BAKERS’ TROUBLES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6488, 7 April 1908, Page 7

BAKERS’ TROUBLES

DEPUTATION TO ME FOWLDS. UNDEECUTTING AND LONG HOUES. FEEBS ASSOCIATION. DUN'SDIN. April 6. Master bakers this afternoon waited on the Hon. George Fowlcls, Minister of Public Health, with regard to matters affecting bread. It was pointed out that although a certain rate of wages had been fixed for bakers*' employees at the last sitting of the Arbitration Court, the very men who had conducted the case for the employees’ union were now operating ns master bakers, and by doing their ora baking and delivering without the aid of anv assistance, and working twelve to fourteen hours per day, were underselling bakers who were complying .with the award of the Arbitration Court. The deputation asked that Parliament, which -Had fixed the weight of bread, should also put the price to be charged on the article. ~ , ~ Mr Fowlds said he would place the representations of the deputation before his colleagues, but he could not give, any indication that the deputation s wishes would be given effect to without the full consideration of Cabinet. If the principle of a price being fixed for bread wore affirmed, it was hard to say where it would stop. In any case, if Parliament wera to agree to a proposal o{ the kind he would rather expect that they would make it a maximum, and not a minimum, and that would not be of anv value to meet an emergency like the one the bakers were face to face with iust now. There was. rightly or wrongly an impression throughout the country that the price of bread the upward tendency of the flour market mire easily than it followed the backward tendency. ~ Regarding the. moisture in bread—which has been fixed at 40 per cent.—the Minister eaid thav before taking any drastic steps the whole matter would be aa / ef ' lU L resneot to the standards in actual existence throughout the Dominion, was no desire to impose any impossible standarfs on the trade, but to have the best quality of bread suphed to the consumer.