BREAD PRICES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 206, 1 September 1936, Page 8

BREAD PRICES.

PROTEST BY RETAILERS.

REDUCTION OF PROFITS.

In protest against the prices recently fixed for bread, the Auckland Small Traders' Association lias sent the following telegram to the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage:—"Small traders retailing bread in Auckland desire to know why the Minister, in fixing new bread prices which give more profit and better pay and conditions to all concerned in the bread industry, leaves the Auckland retailers worse off |han before the Government came into power, and benefits one section of the community at the expense of the other."

"Prior to February last, the retailer's profit was 3d per 21b loaf; since then it has been id," stated Mr. A. J. Nathan, secretary of the association, this moi ning. "This means that during this time Jd per loaf has been taken from us and given to the master bakers. Since August 28 an extra Jd has been taken from the public to pay increases in wages. As bread" is now sold, we get on a 21b loaf and Ad on a lib loaf. If they were sold in equal proportions, we would have a mean gross profit of 3d, but as more 21b than lib loaves are sold, we do not get the same profit as we did before bread prices were standardised.

"What annoys our 500-odd members," said Mr. Nathan, "is that it has come to their knowledge that the baker supplying the Auckland Hospital accepts less than 4d (we believe 3gd) for a loaf for which the shops are charged sd. As some bakers make 10,000 a day, the difference in price between the hospital's bread and ours must amount to quite a nice little sum. Neither the shopkeepers nor the public, unfortunately, get any of this."