Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-26
Labor Saving Plan
Poses New Problems
For Laundries Here
Fear Wet-Wush MiIdew;
Some Restaurants Favor
HeIp-Yourself System

A plan for help-YourSeH reStau-
rants and et-Wash-Only laundries,
now under consideration by the War
Manpower Commission and the
WPB's Office of Civilian Supply, is
viewed with divided approval by
officials of the two industries con-
cerned in Washington
Laundrymen seemed to agree to-
day that the move is too drastic an
inconvenience to the public and
that it will not work, while restau-
rateurs faced with their own man
power problems, believe it may be
the only way out Of a bad situation.
The plan in general would be to
limit laundries almost exclusively to
doing wet wash and to put restau-
rants on as nearly a serve-yourself
basis as possible. Exceptions may
be made for ironing of shirts at
laundries and restaurants may be
permitted to keep A few walters.
May Extend Plan
No decision has been made as to
whether the plan would be started
on a Nation wide basis or whether it
would be attempted only in labor
shortage areas, either of which would
include Washington, If successful.
the streamlining plan may be ex-
tended to other businesses close to
the consumer. among them depart
ment stores and theaters.
The conclusion that such a pro-
cedure was the only resort left was
reported to have been reached by
the Washington Restaurant Asso-
citation in the last few days. The
Laundry Owners Association will
consider the proposal at a meeting
scheduled for late today.
The Government idea of a
streamlined restaurant would be a
place where patrons would look at
posted menus, give their own orders
at counter, wait for the food and
take it to table. The only differ
ence between this style and that of
a cafeteria is that it would not in
volve the latters special equipment
and serving facilities.
Some restaurants, it was pointed
out among spokesman of the indus
try, already have discussed operating
on the proposed plan. The only
equipment needed by the average
restaurant would be a counter on
which food could be displayed.
Kitchens Offer Problem.
The greatest harship to restau-
rants would be within the more eX-
pensive class, where kitchen and
serving rooms are entirely separate
from the dining room. In some of
these, the kitchen is on a separate
floor, creating still another difficulty.
In a number, installation of display
counters will reduce table space and
result in reduction in revenue.
Laundry operators think the
greatest hardship in their end of
the field will be with the public. |
Some of them estimate that 80 per
cent of laundry patrons have no IA
cilities for ironing their wash. They |
point in this instance to be crowded |
conditions and to the large number |
of single men and women, especially |
those who have come to Washington |
as a result of the war emergency.
"a chaotic condition would de-
velop," one laundry manager warned.
THE plan does not look practical
and I am confident it will have to |
be modified. You can put a sheet |
on a bed unironed, but you will be |
uncomfortable. Moreover, such pro- |
cedure will undermine the health |
standards of the community"
Fear Clothing Mildew.
This manager also pointed out that |
the streamlining would paralyze a
lot of machinery and, in so doing, |
would release only an Insignificant |
number of people to the war man.
power effort.
Some managers feared that the |
cramp in delivery conditions, brought |
about by the war, might result in
many instances of mildeW among
clothes returned as wet wash. And |
they added that this damage, rem
ediable only by expensive treatment,
would occur to an item rapidly ap-
preaching the restricted list. Others,
however, were not pessimistic about
this angle, explaining that the local
climate is not conducive to mildeW.
A possible alternative to relieve
the laundry problem, some managers
indicated, would lie in eliminating
all unnecessary items and holding
the public only to those classed as
essential in the average household.