POOR QUALITY OF FLOUR

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23494, 24 November 1941, Page 6

POOR QUALITY OF FLOUR

COMPLAINT BY SHOW JUDGES BAKERS’ EXHIBITS SAID TO BE AFFECTED (P.A.) NELSON, November 22. The poor quality of flour supplied to bakers throughout the Dominion was blamed by judges for the situation which occurred in the New Zealand championship bread competition for bakers at the Nelson Agricultural and Pastoral Show. “The best loaf in the show this year, the one which won the New Zealand championship, was not as good as the worst exhibit in bakers’ bread classes at the last Nelson show,” was the comment of the judges, Messrs H. P. Forster and Russell Freeman. In a joint statement after the awards' were made, the judges contended that the poor quality was not the fault of the bakers, who, from 10 towns in New Zealand, made entries, but was the result of the quality of flour supplied to them, which was not up to the standard necessary for baking firstclass quality bread. The judges stated further that some intending exhibitors had not forwarded their entries to compete in what was regarded as an important competition. Although they could not definitely state the reason for those defections, they felt cure that intending exhibitors found they could not produce bread of sufficiently high standard from the flour available. The exhibits, other than the prize-winning loaves, could not be described as anything but very poor, from a show •point of view, and the judges were unable to pay a compliment to the best of the entries. Baker “Not Surprised” When thi comments made by the judges were reierred to a prominent Nelson baker, he said he was not surprised. All bakers in the Dominion had to purchase their flour through the New Zealand Wheat Committee, and had no choice in the source of supplies. All bakers found difficulty in getting the best results from the flour. Formerly, they would blend a proportion of Canadian flour, but the importation of Canadian wheat had now been stopped. Another baker said that the baking qualities of New Zealand flour had been affected in recent years by the introduction of heading machines in harvesting the wheat. The championship award went to Stacey and Hawker (Christchurch). That firm also gained a certificate for runner-up. A certificate for third place went to C. J. Callaghan (Westport).