OUR DAILY BREAD

Evening Star, Issue 19841, 14 April 1928, Page 11

OUR DAILY BREAD

VISITOR'S ATTACK RESENTED SOME FACTS ABOUT FLOUR The bread war is still on, but the conflict lias resolved itself practically into one which concerns the merits and demerits of Hour, also the methods which are employed in its distribution. Yesterday a local baker complained that ho was. hampered by the system of the Flourraillers’ Association, his contention fading that he could not get the Hour he wanted, or the different lots of Hour desired for obtaining a good blend. In reply to this the manager ol a big Dunedin llourmilling company stated this morning that the association absolutely denied the assertion that a baker could not get the flour he wanted. As a result of the court case iigainst Distributors, Ltd., it came about that neither the distributors nor the millers were compelled to supply any particular brand to any baker that wanted it; however, one point gained was that the distributors have been very careful ever since never to reiuse a baker any variety of Hour which he asked for. If every baker in Dunedin were to demand one brand of Hour it would be quite impossible to supply_it, and matters would conic to this impasse whether the distributors were operating or not. Since the session the bakers had been quite reasonable in this respect, and the distributors were finding no difficulty in supplying the brands asked for. “1 think the individual who complained about our bread was talking through his hat,” stated this gentleman. “ I am quite satisfied that the bread here is the equal of any other, and certainly of Australia’s. It is absurd to say it is the worst in the world. Why, 1 had Australian visitors staying with me recently, and one of the things that struck them was the quality of the New Zealand loaf. They said that it was quite different from theirs, and much better all round, I am quite sure that is the general opinion.” Continuing, the speaker said that New Zealand wheat, admittedly, was not as good as that of Australia, but this concerned its milling properties only. For flavor and bread-making the wheat was quite as good as the Australian grain. llakers were finding that the flour from this season’s wheat was first class-—a great improvement on the yield from last year’s crop. In conclusion, he denied also that bakers were unable to obtain overseas Hour if they wanted it. In evidence lie quoted the following figures, which represent the number of tons of Australian and Canadian flour imported into the dominion during the k*t five months: —November, 832; December, 396; January. 820; February, 628; March (up- till the 23rd), 687. This quantity, lie said, had been distributed all over New Zealand, and it was significant that those who were importing Hour were not making _ better bread than those who were using New Zealand flour ns it was at the present time. The president of the New Zealand Master Bakers’ Associating was most emphatic in Ins denunciation of the visitor’s complaint. “ Absolute rot,” lie declared. “ Last year the flour was not up to the mark, but this was due to the quality of the wheat. Now it is beautiful, and the broad is more nutritious than ever. There is hardly a baker who is not using milk—99 per cent, of milk solids—in the right quantity to give the public a- first-class article. Moreover, thousands of pounds’ worth of milk goes to England and the Continent each year for the same purpose. Here, we quite realise wc are up against patent foods, and we have done our best to put out first-class work. Although we are going to 'extra; expense in order to give the public a good loaf which is full of vitamins, wc arc not asking any more Ibr it, because the public does not expect to pay ton much for bread, the staff of life. The loaf of to-day costs -)d more to turn out than it did some time ago, and wc claim that there is more nourishment in tlie bread now than at any other period.” The speaker added that the local bakers wore the equal of _ any; they were men who did not work in a groove; they took an interest in their work, and were turning out excellent bread. Also, they drew on a world labor supply, and many first-class tradesmen from Home were coming into the country. When the dominion had a normal wheat season the flour was certainly equal to that anywhere. At the present time there was nothing wrong with it.