THE PRICE OF BREAD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19364, 22 July 1925, Page 5

THE PRICE OF BREAD

HALF-PENNY REDUCTION TO-DAY BOARD OF TRADE TAKE ACTION PROTEST BY INTERESTED PARTIES Somewhat of a surprise waj sprung on master bakers in the city yesterday when they received intimation that the price of bread over the counter had to be reduced by a halfpenny as from to-day. This news, while it will be received with gratification by housewives, is viewed with a certain amount of alarm by the bakers, who declare that their profits at the present time are, comparatively speaking, meagre.

Circulars stipulating that the reduetion must be effected have been distributed to the bakers by Mr E. Gohns, officer in charge of the’ local office of the Department of Labour, who was advised yesterday by the Board of Trad* that bread in this district would b» reduced from 7d to 64d cash over the counter as from to-day.

Immediately on receiving this unheralded advice, the master bakers, distributors and other interested parties la tho city assembled to discuss the situation that had (arisen. The meeting, it is understood, strongly deprecated the reduction in the case of Wanganui, but it was agreed eventually to make tho reduction under protest, there apparently being no option under tho circumstances.

Last evening a u Chronicle” reporter , got into communication with several ' people who will bo affected by the re--1 duction. Ono baker remarked that they could not help themselves in th® matter. Those concerned in the manu- > facturc of bread received no warning ■ of what was in store for them, outside of the notification yesterday that th® > price of bread over the counter had la be reduced to 6Ad immediately. Flour. ' the informant admitted, had decreased • in price by (approximately £1 a ton two or three months ago, but this reduction , was counteracted by tho relative inI crease in bak'irs and drivers’ wages. ■ The Board << Trade, ho considered, > had not treated them fairly in tho m'atter. In Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch the price of bread had been reduced, but it had to be Loken, into account that those places secured 1 heir flour at a lesser cost than Wangae nui, which had to pay heavy freight wharfage and cartage charges. Ol ? course they had no option but to bring the price of bread down, although th< price of flour was at present something over £lB per ton. The bakers in the i city, tho reporter was assured, made nothing out of their broad last year at the prices then ruling, and in some instances they had no income tax M pay on that account. Tho informant did not think that the profits in this connection exceeded 24 per cent. He proceeded to drtaw a comparison between the complaints made when tho price of broad was increased and when th® prices of meat, butter and other com.modifies were raised. Tho informant went so far as to (assert that the reduction was an electioneering stunt on j the part of the Reform Party. While jtho decrease meant no more thhn 4d a wook to the housewives, the decreased | revenue to the baker mdhnt all the !difference between profit and loss. Th® Board of Trade, he added, were decidedly unfair, and had not even given, them a week’s grace in which to effect tho. reduction. Defiance was suggested iby some, of his confreres, but it was , recognised thlat in fairness to the. shop- | keepers—who were liable if the instructions were not obeyed—the reduction should bo made under protest. 1 The head of a city firm which retails bread only considered that the. reduction was not a fair proposition, while, another baker remarked thlat the ultimatum had come as a bit of a surprise. “Wo did not receive any intimation of what was about to be requested of us, and I do not. think that tho Board of Trade have done the right thing by us altogether,” ho added. As matters were at, present the bakers wore not doing too well nut of their businesses. Of course, the informant explained, they had to comply with the instructions issued, but they were protesting against, the decrease forced upon them. If they took the matter mildly other places in a similar position to Wanganui would also be called upon to make, a reduction. The elections, he reminded the reporter, were looming near, &nd the action of tho Board of Trade, he ventured, was a

“let in.” Questioned concerning the prices of bread ruling in other centres, fho informant pointed out that in the South Island it has! been 4d below local prices all tho time. However; there wh.s a difference of over £2 a ton lin tho price of flour to buyers in tin' South and buyers in Wanganui, wherr i freight, wharfage and cartage charges had to bo contended with. In conielusion, the baker considered the halfpenny reduction whs excessive, and that the recent increase in wages had not been taken into account by tha Board of Trade,