Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-10
THE STAFF OF LIFE
Figures That Violate the Rules of
Proportion.
THE LAW ABOUT THE WEIGHT OF BREAD
Bakers Compelled to Reduce the
Price of Crackers.
II II + COST OF FLO L X

| 1Sg2-Flour. Wholesale, So bread. : cents.
| 1>9i-Flour Who'll asale, s.; 20: bread = cents.
This simple statement of figures is Il
mathematical prop pDsition which is staring
| the citizens of Washington in the face at
! tbs time. Within tie past two days The
! Star has devoted much space To giving tha
| bakers of this city an opportunity To rX-
! plain their present position in the matte" of
| the price of bread The discussion has
! brought out the fact that the bakers
! now buy their flour for $50 per barrel less
| than they paid for it two years ago; that
| they bake 80 loaves of bread from a barrel.
| which is a reduction of one cent per loaf in
| the cost Cf the bread, but that no cores
pOnding reduction has been made in the re
! tail price of the staple of life.
| The census of 1~:o showed that the bakery
products of this city amounted To Sl,ir'.1i".
| The business has largely increased within
| four years, that it is probably safe to ap-
! rroXimate the yearly output as exceeding
| in value million and "A half dollars. The
! bulk OF this is bread one baker alone turns
! out 1900 lOaVcs per day. 1t will thus be
! seen that the item of bread is 10y no means
! d small one.
4 Fail in Crackers.
Several of the larger bakeries of the city
| i'll addition to furnishing bread and rolls
make crackers and cakes which they sup
ply to the Srocers. 1t was learned today
that the wholesale price of crackers has
! fallen within the past month. The reduc-
| ton Amounted to one cent per pound on
cream crackers, one and onc-half cents on
oyster crackers and two cents on ginger
snaps. This reduction by the local bakers
was necessitated by the competition of the
great cracker bakers of eastern cities. The
lower cost of flour enabled them To sell
their crackers cheaper, and the Washington
bakers Immediately evidenced their ability
To meet the cut. OF course there is no such
competition from other cities in furnish
ing bread -
L-arse Quantities of rolls are made by the
local bakers. In addition to furnishing
many tables with delicious rolls in the
morning the bakers find good customers in
the many dairy lunch rooms of the city.
There has been no reduction in the price of
rolls.
Il use about twenty-five dozen rolls a
day, said one of these lunch room proprie-
tors, and the price has been the same as
long as l can remember. The low cost of
Hour has not affected the price of rolls in
the least
Flour at Retail.
The retail price of flour has come down
steadily i'll proportion to the drop in the
Wholesale price. In 1902 the best grade of
Minnesota -four was quoted by the local
groccrs at SD per barrel. Today it is
$40 and $i.5l The person who can afford
to buy flour by the barrel and bake his
bread at home makes a considerab bic saving
on the former cost OF his bread. but he who
by poverty or for other reasons is COM
PEELED to buy his bread by The loaf from
the baker does not benefit in the least by
the reduced cost of flour
The Law About Bread.
One of the excuses advanced by the
bakers for not reducing the price of their
bread was that they cannot come down to
the extent of l cent per loaf. and If they
should reduce 1t IL cent the grocer woIld
profit and not the consumer. To this s,lg-
gestion that the weight and size of :he loaf
might be increased the reply was made that
the law does not permit the baking of "A
loaf which is beyond the standard of weight
fixed by law.
The law governing the making and sale of
bread fixes the weight of the bread the
smallest loaves to contain not less than
sixteen nor more than eighteen ounces
From tine to time the police have stopped
bakers wagons found short-weight bread
ana prosecuted the offenders, but never in
recent years has Il baker been prosecuted
for giving over weight. The law on the sub
Ject reads: 1T shall not be lawful for any
person or persons to offer for sale within
the city any loaf OF bread manufactured of
wheaton flour. whether that known as
bakers wheaton bread or any other lex
Cept bread made of unbolted flour or bran
bread, hereafter provided for) unless the
same shall be composed of the best quality
of fine, sweet, superne wheaton flour, free
from adulterating ingredients and from any
improper or unwholesome mixture what
ever.
The loavcs of wheaton bread sold in the
city shall be of three distinctive sizes or
weights, to wit: The first to weigh not less
than sixteen nor more than eighteen ounces
avoirdupois: the second to weigh not less
than thrty-two nor more than thirtv-1iv.
ounces avoirdupols and the third TO weigh
not less than siXty-four nor more than
siXty-eiSht ounces avOirdupos weight: and
each loaf OF bread shall have legibly
stamped or impressed thereon the weight of
the bread In figures, one, two four the
figure one to be stamped on the loaf of the
first weight: the figure two on th. second
weight. and the figure four on the third
weight.
"Loaves of bread made of rye -four or of
unbolted wheaton flour, or bran bread.
when offered for sale shall be of sizes and
weights iiAe1 for loaves of whtaten bread,
and shall also be free from any adulte,at-
ing or unwholesome ingredient whatever
Amy person Offering 10 sell bread in
loaves different in weight or quality from
that prescribed by law shall forfeit the
same, and pay penalty of 81 for every
LOAF offered for sale. aul for every loaf
actually sold; the Information to he lodged
with a police magistrate within ~ hours
after the offense mas been committed. one
half the penalty shall 30 to the informer:
and the magistrate shall. in all cases, make
allowance for the staleness of the bread or
loss of weight by drying
No Prosecution for Overwefght,
WI. SdIieS L. ugh, prosecuting
who prosecutes cases involving alleged
violations of this law. said to Star re-
porter today that he would not for an in
stant think Of pro Sc cutting a baker because
his siXteen-ounce loaf contained twenty
ounces. The law, he said, certainly did not
intend to punish persons for giving over
weight, but does require that they give the
lowest amount required.
AT any rate" said Mr.. PuSh, Il will
certainly not take case into court and
prosecute baker II it is shown that his
smallest loaf of bread contains twenty
ounces
Judge Kimball said he had not carefully
examined the law, but from a casual read
Ing he was of the opinion that no prosecut-
ing officer would ever prosecute a case be-
cause the loaf of bread exceeded the weight
mentioned in the law
Word for the Baker,
To the Editor Of The Evening STAR
Is not the consumer partly to blame for
the price of bread? Why not send a re-
porter to one of the leading bakers and get
few figures? Fo' instance when flour
WAS nor cont bfohar tbop a, 49,.