Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-12-16
AN AssIzE OF BREAD.
Mobiles Regulation of Bakeries Early
In the Last Century.


Mobiles Regulation Of Bakeries Early
In the Last Century.
4 the latter half Of the seventeenth
and the early part Of the eighteenth
centuries the regulation of the price Of
tread ly public authority was famil-
tar principle in the English colonies of
America. In New Haven. fol instance,
the weight of the penny loaf was regu-
lated by law about 1000, and in 1896
the Massachusetts general court also
provided q regular assize, fixing the
weight of the loaf according to the
price of flour. AT various times dur
ing the first quarter of the eighteenth
century the selectmen of Boston like
wise performed this duty
1t is interesting, however, to note
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
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 a charter
of incorporation. and at two meetings
Of the inhabitants. on March IL and
IA. the municipal government was Or
gained and the charter publicly read
in English and in French. The pOpula-
ton at this time was composed Of
French. English and Irish elements.
On April + following. three weeks after
the organization of the municipal gov
eminent. 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 flour. In.
| stead of changing the price of bread
| it was more convenient to make the
! loaves lighter Or heavier as the price of
flour rose or fell. On May 2, 1914, the
! weight of the bit loaf Ghe bit being a
coin worth 1919 cents was fixeu at
twenty-eight ounces. and the weight of
the half bit loaf was fixed at fourteen
| ounces.
On July 8, 1915. Mr. Martin. the bak-
| err, appeared before the board and paid
the sum of $40, fine inflicted on him
for having his bread too light. 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 5. 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
1919. but the town continued to exer
else control over the business of bak
ing. Every baker was required tG
procure license and to register his
trademark. which was stamped on his
loaves. A public bakehouse was also
established and seems to have beer
managed In the same way that munich
palities control public markets. the
bakers renting the stalls from the towr
and being subject to inspection. Al
late as 1926 in the annual statement o.
the city clerk the following entry &C
ours in the statement of receipts dur
ing the year: "Sales Of condemned
bread. S1.S7."-Quarterly Journal Of
Economics.