Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-04-27
AN ASSIZE OF BREAD.
Mobiles Regulation of Bakeries in tb
Early Part of the Last Century


In the later half of the seventeen
and the early part of the eighteenth cen
turtles the regulation of the price of
bread by public authority was a familiar
principle III the English colonies of
America. In New Haven, for instancr.
the weight of the penny loaf was regu-
lated by law about 1860. and in 1896
the Massachusetts general court also
provided a regular assize, fixing thu.
weight OF the loaf according TO the prize,
of flour. At various times during the
first quarter of the eighteenth century
the Selectmen Of Boston likewise pes.
formed this duty.
1t is interesting, however, to note "a
survival, or perhaps a revival, OF this
! principle as late as the nineteenth cen
fury in the town of Mobile, place
whose economic history is marked by
many peculiar features. After fifty-tWu
years of French, seventeen years OF Eng
| lish, and thirty-three years of SpanisG
rule, Mobile came under the control of
! the United States government in April
1913, and was included in the MissiSsiu-
| pi territory. On January 20, 1914. hy
an act of the Territorial Legislature
| the town received charter of incorp0r3-
| ton, and at two meetings of the inhabI.
tants, on March II and IA, the municipaI
! government was organized, and the char
| ter publicly read in English and in
| French. The population at this time
was composed of French, English ap6
! Irish elements. On April 4 following.
three weeks after the organization Of
| the municipal government, Il tariff for
| bakers" or assize of bread, was drawn IN
! 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 flour
| Instead of changing the price of bread
| it 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 4
coin worth 1212 cents) was fixed at
twenty-eight ounces, and the weight Of
the half bit loaf was fixed at fourteen
ounces.
On July 9, 1915, Mr.. Martin, the
baker, appeared before the bQard and
paid the sum of S10-a fine inflicted
on him for having his bread too light
| one-half of which sum was paid to thu.
police officer. On January 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 9f
monthly. as before, and this system was
continued for a little more than two
years. The records do not show that the
asSiZe was proclaimed after 1919, but
the town continued to exercise a control
over the business of baking. Every
baker was required to procure n license
and to register his trade mark. which
was stamped on his loaves. 4 public
bakehouse was also established, and
seems to have been managed in the same
way that municipalities control public
markets, the bakers renting the stalls
from the town and being subject to in.
spectiOn. AS late as 1926 in the annual
statement of the city clerk the following
entry occurs in the statement of receipts
during the year: 'Sales of condemned
bread, S1.S7."-Quarterly Journal of
| Economies