The San Francisco call., 1896-11-08
Master Bakers Association
Determines Upon an
Unpopular Move.
Will Not Permit Dealers to Sell
a Loaf for Less Than
Five Cents.
COMMISSIONS REDUCED ALSO
The Custom of Permitting the Return
of Unsold Loaves TO Discontinu
Under the Same Order.

The master bakers of the City are max
ing an effort to raise the price of bread,
basing it upon the recent rise IN the price
of -four.
Those having the movement in charge,
however, claim that to raise the price of
bread is not as easily done as to plan it.
Ii the protest being raised by their GUS
toners. the "branch stores" and grocers
counts for anything they are quite right
abouti il.
general meeting of the master bakers
of the City was held on Thursday, under
the uspices OF the Master Bakers Protec-
tive Association of San Francisco and
Alameda counties, at which resolutions
were adopted declaring that no bread be
sold for less than 8 cents per loaf; that
the weight of a scent loaf should not be
more than Is ounces when baked and that
no baker shall sell bread to any dealer
who shall sell it Mt less than this price.
The resolution also provides that no
bread shall be returned to the dealers and
that the commission to dealers shall be
limited 10 % per cent.
This means 8 very material increase in
the price of bread to dealers and to the
consumer alike. Two loaves of bread may
be purchased from many of theydealers
and bakers for five cents, and dealers are
protesting loudly. AS yet the increased
price has not in any instance gone into
eff ct and the public therefore has not
been heard from.
Nicholas Prost IS president of the Master
Bakers Protective Association. Speaking
of the matter yesterday afternoon he said:
1.-The price of bread is too low in view of
the high price of -four Besides there is
such competition among the bakers that
bringing ruin to many of them. a grea.
many bakers failed this year, and good
many more will do so unless the trade Is
regulated in some way. For instance.
many bakers in their eagerness for trade
give overweight bread, as much as twenty
two ounces to a scent loaf, and then give
90 per cent commissions to the dealers.
"Thls together with the custom of tax
ing back the bread from the dealer that is
unsold, leaves very little profit to the
baker. Many of the dealers take a great
deal mere bread than they sell Just to
make an appearance in their window. If
we tell them they cannot have so much,
they reply by saying they will find a
baker who will let them have what they
want. We have 10 bring the stale bread
back to the shop and sell it at reduced
price and to our loss. Many of the dealers
sell at a less price than 5 cents loaf, and
so we have fixed the price at cents and
dealers are not allowed to sell under that
price. Off that price they can do well
enough at % per cent commission.
However" continued President Prost,
81 am not certain that the thing may be
made to work. There are only ninety
members in the association, while there
are about 100 bakers in the City. Unless
they all signed the agreement and abided
by 1t we could not enforce it upon any.
There has been an awful fuss made already
about the proposed increase in price and
reduction in commissions. The dealers
charEe US with being another monopoly,
another Southern Pacific corporation,
wanting all the profits and denying to
others the right to live. So l am not sure
we will be able to make it CO."
Frank Siebrecht of Engelhardt's bakery
on kearny street, who does big
wagon" business said yesterday that he
had left the association on account of this
action. He said he did not propose to be
governed by II; that he regulated the
price and the size of his loaves according
to the price of -four and would not submit
to the dictation of the association.
Following are the resolutions as passed ::
WHEREAS, The bakery business at the present
time is In very unsatisfactory condition /;
and whereas, the modern requirements OF ali
bakers are to-day very much enlarged and not
at ali in conformity with the price OF the
manufactured article; and whereas, the price
OF flour has advanced 35 per cent ard is likely
to go still higher by reason of the advance of
wheat, be it
ReS0tUed, That the price and weight of bread
be uniform throughout the City; that the
practice OF taking back stale bread be abol-
1shed; that all goods ordered and delivered
snail be charged and collected as per schedule
price, TO be fixed as above stated; that under
no circumstances any manufactured article
be taken back or exchanged; that no bread be
sold Tor less than cents per loaf at retail |;
that we allow all branches, grocers, restau-
rants, hotels and all dealers in breadstuffs 25
per cent on all sales, provided their obliga-
tons are met promptly; that the weight OF a.
5-cent loaf of bread should not be more than
eighteen ounces when baked and this shall be-
the standard; the priceiof loaves of larger size
snail be In proportion to their weight as COM
pared with the weight of a Scent loaf; that nc
baker shall sell bread to any dealer who shall
sell IL at less than the price established by the
association as the retail price.
That it is the sense of this meeting that the
Master Bakers Association be urged TO get
every baker OF this City to sign the above reso-
luton.
The above provision shall go into effect and
be binding upon the assent OF the majority of
the master bakers of San Francisco given
under their signatures hereto and ratified by a
general meeting of the master bakers of San
Francisco to be held hereafter. We the under
slgSed, master bakers of the City and County
OF san Francisco, hereby agree to carry out
the provisions contained in the foregoing reso-
lutions OF the Master Bakers meeting and we
do further agree that in case ii should be de-
cided upon TO be expedient, we shall en- ter in to
bond or give other satisfactory securities for
the faithful performance by us of the condi-
tions of the foregoing resolutions
GEORGE A. RUTZ, Secretary