The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-24
Wheat Is Cheap,
Bread Is Dear
The Price Of One Declines but the
Other Does Not Follow Example.
A FRAUD ON THE CONSUMER
Measure Restricting Bakers Pro.
fits and Making More Stringent
Sanitary Regulations.

The next Legislature, which meets at
Harrisburg, will have before it a bill to
regulate the manufacture and sale of
bread, the basis of the measure being
Senators Aldrichs recent report in con-
gress, which stated that bread, the chief
factor in the food of the nation, was
steadily rising in price, while flour was
daily growing cheaper. The report
called attention to the fact that bigger
profit was nowadays being made in this
staple article of diet than in any of the
luxuries of life, and Pennsylvania
promises to lead the other states in an
effort to remedy the evil.
Wheat was never so cheap as at the
present time. It's price has fallen 40 per
cent. in three years. The price of flour
has also fallen 40 per cent. in the same
period and from IS to 20 per cent. in the
last twelve months. Wheat Is bringing
about so cents bushel today, and yet
the price Of bread remains the same as
three years ago, when wheat brought
SIPS bushel. Flour of the same grade
as that which brought Sc per barrel is
today selling for $3.50.
The baker is reaping most of the bene-
fit of this enormous reduction in the
cost of raw material. There can be no
doubt that the flour manufacturers and
millers have proflted by the low cost of
wheat, and it is equally certain that the
wholesale flour dealers and the retail
grocers have been benefited by the low
prices. But it is the man who turns the
flour into loaves of bread that is today
making the most money out of the
changed conditions of trade, and it is
the poor people who patronize him who
suffer the most.
Profit in Bread Making.
The first item in bread manufacture
is -four. Flour used by bakers for
bread making ranges in cost from "a
to as low as $2.25 per barrel, each
barrel containing 1876 pounds of -four.
The 1925 quality is the lowest and is
used to make coarse, dark and sour
bread. A fair average price as paid by
the ordinary baker would be $3.50 a
barrel
Out of this 1856 pounds Of flour the
baker can make from 275 to 1926 one
round leaves of bread, according to
the ability of the flour to take up water.
Spring wheat, for instance, takes up
more water than fall wheat, but it will
be entirely fair to say that the average
number of one-pound loaves obtained
from barrel of -four is 300. The aver
age wages of the operative baker Is
$l2 a week.
Then there are other ingredients
used, such as potatoes, yeast and some
times alum, but their cost is very slight
and may be put down at 20 cents to the
barrel of flour. There is also the eX
pense of delivery, which in small bak-
cry employing but one baker is about
$12 per week, estimated at the rate oi
IS for man or boy to drive and 81 for
a horse and wagon. In addition to all
these there is rent to be paid, shop
work, interest, incidental loss and capi-
tai invested to make allowance for.
Ten per cent. of the expenses already
mentioned would he a liberal allowance
to cover all the extra cost of produc-
ton.
The Poor Man Suffers.
On good authority 1t is learned that
the bakers of Buffalo, N. Y, handle
thirty barrels of flour a week, while
those in Washington only handle about
fifteen, so when it is said that baker
in this city makes 600 loaves a day, OF
4,200 loaves week. thereby only hand
ling about fourteen barrels of flour, the
statement is well within the bounds
of reason.
To make the matter clearer, let the
reader suppose that Mr.. A, the baker
has a small shop and turns out every
week 1900 loaves of bread supposed tC
weigh one pound each. The following
table will then show what it costs hin
to produce each loaf:
1900 loaves, IA barrels, at S2S0...... S39 q
Other ingredients at 20 cents per
pound Observation-Disclosures.
Wages TO baker. er........................ II II
Expenses of delivery ery.................. y On
hent '"'''''.''''''''''''.''' O'
Total ...................... s73 81
Add 10 per cent. for running -eX
penses ''''''''''...''..'.''.''''' On
$50 s.
Dividing $S0S5 by 4,2OO-.019. Thus
is may be seen that at very liberia
estimate each loaf of bread is produced
at cost of less than cents.
In England Bread Is Cheap.
For the sake of comparison 1t ma!
be interesting to note the prices o
ordinary bread in England. There
what is called a "quartern" loaf, weigh
ing Az pounds, or 6S ounces, Is sold fol
fivepence, or 10 cents of our currency
and the well known penny roll of Lon
don weighs 6 $40 ounces. Thus 1t II
seen that the people of England ge
nearly two and one-half times as mucl
bread as we do for the same money.
Another point that is well worthy o
attention Is the weight of the loaves
The law requires that each loaf o
bread sold shall weigh sixteen ounces
but it is not often that a customer cal
purchase full weight loaf. They rui
down as low as thirteen or fourteen
ounces, and at that rate the consume
pays about six cents a pound for hi
bread. 1t has already been declared
by many charitable institutions that i
would be an excellent thing if Law
could be passed compelling bakers ant
grocers to sell bread by weight.
There is plenty OF room for investiga
tion by the health authorities in SOM
of the baker shops, and this question
will also be taken up by the Legislature
Very many of the shops are not to,
particular regarding cleanliness. Whei
it Is considered how easily the germs o
disease may be propagated through tn
careless handling Of bread, it will b
seen that the matter deserves con
sideration.