BETTER BREAD

Waipa Post, Volume 43, Issue 3328, 28 July 1931, Page 8

BETTER BREAD

AND LOWER PRICES. Mr Butterworth’s notice of motion at last month’s meeting of Te Awamutu Farmers’ Union re the proposal to divise ways and means of obtaining a reduction in the price of bread throughout the country districts, was considered at last Saturday’s meeting. The mover said he would like the Union to endeavour to get a betterquality loaf delivered throughout the country districts. There was no comparison between the bread sold over the counter and that which was delivered throughout the country districts. Many of the delegates had, no doubt, proved that it was always possible to get good bread when it was bought over the counter. This article, in fact, had little resemblance to the evil-smelling, sour bread often delivered on the country rounds. Men who had had experience in the trade (but who were now out of it) gave various reasons for the making of bad-quality bread, such as cheap, inferior flour, stale yeast, and the timehonoured process of rejuvenating the stale loaf for country customers. A stale loaf could be bought over the counter for one penny less than the new one; but this was not so profitable to the baker as palming it off on the settlers by the simple process of placing it in their road boxes (when the settlers were not there to refuse it) and charging them fresh-loaf price.

Mr Butterworth added that it seemed futlie to change one’s' baker. It was all the same. He went on to quote prices of wheat, flour, and bread in different parts of New Zealand, Australia, and Great Britain. He said a sack of flour in England cost less than 10s, while in New Zealand it was over 335. A high protective tariff against. Australian wheat and flour was the cause of the high price here. He added that bread bought in Te Awamutu was immeasurably superior to what was obtainable in the out-dis-tricts. . . Members expressed the opinion that the means of delivery was the cause of the difference in quality. In some districts the quality, was quite satisfactory. Canadian wheat was excluded from New Zealand, and Australian wheat was severely taxed by import tariffs. After some further discussion, Messrs West and Butterworth were appointed a special sub-committee to go further into the question and report.