THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Friday, August 9, 1946. BREAD DELIVERIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26226, 9 August 1946, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Friday, August 9, 1946. BREAD DELIVERIES

With the announcement by the Price Investigation Tribunal of permits to charge increased prices for bread deliveries, it is possible to hope that the restoration of this service will not be lorjg delayed. It is not a very bright hope, however, unless the master bakers have experienced a change of mind and heart in the past few months. Towards the beginning of April the controls on the bread-making industry were revoked, and at that time the Minister of Supply, Mr D. G. Sullivan, made it sufficiently clear that the Government wished the delivery service to b» resumed as soon 'as possible. This was an acceptable lead even though it may have been inspired by a desire to escape odium for the continuation of a state of affairs which has provoked general resentment from housewives and from the breadwinners who, have also had to become bread-carriers. The Dunedin Master Bakers’ Association was stated to be “ considering ” the matter of resuming deliveries, but even apart from the acknowledged difficulties of the post-war situation, one estimate that it would cost up to 6d per loaf to carry out deliveries is so high that it could reasonably be inferred that the present system has conveniences which the bakers are unwilling to sacrifice for the benefit of their customers.

Late in June it was announced that the first proposals of the Price Tribunal were not acceptable since, to quote Mr Sullivan’s phrase, “ they involved an all-round increase in the price of bread.” This was not very informative, but no furthef. details have yet been made public except that it was reported that the New Zealand Master Bakers’ and Pastrycooks’ Association contended that an- increased price of 4.365 d a delivered loaf would be needed to recompense bakers if they had to deliver at back doors. It was also stated by the secretary that the bakers would be pleased to give the service if the public was prepared to pay a reasonable price. The rates which the Tribunal has now announced are ad per 21b loaf and Id per 41b loaf, but it is not stated • whether this is for a back door service or for deliveries only to boxes at house entrances... There is a big difference between the fixed price and the bakers’ estimate and it remains to be seen whether the bakers will consider the decision to be a reasonable one. They will do well to give the matter most earnest consideration. Thanks in part to war-time controls and subsidies the bakers .have been working under very favourable conditions. Fewer units have been in operation with the result that there has been extra trade. These advantages were obtained from the public during a time of national emergency so that there is a moral obligation to make every endeavour to restore the delivery service as soon as possible, even at the cost of a reduction in the present gross profits. The goodwill that would accrpe from a real effort to meet the needs of the customers is a factor that should not be ignored because it cannot be computed in fractions of pence.