HIGH PRICE OF BREAD

North Otago Times, Issue 13236, 6 March 1915, Page 6

HIGH PRICE OF BREAD

i PKOIITB OF BAKERS. 1 INTERESTING CALCULATIONS. WELLINGTON, March 2. An increase in the price of the'2lb loaf, which is now fid, has taken place, owing to the price of Hour soaring to. £l7 and ,U7 10s per ton. •It is-pointcd out that while the price of bread is being regulated by the latest and highest price of (lour, there are bakers in Wellington and throughout New Zealand who are still working on contract Hour purchased at £5 per ton less than Ihe price now ruling, and who must now be reaping a golden harvest. Then, it is also argued, the Government has imported a' considerable quantity of wheat from Canada. This wheat was bought at 0s lid, and has been sold to the millers at 5s Oil per bushel—a loss to the State, and the people, of tid per bushel. Inquiry was made to-day as to whether the Wheat and Flour tee. was stipulating that millers purchasing Government wheat should sell tho Hour at it given price. It was ascertained that that was the original idea, and it was worked out that with wheat at 5s !)d por bushel millers could sell Hour at S.H 10s per ton and make a fair profit, According to the chairman, Mr R. Triggs, this was found to bo impracticable, as the millers, in order to turn out the quality of flour desired, had found it necessary to mix the Canadian with the New' Zealand wheat, As the New Zealand wheat was considerably higher in price than Canadian, they found that- the Hour could not bo turned out at the price originally fixed by the committee, The extent lo which the committee had proceeded was to obtain written assurances from the millers who were using Government-imported wheal that tho price for Hour would be regulated as fairly as possible by tho cost of the wheat. To ascertain the variation between the £M 10s per ton f.o.b. origiually lixed for flour by the committee, and the price ruling to-day, a leading firm of (lour merchants was consulted as to today's price for Hour. The answer was somewhat dogmatical: "I don't think we can gel any, but if we could the price would be £l7 f.o.b. in the South." • It is on this latter price that the bakers arc asking 5d per loaf, but the bread they will sell perhaps for manv weeks to conic has not cost them JIT per ton. The Government statistician, Mr Malcolm Fraser, has oh record the price' that bakers in. 'Wellington have been paying for flour for some time past. Luring the first fortnight of last month one baker received a consignment'of' contract Hour' at £!> 10s f.o.b.- lie also purchased some at £lB .10s in Christchurch. There mw sales at £ls 10s delivered to any part of the city or suburbs, and others iu Christchurch at £ls 10s, less 5 per cent, and 2J per cent. A'Timaru miller sold as' much nsJB tons at £l4los, and another 911 tons at £lfi 4s. One linn o{, 37(i tons was sold by a Timaru .mill at £ls 10s. These prices go to prove that there aro.fairly largo stocks which have been purchased at a price under' tho ruling one,:but all bread is being charged for to-day-as though £l7 10s or £lB had | been paid for tho floiirf which must bo highly remunerative -to those who ' bought a month ago/and corresponding: J ly; : unfortunato for the public. •.. (