PRICE OF BREAD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18354, 11 March 1920, Page 6

PRICE OF BREAD.

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. BAKERS' ATTITUDE. [From Ocb Cosbespondent.] WELLINGTON, March 10. The master bakers from all parts of the" Dominion had a two hours' interview with the Prime Minister and the Board of Trade, discussing the allegedly inadequate official maximum bread prices. Details were given of tho cost of production, the deputation maintaining that tho official price of bread barely covered the increased cost of .flour, ignoring the rises in every other ingredient, also wages, coal, harness, while tho cost of delivery in Wellington was U-d per loaf. The bakers asked for a minimum as well aa a maximum price, owing to what they called the insane cutting by small men, who employed their families.

Tho director of the Wellington Automatic Bakery stated that las't year he ordered all his flour requirements at £l4 10s per ton, or below the Government price. This year the millers told him they were afraid to cut. Mr M'Donald, a member of the Board of Trade, declared that the Government never fixed a minimum for flour. Last year's average was £l4 ISs.

Mr Massoy asked the deputation to consider a proposal to provide details of income and expenditure confidentially to the Board of Trade for a month, when the position would be reviewed. " Will you subsidise us if we continue to make a loss?" asked the deputation.

Mr Maasey: " That would be asking too much. • We are already subsidising flour out of revenue. Ido not defend it and 1 want to get rid of it as soon as possible." The Prime Minister added that if the bakers got a shilling per 41b loaf they realised' £33 from a ton of flour costing £33, it seemed to an outsider a fair margin. Eventually the bakers retired to consider tho proposal to accept the board's price and to keep acoounts for a month, also to prepare details to substantiate their claim for a further allowance for delivery.

[Pee Press AssocrAxiow.] NAPIER, March 10. The Napier master bakers have fixed tho price of tho 21b loaf as follows: — 6d over the counter, delivered by carte 6Jd or, if booked, 7d.