THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3871, 13 March 1877, Page 2

THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Sir, — I am astonished that the bakers of Napier have not thought fit to reduce the price of bread to the amount now charged by a competing and enterprising grocer in the town. Only this morning I learnt from materf amilias that she is still paying 5d for a small loaf — small, indeed, for one that is said to weigh 21bs., and remarkably small after two of my boys have had a meal from it. You must know, sir (to let you into some of my domestic secrets), that I have a small wife and a large family, whose mouths — the children's I mean, of course — although not too large as regards physiology, are capacious enough to require a great deal of filling. " la short," as Mieawber would say, " I have a lot of hungry children, and ray means are exceedingly slender." There are many others in Napier, I doubt not, in the same predicament. I will tell them what I have done ; let them follow my examplei I said to materfamilias, " How many loaves do we consume in a week ?" She replied, "Three a day." Now, although this was not an exact answer to my question — you never can get a woman to give you a definite reply — t gleaned the information that we demolished twentyone 21b loaves in the course of seven days, amounting to 8s 9d. Now, I put it to my good little wife that by getting the bread at 4d per loaf we should gain twenty-one pennies per week, which would amount to something considerable at the end of six mouths. "Send one of the children round to Blank's and get a loaf at 4d ; test it by running a heated knife through it ; if it is pure the knife will come out freely,if adulterated with alum it will stick and show the alum on the blade." She did as I desired — the test was satisfactory, and the bread well-flavored, good, and wholesome ; and now she feels quite proud in having thrown over an extortionate baker , and in saving Is 9d a week. As I have done, so I recommend others to do, and the result will soon be to bring the bakers to their senses. — I am, &c, Paterfamilias . Napier, March 12, 1877.