IS DEAR BREAD ADULTERATED ?

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2808, 26 July 1866, Page 4

IS DEAR BREAD ADULTERATED ?

To th« Editor of the Daily S«uthurn Cross. Sir, — In your issue of Friday, 6th July, appeared a letter, sigaed "Citizen," uuder the heading, "Is cheap bread adulterated ?" In that letter the writer answers the question himself by stating, upon "the most reliable information," that "large quantities of damaged flour have been seen going into the low-priced bakeries of Auckland," thereby causing a " fearful and wholesale introduction into that useful article bread of unfit because unsound flour." He further asks, ',' Is it any wonder that diarrhoea should be so prevalent in the families of our middle and lower classes of society ?" and states that "we need not wonder that so many little ones are swept away, for what so often used by our little folks as the ' piece of bread ? ' " True ; but " Citizen" forgets that the circumstances of the parents of those "little ones " invariably compel them to buy in the cheapest market. This is a principle not confined to the poorer classes alone. The higher and middling classes, who can afford to pay for luxuries, very often adopt it, if not for themselves, at all events for their dependants. The saving of a penny in the 21b. loaf is, therefore, a very great consideration indeed to a poor man with a large family of " little ones " and small wages, when he comes to square accounts with his baker at the end of the week. I am, therefore, inclined to think that people, and especially poor people, will continue to purchase at the low-priced bakeries, all that "Citizen" can say to the contrary notwithstanding. Sir, the remarks of " Citizen" would have much greater effect on the public mind, if they were not tinged with so much sympathy for those excellent " bakers who scorn to descend to such lovr, vile, and contemptible expedients of deceiving the public," at the expense of other bakers who have the courage, the honesty, and the principle, to sell their 21b. loaf for a fair and reasonable price. What would " Citizen" say to the Sydney bakers, some of whom are, or were some time ago, selling the 21b. loaf for 3d. ! What vituperation he would pour on their devoted heads, when some of the Auckland bakers, who are charging ljd. and 2d. more for the same weighted loaf, come in for such a liberal share of the lash of his pen. 1 am not the apologist oiany one or more of the bakers of Auckland. On the contrary, I unfortunately am one of those who feel the pressure of their exorbitant charges, and am, therefore, the less likely to sympathise with them. I know they are very hard of hearing when a fall takes place in the price of flour ; in fact, it takes them about* three months to get rid of their deafness, before the public get the benefit of the low state of the flour market ; but when anything like a rise in the flour market is contemplated, lo and behold, how sharp their sense of hearing is, how sensitive their auricular faculty becomes. Straightway they (the master bakers) go to meet in conclave, and the result of their deliberations is a public announcement to the effect that the price, of the 21b. loaf is raised. I like fair play, however. That bread is adulterated in Auckland there is every reason to believe : else what becomes of all the flour damaged by sea water and otherwise that is sold by Auckland merchants to bakers ? What 1 became of all the flour that was damaged by the late flood ? I pause for a reply. Where was the fireside philanthropist "Citizen"" then, with his indignant denunciations of cheap bread? Oh, I

forgot, there was no low-priced bakeries at that tune, aud his friends the conscientious dear bakeis had consequently nothing to feai from being undersold by unscrupulous cheap dealers. Bread is adul terated no doubt to a great extent, both with damaged flour and potatoes, as also with an admixture of alum to make it appear white ; but whether it be so adulterated by dear or cheap bakers is entirely another question, and perfectly immaterial, so long as the adulterators are undetected and unpunished. I entirely agree ■with " Citizen" that an inspector should be appointed, who would be empowered to enter, not only every "bakery and biscuit manufactory," but every other place in Auckland, where adulterated or diseased articles of consumption are suspected to be vended, and, if the parties are detected, have them brought before Mr. Beckham, and such, condign punishment meted to them as the enormity of their unscrupulous conduct so deservedly merits. It is admitted on all sides that such an appointment is absolutely necessary. The public safety demands it, and when this is the case no other consideration should be allowed to interfere to prevent or retard any longer the appointment of a duly qualified health-officer. A baker can be fined for selling light loaves, but the same baker can escape scot-free for selling adulterated bread, because there is no authorised person to detect him and bring him to justice. Sir, you have over and over again so ably advocated the necessity of a health-officer, that anything I could urge in favour of it would be entirely supererogatory. I cannot, however, help joining issue with you in saying that it would be absolutely necessary that the person so appointed (i.e., if he be appointed) should be one of scientific attainments, such as a medical gentleman, or a chemical one ; I would prefer the latter, because I believe -he would be better able to detect the existence of deleterious or adulterated ingredients in the articles of consumption offered for sale in Auckland than the former, unless he combined the knowledge of chemistry with that of medicine. The summer will soon be upon us, and the desirability of such an "appointment should not be underrated or trifled with much longer, especially when the public health, is to be considered. It is to be hoped, therefore, that our provincial authorities will see to this matter. It appears, beyond doubt, that the time has at last arrived in Auckland when a proper surveillance is absolutely essential over the articles of consumption we make use of, whether these articles take the shape of flour, bread, meat, tea, coffee, beer, &c, and the multifarious other articles offered for sale in our city. — I am, &c., A Resident. Auckland," July 12, 1846.