Evening star., 1896-01-22
THE BREAD QUESTION.
JOurneyman Who Hns Something to
Say About the Price.

JOurneyman Who Hns Something to
Say About the Price.
Mr.. John Weber of the Journeymen Bak-
ers and Confectioners' International Union
writes to The Star as follows:
Please allow me few words in regard to
Mr.. Seitz's statement about cheap bread.
1 am not surprised at all that Mr.. Seitz is
the only boss baker in this city who pleads
for cheaper bread If he does not sell his
bread cheaper than other bakers he ought
to do SO in order to justify his action of
last year. 1t was he who discharged a
union man about a year ago, when he had
employed for number of years. on ac-
count of cheap bread while the wages were
$13, and he has not employed a union man
since. 1 don't know what wages Mr.. Seitz
pays his man, but 1 am sure he receives
less than union wages, which are $3.50 for
ten hours per day.
A practical baker can turn out in a bakery
with modern improvements from 500 to GOO
loaves of bread in ten hours. Mr.. Seitz's
own statement is that he bakes four barrels
of flour per day, or 1,O4O loaves of bread.
Mr.. SeitZ has no modern improvements; his
bakery is the bakery of fifty years ago. Now
If one man. or even a man and an appren-
tice, have to turn out that amount of bread
I pity them. That explains why Mr.. Seitz
can sell cheaper than others. 1 am certain
ly not advocating the price of bread for the
boss bakers for l think they can take care
of themselves. My aim is to see that the
man who is engaged in manufacturing the
most important article of life receives Suffi-
cient pay to support family.
But that Is not the question here now
This is simply question of first-clasS and
inferior bread. There is plenty of cheap
bread in the market now, to my sorrow. If
it were not so the non union baker wouldn't
have room in this city.
have been employed as baker now for
over fourteen years; have seen a good
many different kinds of bread; have been
| in bakeries in Baltimore, New York, Buff
falo, Pittsburg and several smaller cities,
and I can assure you that the quality of
bread which is baked here and sold for s
| cents is superior to any 1 have ever seen,
and the material used is better than 1 ever
have used.
Through my connection with the Interna-
| tional Union of Jouneymen Bakers and
Confectioners for the last ten years 1 am
Well posted in modem Improvements in our
| trade in the different cities throughout
| the United States. and there is only one
! city which you can say is equal in this
| respect to Washington, and that is Chicago.
The public in general in this city wants a
good quality of bread. That is evident
| enough by the small amount of Scent
| bread sold. A certain party in this city
| sells all his bread out of his provision
stores for cents in different parts of the
| city. Why don't the people buy more of it ?
| OF course, 1 admit that Anacostfa car
drivers, or people with the same pay, can't
| afford to buy the best quality of bread.
| They can't buy the best meat or the best
| of any food or clothes, either. There lies
| the main hitch, that there are so many who
| don't receive enough compensation for
| their daily work to buy the necessaries of
| life, no matter how cheap they are.
for one never buy a cheap article of any
| kind, because 1 know good quality is al
| ways the cheapest in the long rum
| If the boss bakers now would reduce the
| price Of bread they would certainly not
| give the same quality, and there is plenty
| of cheap bread in the market which a good
many people wouldn't have for gift"
Need for Another Crusade.
A correspondent of The Star writes:
| was very glad when I read that article OF
IA Friend of the Poor last week to know
that your attention had again been called
| to the extortionate price of bread. The in
fluence Of yo our valuable paper was never sc
clearly demonstrated nor with such benefl.
| cent results as you achieved last winter ir
| your crusade against the extortionatt
boss bakers of this city. That they are
! not willing to reduce the price of bread
and be satisfied with 100 per cent profit !:
plain.
That you will again turn the search ligh
| of investigation upon this matter until sue
cessful in compelling these men to sell {
pound loaf of bread for cents is the hop,
of all who have any interest in the welfar,
of the poor of our city. JUSTICE.