THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 498, 4 May 1909, Page 6

THE PRICE OF BREAD.

. ; »MCREABE AT AUCKLAND. < , - DEFOTAHON TO THE MINISTER POR LABOUR. , ■ ' ' ' tBTTBHSOMIH—rEEBfI ASSOOULTIOK.) Auokland, May 3. 93hj price of broad in Auckland was to-day >'- , > > Increased to 4<L for the 21b. loaf. "< I-" . r \ The qoostioa of tho price of bread was 1 \ . introduced by a member of a deputation **, . waiting upon tho Minister for Labour (tho " Bon. A. W. Hogg) this morning. . , Mr. Mason said that Bd. per 41b. loaf was ' an extortionate price to 'chargo for bread. Tho workers fort that while they were tryi ing to improve their conditions they wero really no hotter off than boforo. Wages would go up i> littlo, but tho price of commodities would go up a littlo higher, so that they wore gaining nothing. Ho had com- ,' pitted the position, and as a master baker he coyld toll tho Minister that a sack of floor would give 136 loaves of bread, which • at 3Jd. pot loaf was worth £1 19s. Bd. * A ton of flour would mako 1360 loaves, which at tho present prico of 4d. por 21b. loaf ' meant a~return of £22 13s. 4d., With flour »t £13 per ton tho baker had £10 '13s. 4d. ' , left to meet other oxpenses. Tho yeast and v potatoes would only cost 55., and a baker ' v and his assistant conld bo employed for a </ total amount of £5 10s. por week. Two men botwocn them conld turn out 4216 loaves por week. Add tho cost of fuel and rent,. • and it would bo found 'that tiiero was no- . „ thin" to justify imy increase in the cost of \ ' bread. X " Mr- Oollett, secretary of the Waterside ; u ,f (Workers' Union, maintained that tho only ~* hop© from a working man's point of view was tho »establishment of State-owned 1 • bakeries and tho removal of the duties on j. flour and potatoes. The Minister, in reply, said that the legis- ,\ Jairionin force provided that if tho price of s. flour in Now Zealand was higher than in A 'Australia, machinery could be set in motion J ' to secure tho, removal of the duties. There was no doubt about tho existence of a "flour "ling." If thero was ovidenoo that jt was going to do any damage, the law could bo / sot in motion for ,tho removal of tho em--i ' < iargo upon. Australian flour. Bread was a ■ -very important artiolo of diet, and tho tread \ras one of the most important things ; tho family man had to-face. Ho wanted to seo the price o£ broad kept, as low as poseiblo without injury to tho bakers and tho men they employed. TJp to tho present fhete had been no '"Shortage of wheat. New - Zealand produced enough for her own needs, and tho crops this season had been good. i 'As a rulo the fanner did not jjot a very , ' ' good price for his whoat. !fho miller generally bought it at about 3s. per bushel, and then stored it until it went up to 6s. That was how an artificial scarcity was, produced. Ho was afraid, much as they desired to helpj that thero wero still many huge difficulties in tbo road. Municipal bodies had ' been asked to institute co-oporativo bakeries. 'At Wanganui ho understood thero was a * ' club of about 1000 men, and thoy woro ' carrying out a very successful scheme. They ' lad a co-oporativo bakery there, and it was a great success. He did not know whether ' they conld-do tho same thing in Auckland. If tho bakers wore charging too much, then ■ they should organise and call a meeting for ' Iho purpose of seeing what could be done.