“EXPLODED BOGY”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26416, 21 March 1947, Page 4

“EXPLODED BOGY”

DELIVERY OF BREAD NO PUBLIC DEMAND “This is simply a bogy created by the press which has exploded,” stated Mr A. T. Robertson (Dunedin) when the question of bread deliveries was under discussion at the Federation ol Bakers and Pastrycooks’ conference yesterday, He understood that the total response to requests from all bakeries in the city that customers should advise them that they required bread delivered came to about 47 clients, and he considered that not 1 per cent, of the bread baked was going out on delivery to customers. “ I think that within about three months there will be no bread deliveries and everyone will be perfectly satisfied,” he said. Delegates pointed out that customers still apparently wanted to be carthorses —the delivery of bread was available,'but they did not'want to take advantage of it. With the cost of new vans, and repairs to the old vans, it was not a practicable proposition, and if an extra charge were to be levied for cartage people simply would not pay it. The delivery of bread, it was stated, was closely allied to the question of some form of licensing in the baking industry, for deliveries could lead to cut-throat competition. The suggestion that some form of licensing should be introduced in the industry was a hardy annual, commented the president, Mr F. W. Creswell. The problem had been coming forward since 1935, and still no answer had been found to it. It was not desired to put the industry behind closed doors, but merely to give some form of security against unfair competition. A resolution was accordingly passed to the effect that the council should continue to endeavour to get some form of control upheld by the Government for the licensing of the baking industry in relation to bakehouses.