Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-13
BAKERS ARE NOT GETTING RICH.
With Cheap Flour tho Loavcs Are Larger
and Profits Reduced.
written for the Dispatch)

Written for the Dispatch)
Several of the New York papers, ho|
tIceably the Herald. have been making
TRADE on the bakers because the price "
bread has not been reduced. while nour
"a lower. In your clipping from the NC"
York Herald that paper says: NOW they
ohest snring brands OF hour) can De nao
from 500 to ss.5 per barrel anu s.ocvs
bread barons are increasing inc"
OF four rapidly" &c s aaures
In reply / would say thar sucn ns.' a..
n 20 r,dicy,ous Flour can be delivered ID
Nsv work. only a few cents cheaper tnal
In p,chmond. Our bakers are paying sh-.
"ash 20 the mills agents Tor the pest
snriro.w wheat brand Of flour, ana there IL
oar,ainIv no economy In using anytnihs
except the best. Such price as s-.-V ~.
snrinr- wheat -four Is unheard OF except
for horse feed! " ,t...,
Aoain. They quote what Mr.. Martin
gale. of Philadelphia, says as 10 ms eA-
p.rience in the bakery business showihs
how he can sell his pound loaves, maue
from winter-wheat -four alone. at cents
and make n nice, clean pront Vi si'"V v"
every barrel OF flour.
No, be,ng conyersant with that gentle
mans manner of baking and never
having seen his bread, gives him the
advantage OF a remarkable and UMPIRE
cedented experience.
ANY one who knows anything about the
business will not hesitate In saying that
the baker who can turn out nice, sweet
family loaf of bread from SIS winter
wheat -four hasa bigsfortune In store for
him He has never been seen In this city'
The cry for cheaper bread Is heard
everywhere. / hear people say, why
Ill "a
cheaper than Il was several years ago,
and 1 get no more bread for cents"
These statements are often made and
repeated In this city. and our bakers are
condemned as a grasping, greedy lot.
The trouble Is people do not know all
the facts. The consumers only reason
that cheaper -four means cheaper bread
No one denies that -four Is cheap. Then
why is not bread cheaper9 Well Vt Is!
When Gour was $50 higher the bakers
aoaied their scent bread at 16 ounces
that IS each loaf before being baked
weighed 10 ounces-which turned out IA
ounces Of brad when baked. Now weigh
your Scent bread and. you viii find from
il to 10 ounces OF baked bread. Several OF
our bakers are ,ssntng their i4-ounce bread
to the jobbiDg trade at Q cents, and theis
IS ounce at cents. The only difference
is this, that the jobbers can charge the
consumer cents for either. and make an
extra profit on the i4-ounce loaf.
To show the fallacy OF the statement
| that our bakers are making fortunes. con-
slider these figures, that I give from a
personal and practical experience in the
business for many years and from state
ments made to me by leading bakers in
| the city.
A barrel of mixed -four costs $50 to
i hot 60 tuv0 hfyIQ
| third winter. Cost OF baking same In
| Guiding store expenses. wagon delivery.
materials, labor. sc, &c. S.so. Total
| cost sly $50. This MIXTURE OF -four.
| lard. &c. &C., absorbs about Gi pounds
| OF water. making s25 pounds OF raw
| dough. The loss by evaporation In the
baking Is about 10 per cent. leaving
| about 200 pounds Of baked bread.
| Now, when we sell these $50 leaves al
/ cents each, netting 1870 and deduct
| cost OF materials, expenses, &c, $50
90 cents will be the profit. So. when you
| deduct for bad debts, stale bread, &c.
the baker who sells pound loaves fol
3 cents loses money, while at the same
time It IS often the case that the con-
sumner loses. too.
The first question after looking at these
| figures would naturally be: II the bakers
should charge cents for the pound bread
instead Of cents the profit would b'
| $3.50 per barrel, or 100 per cent. True. bu
| right there comes in the common error
The baker gives the jobber lS ounces o
baked bread for cents. and that leavei
them only a small. living profit. Tit
great trouble is that with the low price
Of -four the baking business has faller
off from 25 10 50 per cent. Bakers wh'
formerly baked from forty TO fifty barrel
per week now bake only twenty-five Il
thirty barrels and the cost Of baking flou
has consequently increased per barrel.
1t is a fact well known TO all who hay'
business with the bakers. enabling then
to judge, that the Bread Barons' o
this city certainly are making less none!
than ever before. and are giving our peo
pie more bread. and better bread. and ar
the worse slandered class of any manu-
facturers In our community.
| To sum up the whole matter. II Is on
thing to bake a batch Of bread and an
other 10 sell IL.
Respectfully yours.
| ANDREW T. CLARKE