The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-08-13
AN AssIzE or BREAD.
Mobiles Regulation Of naAeries 6ari,
In the Last csntsry.

In the latter half of the seventeenth
and the early part Of the eighteenth
centuries the regulation OF the price OF
bread by public authority was famll'
lar principle ln the English colonies OF
America. In New Haven. for instance,
the weight of the penny loaf was regu'
lated by law about 1860. and IN 1896
the Massachusetts general court also
provided regular asslze, fixing the
weight OF the loaf according TO the
price OF hour. At various times dur
ing the FIRST quarter OF the eighteenth
century the selectmen Of Boston like
wise performed this duty.
II Is interesting, however, to note a
survival or perhaps revival OF this
principle as late as the nineteenth CEN
tury In the town of Mobile, place
whose economic history Is marked by
many peculiar features. After fifty
two years OF French, seventeen years
Of English and thirty-three years Of
Spanish rule Mobile came under the
control Of the United States govern
ment In April, 1913, and was included
In the Mississippi territory. On Jan.
20, 1914, by an act OF the territorial
legislature the town received charter
Of incorporation, and at two meetings
OF the inhabitants, on March ii and
IA, the municipal government was or.
ganized and the charter publicly read
In Engli h and In French. The popula-
ton ut this time was composed OF
French, English and Irish elements.
On April 4 following, three weeks after
the organization Of the municipal gov
ernment, a tariff for BAKERS" or as
size Of bread. was drawn up by the
commissioners (the governing body Of
the town and proclaimed In English
and in French. This fixed the weight
Of the loaf for the ensuing month in
accordance with the price Of -four. In
stead Of changing the price Of bread
IL was more convenient to make the
loaves lighter or heavier as the price Of
-four rose or fell. On May 2, 1914, the
weight Of the bit loaf (the bit being
coin worth 1914 cents was fixed at
twenty-eIght ounces, and the weight Of
the half bit loaf was fixed at fourteen
ounces.
On July s, 1915, Mr.. Martin the bak-
er, appeared before the board and paid
the sum of $40, fine inflicted on him
for having bis bread too light, one-half
of which sum was paid to the police
officer. On Jan. "a, 1917, a regular
scale of weights for the bit loaf was
adopted.
Beginning May 3, 1917, the assize Of
bread was proclaimed weekly instead
of monthly, as before, and this system
was continued for little more than
two years. The records do not show
that the assize was proclaimed after
1910, but the town continued to exer-
else a control over the business Of bak-
ing Every baker was required to
procure a license and to register his
trademark, which was stamped on his
loaves. A public bakehouse was also
established and seems to have been
managed in the same way that munich
palities control public markets, the
bakets renting the stalls from the town
and being subject to inspection. AS
late as 1926 In the annual statement Of
the city clerk the following entry oc-
clrs in the statement of receipts dur
INK the year: "Sales Of condemned
bread, $l.87."-Quarterly Journal Of
Economics.