DECLINE IN USE OF FLOUR

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21577, 13 September 1935, Page 15

DECLINE IN USE OF FLOUR

EFFORTS OF AMERICAN INDUSTRY STIMULATING CONSUMPTION For a number of years now the wheat growing and flour industries of the world have been faced with a continued decline in the consumption of their product, and to combat this, the industries in the United States and Canada have undertaken intensive re-, search covering, the whole field of growing and production, the idea be-, hind this activity being to provide a wider variety of products from wheat and induce people to eat more flour. Some of this activity has recently been studied by Mr H. E. West, chemist to j the Wheat Research Institute, who re- ] turned to Christchurch on Tuesday j after three months .spent in the main grain centres of North America. I Mr West said yesterday that no mill, of any size in North America was now without its laboratories, the equipment generally being one main laboratory, and two or three subsidiary ones to look.after certain definite aspects of the work. In almost every case experimental results were checked and tested in full .commercial scale bakehouses. Beside the mills, the Government, private individuals, and many institutes comparable with the Wheat Research Institute of New Zealand, merchants also ran elaborate services for smaller mills which could not afford research for themselves. One Minnesota merchant who handled approximately 45,000,000 bushels every year maintained not only a laboratory, but a system of crop reporting throughout Canada and the United States, and every 10 days brought out an amended bulletin dealing very fully with the North American crops, and gave also a fairly full resume of wheat prospects throughout the world. The crop reporting also meant a fairly extensive meteorological recording.

The Weather and Crops Study of the weather and crops had led to certain conclusions along the same lines as those reached in New Zealand after study by the Wheat Research Institute. The marked influence of the weather between ripening and harvesting had been studied closely, i and the knowledge gained was used in making blends of flour. Little wneat was bought in normal years without being, tested for Quality, and very often a miller would test the baking characteristics of a line before buying it. "The consumer likes variety in everything else, in his clothing, his <intertainment, and his amusements, so it is only reasonable that he will demand variety in his bread," said Mr West. "The American ..industry has realised this, and is prepared to spend a lot of money to give the consumer a variety that may tempt him to return to flour." , ~ , One group of millers, he said, has established a specialty bread school in which courses in baking are given to bakers from, all , over the country. They are required to pay their own board, but nothing is charged for instruction. The course lasts for a fortnight, and as many as 75 attend at one time. After the first course, there are advanced courses, also free, which bakers may take. There is no obligation on the student to: use the flour of the group of mills " running the school, and very little indeed m the way of publicity for the group's products is brought before the students. The course includes, beside baking, instruction in window dressing and the elements of accounting.

American Bread Bread in America is considerably dearer than it is in New Zealand, and is of quite a different style, Mr West describes it as very light and fluffy, with a soft crust, and dead white crumb. It is of a flavour and con=slstency that might appeal strongly to some New Zealanders, and be equally distasteful to others. The one pound loaf, which is the usual size, is about equal in size to the 21b loafof New Zealand. As it is so light, the bread has to be cut about twice as thick as it is in New Zealand "It has plenty of flavour, but it is not a bread flavour," said Mr West. "The dough is mixed with milk, sugar, and malt, and- other ingredients. It tastes very well but is inclined to be-, eoqw dry and chaffy after about two a The price of) bread has a very wide range in the United States. The average charge for the ordinary bread w equivalent to Is 8d a four pound loaf, but high quality bread may be as dear as the equivalent of 2s 9d a 41b loaf. On the whole, Mr West found that bread prices were well above those oi this country. i

•. Dearer Flour Flour was also a little dearer a ton, mainly because there was a processing tax on all flour to be consumed internally, the impost, which eventually found its way back to the farmer, amounting to approximately £5 a ton. The farmer nevertheless still got-a SriyKw price for his wheat, but the consumer of bread obtained no beneM from these low prices. There was SlSon flour exported, and American flour coSld be exported to New Zealand and sold at a cheaper.rate.than it would bring in the United States.. "Like the rest of the world, the United States has more mills than are needed," said Mr West, but this has Sot orevented a number of new ones being erected with, all the latest imhave placed lieavy protective duties on flour, Canada is having a hard struggle.