The Washington times., 1913-02-20
BUYERS TO PROFIT
FROM BREAD WAR;
Some of Competing Bakers Have Increased Size Of FNecen
Loaf, While Others Make Smaller Loaf to Sell
At Three For Ten Cents.

A bread war which may result
| beneficially to Washington housewives,
has just been started by some Of the
! competing bakers of the city. The
loaves sold for 5 cents have been in
creased in size in some Of the bakeries
and in others loaf smaller in size than
the regular scent loaf is being made
to sell at three for 10 cents.
The various dealers and bakers seen
by The Times expressed themselves as
follows on the changes in price and size
Of loaves:
THE recent reduction in the price of
bread is the result OF competition
among some Of the big bakers of the
city. 1t is done for advertising pur-
poses, 1 believe, but the public will be
benefited becaus, they will receive more
bread for the same money, they paid
before the reduction or will receive,
proportionately, nearly as much bread
for less money
This Is the statement made today by
J. NJ. Denty, of the Eureka Grocery
Company, manager Of the Consumers
League:
THE loaf of bread formerly sold for
5 cents averaged in weight about four
teen ounces said Mr.. Denty. THE
weight varied slightly from time to
time, sometimes falling little below
this and sometimes weighing as much
as sixteen ounces. The bread sold un-
der the new scale is of two prices, a
loaf little larger than the old scent
loaf, which still sells for cents, and
q smaller loaf which sells for cents,
three loaves for 10 cents.
Get More for Their Money.
''The size Of the old scent loaf has
been increased about 20 per cent. Thus
the consumer is getting more for his
money than before. In the long run,
however, this will affect the profit to
the retailer because there probably will
be a falling of in the number of loaves
Of bread sold of this kind. The new
small loaf. which Is to be sold for
cents each or three loaves for 10 cents.
weighs about Is ounces. In the sale OF
this there Is a gain by the consumer
because he is getting almost as much
bread as he did before for less money.
THE cost Of bread to the consumer
Is less than II was before. do not
think, however, that retailer can
three for ten proposition is ruinous to
the retailer. I believe. The situation
has probably been brought about not
through any desire to benefit the con-
sumner but as tne result oI an ehoit VI
the part of both bakers and the retail
grocers to secure an advantage IN the
transaction of business"
Peter NJ. Dorsch, manager OF Dorsch
Brothers Bakery, said todaG that the
recent reduction was a move on the
part of some Of the larger bakers to
injure his business.
Attempt to Meet Competition"
Some of the larger bakers. who I
believe, are organized under the name
Master Bakers Association. or the
Boston Exchange, have been unable
to compete with me in the sale OF
bread I have been putting out bread
that was almost the exact duplicate OF
their scent loaves and selling 1t for
4 cents or three loaves for 10 cents.
have been very particular about the
quality of my bread and the public
my sales have grown enormously dur
ing the past few years.
THE recent action of some of the
large bakers Is simply an attempt to
meet the competition of my bakery.
Before the reduction was made l
was approached by some of the larger
bakers and asked to come in with
no advantage to me and refused to
have anything to do with them. An
attorney asked me to his office and
said that he represented outside in
terests He suggested different prop
ositions for lowering the cost of man
afacture Of bread and the cost of put
ting II on the market. We could save
come money by getting together he
declared. I could not see any advan-
tage to me in any of his suggestions
and told him So / believe that he
. presented the bakers who have de-