THE WEIGHT OF BREAD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 15124, 13 October 1909, Page 4

THE WEIGHT OF BREAD.

LIGHT WEIGHT PROSECUTIONS. THE BAKERS' POSITION. A meeting of the Christchurch Master Bakers' Association was held last evening, Mr j. Ncavo presiding. The mooting had been, convened lor all members of the trade, but there was a very poor attendance. The business '',' , tl,w meeting was a discussion of tfw halo ol t'oad and Drugs Act, VM7. as ar as it related to bread, a!i<l particularly in connection with recent convictions for selling light-weight loaves. . Ine chairman said that a deputation from the Association had waited on the Minister of Public Health ami had urged on him the- view that il the Government would fix a standard lor weiglung in, the public and the bakers would be safeguarded in the matter ol light-weight bread. The Minister, however, had not accepted that view, holding that it was his itutv to protect the public, and that the Act was sufficient for that. The meeting had been called in connection with that statement and .partly because of recent prosecutions. These prosecutions had been hanging up for a very long time, and it was principally through the efforts of the Association that tlicv had been brought. A matter that would require some explanation, however, was that only four penalties had been inflicted in twelve or fourteen cases of short-weight bread. In the course of discussion members expressed the opinion that it was unjust that one man, for bread half an ounce short, had been fined £2 and costs, and another, short 3£ ounces, had been fined only £1 and costs. A letter was read from Mr C. G. Knox, of Auckland, who stated, in regard to the Minister's remark that there was a clause in the Act exempting fancy bread, that he could not find any such clause, and he thought that the Minister's reference to " l'rench loaves or twists, which require double firing," was "bunkum." Fancy bread in any caso required, less firing. A letter was also read from the Now Zealand United Master Bakers' Association, Wellington, stating that the committee could not see that it would, bo possible to expect the Government to legislate for a standard weighing-in weight; but if master bakers wcidd weigh in at 21b 4oz and 41b Boz, there would be no such thing as short'weight prosecutions. "It appears quite, clear," the letter continued, " that certain bakers in Canterbury are cutting the weight and also the price. If that is so, they deserve to bo lined." The chairman said that Mr Knox seemed to see eye to eye with the Christchurch bakers, and the best way was to bring the matter up at the annual conference.

uiual conference. Mr J. T. Norton said that lie hardly agreed with the weighing-irt standard, for it would mean an army of Government inspectors. Unfortunately, there were- a number of unscrupulous bakers, and with a standard there would be ten times more quibbling and lying among them than ever before. The only way to got over the difficulty was to J; scale. 1 ' the (tough oif at the weight that would give a full-weight loaf, and at the same time assist the present inspectors in bringing the unscrupulous bakers to book. The price would have to be put up to meet the extra weight. The only alternative was to get the Government to fix and regulate the price of bread.

Mr W. Crowe said that there was no loophole for tho baker, who iniglit declare hi« bread under weight to tho customer at the time of .sale, because the. informations were laid by the inspectors in respect of bread in the cart that had never been offered to any customer. A standard weight for dough would meet the difficulty, the inspector having power to visit a bakehouse at any time and weigh tho dough. Ho moved — <; That this meeting of master bakers protests against the. Salo of Food and Drugs Act as pertaining to the weight of bread. Wo consider it' is unfair and unjsfc that bakers should be compelled to make fancy and crusty bread lull weight, and respectfully ask Parliament to so amend tho Act to provide that a standard weighiiig-in of the dough should be adopted." The motion was carried, and it was resolved to forward it to tho New Zealand Association and to Associations in j other centres.