CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 4402, 9 October 1934, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(To The Editor)

Sir. —In your issue of Saturday last, in making reference to the “bread wai’,” you stated that the Co-operative Society reduced the price of the loaf from 6d to sd. This is erroneous. I, as secretary of the Co-operative Society, wrote a request to the local bakers to give us a quote for bread to enable ns to sell at 5d per 21b. loaf. They refused, to do so, stating that it was impossible to produce bread at that price, although I have rca--son to believe it could be bought locally at 54cl per loaf. As I reported to the committee that they had refused to consider our request the matter was taken up by the committee of the Relief Workers Association and as a . result they ypere successful, after overcoming obstacles, in procuring a supply of bread (and milk bread at that) and the bread is sold under their auspices, so the attack is directed at the Relief Workers Association. We always gave local enterprise the first offer to meet us with groceries, meat and bread but met with a refusal in each case. Therefore, it scents peculiar that all of a sudden prices can be lowered to less than we asked. If the local bakers can sell it at 44d why have they been charging the highest price in New Zealand for bread up until now? If the Bakers Union can dictate to the public, why not the public as to what they shall receive for their labour? Our meat supply is obtained in competition with the butchers and it all passes through the Levin abbatoirs and receives the Government stamp by the Inspector. The universal cry of the baker, "rocer and butcher is that they kept, the Relief Workers from starving, but that argument is silly, because if they have fallen in in isolated cases the good customer has paid the piper not the provider of the goods. Further, if their argument was reasonable, why try to block the workers from providing for themselves, dealing direct with the producer he rids himself of the exploiter of his earnings. It was poor business that refused to keep the price of bread at 5d and then sell at 4*dt Their replies to me are contradictory in the light of subsequent events. Have a body of lroople no right to help themselves? Must they he dictated to as to where and with whom they shall spend their money? Foxton, and with my assistance, Levin, have done something they can be proud of in proriding for themselves, rather than lie a charge on the generosity of the butcher, baker, or grocer, and may I aslk the baker, Mr Public, why bread is fid per loaf when flour is £2O per ton, and fid per loaf with flour £l2 10/- per ton? In conclusion, I may state we have made it. possible for bread in good supply, to go into homes that had very little bread at 6d per loaf. Yours, etc., E. G. MARTIN, Secretary F.R.W.A.