Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-02
WOULD SELL BY WEIGHT
Scales Also Should Be Used in Sale
of Bread.
HOW PUBLIC IS TRIMMED
Government Chemist Tells of Trade
Tricks-Food Hearing Before
District Commissioners.

are too small, according to DR.. Harvey W.
| Wiley, chief of the bureau of chemistry,
Department of Agriculture. The doctors
theory is that a hen has just so much
egg-producing capacity, taken in bulk,
and that the aim of breeders is to in
| crease the number of eggs by reducing
| their size
! DIR. Wiley expounded his views this
morning to the Commissioners al the pub
| lie food hearing in the board room of
| the District building. The agricultural
| chemist began his address by declaring
| that bread should be sold by weight and
not by the loaf. He would also have a
law prohibiting baker from making a
| loaf containing more than 80 per cent
moisture, and would regulate the handling
of bread in its delivery from bakery to
grocer.
| Il am against the package form of
| food" said the doctor. We should buy
everything by weight. In France the
| law has gone so far as to make pro-
vision merchants sell eggs by weight, in
stead of by the dozen. Here we stick
to the Dozen What is the result? Why,
we get the smallest eggs that can be
produced. The principles of breeding are
being applied to hens in such a way that
they are laying the smallest egg pos
] sible.
! More Eggs the Aim.
'In an egg we get less and less weight
| of nutriment, so that the hen will be
| able to lay more eggs to be sold at a
| rate per dozen.
| so also with bread. We should have a
| law that makes the bakers sell loaves by
! the pound. We should pay less for light
| loaves than we do for heavy loaveS. 1t
Is the same way with other foods When
l pay so cents for box of candy, called
pound, / do not want to pay cents for
| the box. 1t is the same way with pack
ages of breakfast food. We psY 10 cents,
| perhaps, and the manufactured decreases
| the amount of food in the box whenever
| the raw material goes up. He rarely puts
more in when the material cheapens.
Butter is called adulterated when 1t
contains more than ID per cent of mOis-
ture, and pays a 10 per cent tax when it
| Is sold with more than n HAcertain amount
of moisture. II butter is restricted this
way, why not bread7 =. z .r.stts .
Ten Per Cent of Flour.
'I think that 80 per cent of moisture
| and 10 per cent of flour is the average in
| a good loaf of bread. But some millers
advertise -four that will take up greater
percentage of water, and consequently
the ultimate consumer gets a loaf with
| less nourishment.
Let the people know these facts. Let
| them know all about what is their bread,
and how much 1t costs. / think that
| -four, In the form of baked Ioaves, is SELL
| ing at SIS or SIG a barrel. I make no crit
| icism of the baker, for If I were one I'd
| try to get SIT barrel. But / think every
| one should know what they are getting,
and they should buy their food not by the
| package, but by weight.
1T should extend TO other forms of food
this anti-package business. People
should know. for instance, how much
| olive oil they are getting, or how much
potato chips. or crackers. The poor man
| pays a nickel for a glass of beer. How
much beer. does he get-and how much
| suds? II he pays Ave cents for beer he
ought to get beer and not suds."
Dr. George NJ. kober followed DIR.
Wiley, arguing for pure food regulation
limiting the moisture in bread to 35 per
cent. He said that moisture above that
quantity was quite likely to form fungi
Plea for Clean Boxes.
E. d. Thompson, II. c. Graves and r.
M. Greathouse. ultimate consumers"
| added few words to the Ndiscussion for
bread law which would make 1t pos
| sible for the housekeeper to buy bread
| by the pound. Mr.. Thompson made a
plea for clean bread boxes in front Of
groceries.
| "Up in my neighbOrhOod the boxes are
| great places for children to hide in. Not
long ago. too saw workman take from
one of these bread boxes pair of boots,
an overcoat and two sticks.
| LOUISVILLE. KY, February I'm
/ conformity with a resolution adopted by
/ the executive committee of the OrganiZa-
| tion here today, the National Association
/ of Master Bakers will carry to the Su-
preme Court of the United States a case
| to test all city ordinances and statutes
4 xtsa y.rto fn ho nj ha q
/ loaf of bread. The action Is known as
the Chicago case. the city council there
having. by ordinance, established scale
| of prices for loaves of graded sizes.