Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-20
32-OUNCE LOAF
OF BREAD WILL
COST IS CENTS
BAKERS WILL RAISE PRICE IF
COUNCIL ACTS
CLAIM NO PROFIT IN SELLING AT
FORMER FIGURE
City Scaler's Assertion That Larger
Size Can Be Sold for Ten
Cents Is Stoutly
Denied
r ns ANcr1.Es hakers dispute flat

II os ANGELES bakers dispute fiat
ly the statements of s. w. Green,
IA city sealer of weights and meas
ures, that they can sell q thirty-tWo-
ounce loaf of bread at a profit for ~
cents and that they are well stocked
with flour bought at low prices or are
protected by equivalent contracts.
Mayor Alexander will send the city
sealer's letter suggesting an ordnance
that will make all loaves uniformly
sixteen or thirty-two ounces to the
city council today with a recommenda-
ton that in case it is adopted the
bakers be permitted to sell at other
weights providing they label the cor
rect weight of the loaf. The council
will probably refer the matter to the
city attorney, and in this case the
bakers will have an opportunity to ex-
press their opinion on the ordinance
at their meeting tomorrow night
The leading bakers do not appear
concerned about the proposed ordf-
nance, as they figure that the compul-
sion of making loaves weighing an
even pound, or two pounds, will abolish
the 10-cent loaves, as they now be-
lieve that the present movement Will
lessen the number of scent loaves
sold.
No More Ten-Cent Loaves
"If the city says we must sell loaves
so they will weigh sixteen ounces or
thirty-two ounces it will mean no
more 10-cent loaves until flour goes
down." said a baker yesterday. THE
consumer will buy them at Is cents,
or two for Is cents, according to the
size. Bread tickets for the odd loaf
will be In fashion instead of selling a
single loaf for cents, as people don't
take kindly to odd pennies -h buy
ing"
S. w. Green, the city sealer of
weights and measures, denounced the
proposed agreement of the master
bakers yesterday.
'If they take this action 1t will be
on a par with the Patten wheat cor
ner." he said yesterday. Il cannot
believe that Los Angeles bakers are
losing money now because of the ad-
vanced price of flour. / know that the
leading bakers of Los Angeles either
have in storage or under contract large
stocks of -four purchased before the
price went up. 1t is hardly reasonable
that large baking firms would exist
on a hand-to-ntouth basis. and Il DO
not believe that any Los Angeles
baker was caught without a liberal
supply of -four in reserve when the
price of flour began to advance"
Nevertheless, that is what hap
u,
Meek Baking company. "Mr. Green is
a very nice young man, but he Is en-
tirely wrong in his statements. There
is not a baker in town who is loaded
up with low priced flour, and none is
making now with flour for which he
paid a cheap price. In fact, one Of
the leading bakeries contracted for
flour at 81 barrel, and they are well
able to lay in stock if they could
know that by doing so they might
avoid the advance in price.
Did Not Know of Raise
1--WE did not know that flour was go
ing to keep on going up. None of us
could anticipate that. Usually when
there is raise a man hopes to slide
through, looking for a drop, instead of
loading up, perhaps to be caught with
flour on hand at a higher cost than 1t
might be selling for in the market.
1.-The bakers could not make money,
selling a 16-ounce loaf of bread so the
consumer would get 1t at cents. Civ
ing an ounce leeway, and supposing we
scale our bread at fifteen ounces BAR
rel of flour will make 352 such loaves.
At the wholesale rate of $3.50 per 100,
loaves, which is the way we sell them,
the return to us would be $12.32. Not
counting any allowance for breakage,
stale bread and several similar items,
would be $14.29. A barrel of flour will
form the basis for 339 pounds of dough,
for which the materials would cost at
least $S.44, and the labor, delivery and
other charges will more than equal the
balance. The sum of $1429 makes no al
lowances. particularly for the matter
of stale bread. We have orders which
justify us In making up SO much bread,
and then perhaps these will be cut
down so we will have a lot of stale
bread on our hands. We can't make
our customers take it, and we can't
prevent it becoming stale bread.
"But taking 514.29 as the cost 1t leaves
us losing $1.97 on every 100 loaves, or
about cents loaf. No one who is
farminded will ask us to do business on
that basis. Between taking perhaps a
slice off 10-cent loaf to make condi-
tions equitable and raising the price 2
or 3 cents the former is the preferable
method and one which more easily per-
mits a readjustment of fairer arrange
ment when wheat goes down again. 1t
is easier to make the loaf larger than
to change the price when we get
cheaper flour"
The bakers regard the statement that
they are trying to form trust as pre-
posterous. They claim that their most
dangerous competitor is the housewife,
and that it is only by baking better
bread tnan Sfle can make at nome Iilat
they manage to keep her trade. A
bread trust is therefore regarded as
ridiculous. Government statistics show
that 7S per cent of the bread consumed
in the United States is baked by house,
wives, and in cities where the bakeries
do the largest business they have never
obtained so per cent of the bread busi-
ness. including all baked at home.
The bakers commiMee appointed Sat-
urday night to draw up an agreement
accomplished this yesterday, and every
effort possible will be made to secure
the signatures of bakers who represent
at least rs per cent of the output in
Los Angeles. The agreement to which
the signatures are being obtained pro-
vides for selling thirteen loaves weigh
ing twenty-six ounces each at whole
sale for 81; where scent loaves are to
be made twsnty-six 13-ounce loaves will
be given to the retailer for 81. The
agreement also provides that the firms
signing will not accept a customer who
has been buying from any other signer
for a period of sixty daysfrom the date
of ratification of the compact. In case
action by the city council makes any
variation necessary. it will be considered
at the meeting tomorrow night.