THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11751, 27 November 1903, Page 5

THE PRICE OF BREAD.

EVIDENCE OF BAKERS AND MILLERS.

The foUowing references to the fixing of the price of bread are extracted from the evidence taken by the Extension of Commerce Committee of the House regarding the charges against the Flourmillers' Association: —

Frederick Williams, baker, Cliristchurch, under examination.—When the Bakers' Association was first formed there were two prices for bread, » delivery price and a shop prioe. Then they brought in a, rule that there should be only one price.

Is that one of the.ndes in these published rule*?— No. It was decided by the Union that there should he but one price, and that the price over the counter should be tiie same as tbe delivery or cart price.

Did you protest against that decision? — Ye:<.

What difference in price were you making aa between the counter prioe and the delivery price?—ld per loaf of 41b. Did it pay you to do that?— Yes, it is the best counter price. You could pay the full Union wages and make a good profit at the prices you fixed? —Yen.

Peter V. Buchanan, under examination.— Did your Association (the Flourtnill<>ra' Association) take any steps to ascertain wlmt would constitute a fair price for bread, or did you simply take that course at. the dictation of the Bakers' Union?—lt was supposed to be a fair price for bread which was fixed by the Bakers* Union.

Then, you took that course at the desire or wish of the Bakera' Union? —Yes. Would you supply a cutting baker now? —I should be very chary about it. If I thought he was "financial I would. The fact of his being a cutting baker would not affect mc. but I should be most chary because possibly it might interfere with mv other customers. 'Sidney T. Mirsms, secretary of the Master Bakers' Union, Dunedin, under examination.—lf a baker chos>e to fix a casli price for bread sold over the counter and it was lower than the price your union chose to fix, would you try and stop that baker getting flour from the Association? —If he were a member we should immediately put our rules into operation. If In were not a member we should not have anything to do with the miller who supplied him. That is to say, you boycott men who do not conform to your views with regard to the price you fix for bread? —I would not *ay "boycott," because he could buy flour elsewhere.

But you made it difficult for such a man to get flour?— That is provided for by our rules.

Charles Henry Beynon, master baker, Wellington, under examination.—Do you know what the price of bread was at that time (eighteen months ago)?—6d the 41b loaf. Did yon start a cash business?—l did. No carting?—No carting. What did you charge for your bread?— 2Jd per 21b loaf—that is, la below what was being charged for the 41b loaf at that time. Did you find that that paid yon all right?— Yes, it paid mc very well. Did you have any difficulty in getting flour then?— Not at all then. Now, if you had raised the price of bread to 6d the 41b loaf, would not that have given you on excessive profit?—lt would have Seen a very good profit I would not like to say it would have been excessive.

It waa 20 per cent, better than you were getting?— Yes. What followed that etatemcnt (of the Bakers' Union stopping his supplies of flour unless he raised the price?— Well, of course, I merely had to raise tb© price of breed to get my flour, because I was stuck and could not do anything. So I raised the price of the bread to a uniform price, and, in consequence, my trade went a way to nothing. William Isaac, of Wellington, said he was charging 5d for the 41b loaf, • cash Were you carrying on your business at a loss at tliat time?— No.

You always paid your way?— Yea. And always got your discount?— Yes; I paid every month. (This witness's supply of flour was also stopped.) J. O. Laurenson, President. of the Master Bakers* Union, Dunedin, examined. —In regard to the price charged for bread by the Bakex*" Union, yon did not allow the Millers' Association to interfere with the prico of bread?— Not in any shape or form.

Since the FlourHiillers' Association was formed ha* not the prioe of bread iv Dunedin been uniformly higher than it was, say, for the two years preceding? —Yes, very much. Of couree, w© could aot havo existed at 2,d for tho 41b loaf. Mark W. Woodfield, Secretary of the Co-operative Society, Christchurch, examined.—Were you refused flour by them? —Yes.

What grounds did they give you for tho refusal?—Wo were invited to become members of the Bakers' Association, and because we did nob join that association they refused to supply us in quantities that we required. The society woo selling at sgd cash at end of week, or 6d credit to end of month.

•Did tb* bakery show a loss on this department for six months?—lt showed a slight loss. Our last balance-sheet ended on the 30th June, and there was a balancesheet for the previous six months. That would seem to, indicate that if a private baker had started with no other business he would actually be showing a loss on his bakery business?— Not necessarily ; because if I had been running that bakery department aa a private individual I could have run it so that it would not have shown a loss, but an association cannot do that. .

What do yon charge for bread nowT— &id cash, I think. What are the other bakers charging?— Ido not know; they seem to mc to charge all prices. We do not go by them at all; we charge what we consider a fair thingDid you expect to attract custom by selling bread ot sid, or did it pay yon to sell at sid?—We reckoned, it paid us at s|d. W. D. Wood, miller, of Christchurch, examined:—lf » non-union baker said he could leH bread at s£d tho 41b loaf, while a member of the Bakers' Union wanted 7d, could you say whether the ono was reasonably low, or whether the other was unreasonably high?—l should say that one was unreasonably low, and waa cutting prices, which I found always resulted in bad debts.

But take a company like th© Workingmen's Co-operative Society at Christchurch; their secretary stated that it paid tbem to sell bread at sjd, when flour was at £10?— I think if yon worked it out with the bakers themselves yon would find that it would not pay. Ido not see how it possibly could. We had it in evidence from a baker in Wellington that if he got his flour at £10 10s a ton he could sell for ssd over the counter? —There is a great deal of difference between cash over tha counter and delivering the bread.

A. H. Blake, President of the Christchurch Master Bakers* Union, examined.— Th© effect of the millers sitting on. the Committee was to keep the price down?— Yes. For instance, it was proposed that bread should be raised Id per loaf on one occasion, and the chairman of the Prico Committee advised raising tbe price id rather than Id. It was proved afterwards that id would not be sufficient. Tbe tendency of tb© millers has been rather in the direction of th© bakers having a fair price for bread, and not ao exorbitant one. What was the decision of th© Committee—that it should be raised Id or |d?— It was Id, and that was due to our own initiative.

Regarding the pric© of bread, w© have it in evidence that at £10 10s a ton bread can be sold at s£d per 41b loaf over "the counter for each; what ia your opinion? —We cannot do should make a loos at it. . .

It has been stated br a witness that be toea not think 7d too high for braod with

flour at what it ia mo* In Wellington or Dunedin?—l do not thirds tliat is too high. There aro inanv things io connection with Dnnedin that do not apply to Canterbury. The difference in cost- of delivery would make a lot of difference in Wellington al>o. Let us take Christchurch: at £10 10a per ton of flour, what would be a reasonable prico for brtsd?-A reasonable prioe would be 6d delivered.