THE BREAD QUESTION AGAJN.

Press, Volume XIV, Issue 1833, 26 February 1869, Page 3

THE BREAD QUESTION AGAJN.

TO THE EDITOE OF THE PBES3. glEj.—Your correspondents on this question have touched to mc an important matter, and I therefore crave a little space to reply. I l liink I can inform your annonyinous (t think • t tvould be much better if they would give V *to me *) correspondents that there is tlu v B^e *^ 3 Q uestion Deß ide the one they ha Te taken. I do not dispute the face that auan * ls " tie3 of bread are BoI(3 ehort wei " ht to the discred ; * both of the Beller and the buyer - I am ashamed to t»°w* Bt "J.? 1 ia T tho . B , ta J e of our morality;- but, Mr Editor, I wish to state that this ee.'ious charge cannot be made j a-ainst all the balers, and I am very sorry that your correspondents did not hit the right ones. I think I can guess the reason j your correspondents very possibly are amongst the number who are fond of cheap bread ; if so, there is a good reason why they may expect short weight. The fact is, the public will I encourage Tom, Bill, and Harry, who can get a ba» of flour to start in the business; and to set a trade, often they are asked, what is your price? if you will sell it cheaper I will Vive you my trade. Then the baker says to himself, I must have a trade ,• does it depend on the price ? I will shorten the weight, and then I can shorten the price. Away goee conscience both of buyer and seller. The buyer does not asfc himself if the baker can ail'ord it at less price, but tempts him to do the thing that i* wrong, and then complains of him after for doing it. Now, Sir, which of the two is most to be blamed, the man who makes it or the man who eats it j the one that offers it for sale or the one vrho snaps at it like a cow at & carrot because it is cheap. It

j is very well known in the trade that the bread has lately been forced down to a price that will not pay the vendor by this under-selling. What right then have the public to complain if they get the short weight? they get the short price, a pennyworth for a penny. Until I higher grounds are taken, and the " Live and let lire" policy pursued, we ehall have reason to be dissatisfied with one another. It is a fact that your correspondents might have kuown if they had thought a moment that there i* not a baker in this city nor ever has been that's depending on baking alone that's worth a five pound note ; but there are" those who have lost a good many fives, while the miller has ehown a long face over his losses, which has sometimes been counted by a thousand a year, and the public have the benefit. Now they grumble. It would not be difficult to prove that the public of this city have received thousands of the millers' money and hundreds of the bakers, as well as the sweat of his brow from one o'clock in early morn to late hours in the day for a mere subsistence. I ask, what do this grumbling public want ? Many of them are paupers, living upon the strength of the bakers' muscles; and if they would pay their debts, the poor doughy might manage to leave the trough and go to something else, where he might go through the world in peace without J being snarled at by every dog that's got no teeth. Now, Mr Editor, I will join to assist these correspondents or any other gentlemen to get an inspector appointed, as I am sure it will be of immense benefit to the bakers. It will cause unity in the trade, raise the price pf bread, and help those ecrew-thena-downs to pay a price that will let a baker live. Yours, <Sc, A FOl/L-WEIGHT Baker.