Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-09
OLD PRICE RESUMED
BAKERS NOW SELLING FIVE-CENT
BREAD AGAIN.
Indications That Change This Time
Will Be Permanent-What
Brought It About.

Bread made by the boss merchant bakers
of this city was again sold at cents
loaf, retail, in all parts of the city and in
the outlying districts this morning, exactly
two weeks and one day after the retail
price was raised from this figure to 6 cents
loaf. Drivers of delivery wagons have
been instructed to sell to the retailer at 4
cents a loaf, as before, and there is every
indication that the break is permanent.
This action of the merchant bakers was
pre- dicted in The Star shortly after the
price was raised to 8 cents, and in spite of
the fact that the producers stated emphati-
cally that they could not bake bread to sell
profitably for less than this price. The
prophecy was made in quotations from the
opinions of many grocers throughout the
District, which were based on the belief
that sales of 6-cent bread would fall off
more than the boss bakers could stand.
This is still believed to be the reason for
the return to the old price. although some
bakers say 1t is because expected adj
vance in the price of flour has not come.
A leading grocer of the city in converse
ton with a Star reporter this morning
said he thought the bakers had been incon-
sistent in the matter, since at the beginning
they positively denied that they could make
bread to sell profitably at the old price, on
account of an actual increase in the cost
of flour, and now, when the price of flour
is said to be just the same, have assigned
dnOCner TedSOn-tndC Iney Simply eXpecteu
flour to increase in price to such an extent
as to cut their profits below what was fair
and upon this expectation increased the
price of bread.
This grocer thinks it evident that bread
could and can be retailed at a profit at
cents a loaf at the present and re-
cent price of -four; unless this is so the
boss bakers must have decided to make
bread to sell at loss, which, he says, no
one will believe
President Leary of the Merchant Bakers
Association Of the District of Columbia de-
clined to be interviewed in regard to the
decrease in price. The Corby Brothers had
nothing to say and the same answers,
or similar ones were made in other quar-
tiers when inquiry was made by Star re-
porter today.
Meeting of Bakers.
1t is understood that the decision to sell
again at five cents a pound loaf was reach
ed at meeting of the bakers association
held late yesterday afternoon. Just what
took place at this meeting cannot be learn
ed, owing to the silence of the bakers on
the subject.
Matthew Goddard, a local grocer, who
handles much bread said today that he
had learned from different drivers of bread
wagons that the principal falling off in the
big bakers sales has been in the towns out
side of Washington where they ordinarily
do very large business. Hundreds of let
merchant bakers here from retailers in all
parts of Maryland and Virginia request
ing that the price be lowered once more,
else they would be unable to handle the
bread. These retailers, 1t is said made all
sorts of propositions to the big bakers, but
none were accepta BILE, 1t appears.
The decrease in sales was, of course, no
ticeable in this city Also although the con-
dition here was better for the bakers after
the first few days. The small bakers
stepped in and undersold the large ones, as
reported in The Star and to these bakers
large portion of the public f1ocked The re-
suit was a partial loss of trade in the city
and almost a total loss outside. No one
but the bakers themselves assigns any
other reason than this for the return to
the scent price.
Qualification is expressed everywhere over
the so-called victory of the public over the
boss bakers. Poor people who have been
forced to buy cornmeal are now glad be-
cause they can afford white bread once
again And already sales are said to be
materially increasing in volume.