BAKERS DISSATISFIED

Southland Times, Issue 24755, 28 May 1942, Page 4

BAKERS DISSATISFIED

PRESENT PRICES AND COSTS

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 27. Extreme dissatisfaction at what was felt to be the Government’s failure to reimburse the baking trade adequately against the heavy increase in the cost of commodities used in the manufacture and delivery of bread was expressed at a meeting in Wellington today of bakers from many parts of New Zealand. A statement was issued later for publication.

After negotiations extending over a long period, including numerous deputations, costly investigation's and hearings before the Price Tribunal, the Government had at last made an offer to the trade, said the statement. The offer by the Government, a subsidy on the price of flour at the rate of £1 a tori in the case of the small baker, reducing to 14/- for large units, was felt by the trade to fall very far short of the amount required to enable the trade to function on a profitable basis. The present price of bread was fixed by the Government in 1936. Since that time, despite many increases in costs, both of wages and materials of all kinds,, no relief had been afforded to the trade. Bread today was almost the only comjjion article of diet the price of which to the public had not been increased to cover rises in costs. The meeting today affirmed its willingness to accept £3 a ton as a war measure and considered that nothing less than this figure was necessary to save numbers of bakers being forced out of business.