THE PRICE OF BREAD. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LVII, Issue 23, 28 January 1899, Page 5

THE PRICE OF BREAD. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir — Quite a number of anonymous writers have again besieged your columns. giving their views on Mie above subject. When a practical man reads the nonsense which, without exception, they all' write, one is inclined to ask how on earth can such trasu find its way into the columns of a leading paper such as your paper .is? Were any nonentity to give expression to such effusions in tne street, only the lazy and foolish would listen to him, and even by them, he would be called a " gas-pipe." Now, I do not pretend to be able to fathom the objects of these anonymous writers in constantly attacking the baking trade, and thinking such mode of attack is cowardly in the extreme, I wil\ not argue with* them, but will content myself with quoting from a local which appeared in yom- paper on the 20th August iast year, which will show that when Hour was high one. small bakers were losing money> aud had the high price for flour been maintained many ol them wpuld have gone to the wall : — " The Official Assignee, a« a meeting of creditors yesteiday^ said he could not understand how some of the small bakers here irere paying their waj , as he felt sure they could not be making sufficient profit at the present j>rice oi flour. This caused a discussion oPa general nature, in which those present agreed that competition was exceedingly keen in the baking trade, and that it was only by having a large turnover that a baker could make any profit at all. Therefore, suggested one speaker, ' some of the smaller men should get out.' It will be better for them to do' so, said the Official Assignee, than go on and be unable to pay their creditors." If the Trades Council held a thorough enquiry into the profits made in the bread trade, the result would be different to what your last correspondent anticipates. But nothing can satisfy some people, and anonymous writers are like "The Brook," they go on for eve, mostly writing on subjects they do not understand > and who are too self-opinionated to be guided by reason or common-sense. —I am, etc., W. K. Howitt. Wellington, 27th January, 1899. [Notwithstanding our correspondents scorn of the anonymous writers who h.iv 1^ provoked bis ire, the fact remains tlui> when, the price of bread was raised fl<w stood •>{• P'\'6 10s per ton, as against. £8 i 1 ; the present time. It would thus scorn that unless they lived by their Josses 1"" jfore the price of bread was raised, t.'iu bakers must be doing extremely good business no.w.— l£d.}