fund to finance concessions to be run the way the employees wanted them. This idea took hold, ab- sorbed private concessionairdes, and at one time was serving 5000 meals day at the famous old Mall cafeteria in Henry Park.
 That brew into joint welfare service. In 1927 1t was incor- porated as the Welfare Association of Public Buildings and Grounds which today operates 32 cafete- rias, l8 news stands and soda bars, the Washington tuorist cmap, a bicycle renting concession, boat. Ing concessions on the Tidal Ba- sin, six swimming pools, two vaca- ton camps for children, of lower paid federal employees, Q housing project, and couple Of overnight dormitories for soldiers In Wash. ington on leave.
 The cafeterias in 32 government buildings are of course the big business of this association today. They're dishing 1t out now at the rate Of l6I million lunches a yeg,y or about 55,00O'a day. Tho averake'l check is only from ie to 8 cents al- though the daily two-blt special of @ meat and two vegetables has i0,- 900 customers. The gross income will run more than two and half mill lion dollars this year.
 The association figures that its profit on each tray averages only a third of Q cent, but under Its peculiar setup half of the net profit goes to the United States Treasury as rent and service charge. Fifteen per cent Is ear- marked for charlty and welfare work among needy government employees and the other 36 per- cent Is set aside for expansion. BEANS AND PRUNES
 GET CHEERS
 There isn't & great deal that the association has learned about eat- ing habits, but some of It's conclu- sions are interesting. Whenever they serve cornbread, there's usual- ly an argument between the Tank. ees and the southernres as to whether 1t should be made out of white or yellow cornmeal Beans and pruneS, which drwa only scorn when set forth on 6 boarding house table, are still among the most pop ular dishes when people choose from the cafeteria steam table. Right now, the dietitians and menu makers are wondering how government clerks will 90 for raw spinach.
 The Welfare Association Is the biggest of the noon feeding insti- tutions but 1t isn't the only one. The Government Printing Office, Bureau of Engraving, Department of Agriculture and Navy Departmen Bureau of Engraving, Department of Agriculture and Navy Depart ment with thier big payrolls have their own associations which op- crate their own cafeterias.