The San Francisco call., 1906-08-06
ABBREVIATED LOAF
FOR FIVE CENTS.
Bakers Favor Reduction
IN Size to Meet the
Increased Wage Scale
ACTION PENDING

The master bakers have not yet come
to an agreement as TO the manner in
which the price of bread shall be raised
and no definite action will be taken un-
I'll the committee appointed to investi-
gate has had an opportunity to report.
IL IS believed, however, that the COM
mlttee will favor two sizes of loaves
and will ask that the system of tickets
be abolished altogether and a straight
cash business carried on in the future.
The proposed increase in price is the
direct result of a demand made on the
bakers by the Bakery and Confection-
cry Workers Union for a higher wage
schedule, together with an increase in
the price Of flour and other commodi-
ties. With the exception of a few of
the smaller bakeries in the outskirts of
the city, the bakers have all signed the
agreement and it Is now left to the
committee to say how much the prices
shall be raised.
The plan favored by most of the
bakers is to make two sizes of loaves,
the smaller, for which 5 cents would be
| charged, to be just trifle larger than
half of the present loaf. The bakers,
in support OF their plan to abolish the
system of tickets, explain that the sys-
tenn has allowed patrons four extra
loayes for one dollar and has thus cut
down the profits of the retailer, who
gets only twenty eight loaves for one
dollar.
ASSURED OF INCREASE.
The master bakers have condemned
the way in which the Bakery Workers
served the notice demanding an in
crease of SO per week. While the re-
quest was granted, the master bakers
believe that the union should have Civ
en- them more than three days notice
and thus have given them more time to
arrange to meet the emergency. The
demand, which was dated on the last
day of the month, reached the bakers
on Friday and limited that unless it was
complied with before the fifth of the
month the union would call out its
men.
The master bakers held their meet
ing on Saturday night and decided to
meet the demands Of the men by rails
ing the price of bread and cake. The
report Of the meeting did not reach the
men in time, however, and yesterday
morning the union men lined up in
front of the bakeries and refused to go
to work until assured by the bosses
that the new schedule would be paid.
In some of the bakeries the men re-
fused to take the word Of the foremen
and it was only after the arrival of the
managers that the men returned to
their posts.
PRICE FORCED HIGHER.
In speaking of the affair yesterday,
Charles Loesch, manager of the Califor-
MIA Baking Company at Eddy and Fill
more streets, said:
The increased price of flour and
other materials used in making bread
and cakes. together with the recent de-
mand of the unions for higher wages,
has reduced our profits to nothing and
compelled US to ask a higher price for
our goods. Any one who knows any
thing about the baking business will
know that at our present prices a man
cannot earn $5 day, no matter how
hard he may work, yet the union de-
mands that we pay this and we have
cheerfuhy granted the demand, believ-
ing 1t to be a just one.
What the price of bread VIII be after
this week I am not in a position to
state, but there is one thing certain, 1T
will be considerably higher than it is
at present. The matter is now in the
hands of the committee and as soon as
it makes its report new price list
will be decided upon. The new schedule
will go into effect a week from tomor-
roy