Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-22
BAKERS ENDORSE
STANDARD PLAN
ADOPT WEIGHT AGREEMENT
AT MEETING
ORDINANCE PROVIDES LOAF OF
TWO POUNDS
Question of Overweight Causes only
Discussion In Unbroken Harmony
of Gatherlng-Score Dis
honest Bakers


South Broadway, and after three hours
of discussion voted to support the
measure to be introduced in the city
council next Tuesday establishing q
standard weight for bread. The meet
ing was originally called to decide on
a price of bread, but after desultory
discussion this important question was
left to be acted upon at announcer heet-
Ing May IL.
The ordinance which was lndorSeu
reads as follows:
A loaf of bread for sale shall be two
pounds in weight, and bread snail oe
sold in whole loaves, three-quarters,
halves, and quarter-loaves.
In each shop or place where bread
is sold by retail, or in each front WIN
dow thereof legibly printed price list,
showing the different kinds and quail
ity of loaves sold there, with the prices
thereof, by the whole loaf three-quar-
ter, half, and quarter, shall be con-
spicuously displayed.
Bread when. sold shall, upon request
of buyer, be weighed in his presence,
and, If found deficient in weight, add
tional bread shall be delivered to make
up the legal weight.
The provisions of the preceding Sec
lions shall not apply to rolls or fancy
bread weighing less than half a
pound.
SeaIer Is Present
Samuel w. Green, sealer of weights
and measures, was present and read
the ordinance and commented upon its
usefulness. Mr.. Green prefaced his re-
marks by stating that he wished to
work in harmony with the bakers as
ISOLATION and only insisted on the pub
lie having square deal and protec-
ton. In speaking of the public, he said,
he included the bakers. Mr.. Green
then spoke of the proposed ordinance,
which is copied after the law at pres
emit in operation in Massachusetts. Mr..
Green said in part;
"There is no doubt but what the
public has been mulcted for a long
time, and that the bakers have suf-
fered as we'll. The passage of this or
dinance will afford a standard upon
which to work. 1t will place your BUSH
ness upon a substantial competitive
basis and eliminate the undorsized loaf
competition.
1.-The public will be fully protected
then, because 1t will reduce competi-
ton to quality, which every honest
merchant should encourage. 1t will
place bread upon the same scale as
butter Is now, and, If given thorough
trial, will work as satisfactorily as has
the butter ordinance. 1t is not the
intention of our Office to impose hard
ships on the substantial business men
of Los Angeles, but the citizens must
be given protection. We do not APP
prove of the suggestion of Mayor AL
exander that each separate loaf be
stamped, as that would put the mat
ter in the hands of the pure food COM
mission, The council will only pass a
la on the standard weight of a loaf
to be sold the public. 1t will mean
that competition will be regulated by
of in
ion and demand. 1t has been success
fully tried in the Bay state. and it will,
for the first time, give you bakers a
tangible and definite standard to work
on
J. r. Newberry was then introduced
by Chairman William Meek.
Favors Uniform Weight
Mr.. Newberry Endorsed the stand
taken by Mr.. Green, and said:
II think his argument strikes the real
point. 1t is best to establish a uni
form weight and also a uniform con-
sumers price.
I'VE are wandering away from real
commercialism, and as a result have
deservedly lost the respect of the pub
lie. We know that the public has not
been getting its rights, and we have
lost .leir confidence. San Francisco
is an example of a city of graft, which
is reaping the bitter reward it de-
sc-ves. Los Angeles can proudly be
placed as a city where graft has not
been unreasonably worked.
I'VE have, by what is known as mod
ern commercialism, been robbing the
public for the benefit of the trusts and
shoveling money into the pockets OF
Rockefeller and other magnates. BY
trusts l mean dishonest competition. A
standard weight and standard price
bread will restore the confidence of the
public in bakers. 1 wish to say here
that / believe it possible to make a
sixteen-ounce loaf of bread and sell it
to the consumer for cents.
81 wish to encourage honest compe-
tition, and l dislike to see failures in
business. Every failure in our city de-
tracts from the integrity and standing
of Los Angeles. We don't want to
come to the point where the housewife
is forced to do her own bread making.
I will stick by the association when
they get to work on a specific basis l
favor the passage of the ordinance"
Here a discussion arose which threat
ened the harmony of the meeting.
Charles S. Barnes insisted that the
ordinance would not accomplish the OBJ
ject intended, as 1T allowed a baker to
put as many ounces overweight as he
desired. That is a half loaf, which
must weigh at least sixteen ounces.
could at the bakers discretion weigh
seventeen, eighteen or twenty ounces,
If sold as a half loaf He thought the
result would mean bigger but a
cheaper loaf as far as quality went.
George B. Gordon, formerly a baker
of Glasgow, took the floor and stated
that a standard weight was what was
desired. He advocated it, and said that
the others could put as many ounces
overweight as they desired. He added
that 1t would be more trouble to ascer-
tain if the loaves were not underweight
than overweight.
A long discussion followed, but it
finally was agreed that any baker who
wished to put in extra weight at the
cost of quality could do so. The public
woulu soon find it out, and the result
would be failure.
The question of price came up next.
Mr.. Newberry stated that he favored
each baker naming his own price, and
that 1t would be unjust, perhaps illegal.
to combine and make stipulated price
for each size loaf. He was willing to
make bread, fix his own price and take
chances on selling it. even though some
competitor might underselI him.
Some of the wholesalers argued that
the retailers would cater to those who
sold their bread the cheapest, regardless
of quality, and would boost the bread
which gave them the most profit.
Mr.. Gordon brought out applause by
his reply:
THAT'S just what we want to ac-
compish, the elimination of those who
cannot compete honestly Open COM
petition will stop the robbing of the
public. There are already too many
blacksmiths and shoeniakers in the