The Washington herald., 1913-06-24
LITTLE WRAPPED
BREAD FOR SALE
Bakers Of the City Are Put
ting Only Small Amount
on the Market.
SIZE OF LOAVES REDUCED
Secretary to Representative Prouty, in
Letter, Strongly Indorses Fight
Waged by The Herald.

Although, through the continuous ef-
forts OF The Washington Herald, a pub
lie sentiment in favor OF wrapped bread
Is growing daily, the crusade for the
sanitary product is still being handicap
ped because of the limited supply of the
sealed article placed on the market.
Five of the largest of the local bak-
cries are now turning out the wrapped
product, but. with the exception of one.
all are sealing only a very insignihcantly
small percentage of their output. The
bakers refuse to make public figures re-
specting their output because of business
reasons. but from survey of condi-
throughout the city where bread is sold
1t Is evident that only n very limited
amount of the sanitary product is being
placed on the market
Contention of Bakers.
The bakers contend that public senti-
ment has rot advanced sufficiently at the
present time to justify the wrapping of
larger percentage of their output, but
many persons have given expression 10
the belief that the purpose OF the lin
tied output is to make II appear that
the people OF the city are not in favor
of wrapped bread. This would be a ma
terial aid TO the bakers in opposing the
bill now before Congress. providing for
the compulsory wrapping Of bread in the
District.
The reduction in the size OF the loaf
avowedly TO compensate for the cost of
sealing. is another serious obstacle in
the way OF bringing to pass more general
use of the sanitary article. Some OF the
bakers now placing wrapped bread on
the market have reduced the size of the
loaf to the enormous extent of two
ounces. To the well-to-do persons of the
better residential sections of the city this
reduction is not so serious a matter, and
many of them are willing to accept the
smaller loaf as a compensation for the
sealing of the product in the Clearly,
sanitary manner, but with the poorer
people ii is different
Hard on the Poor
To the Iaboring man. TO the hard
toiling seamstress. and to the inhabitants
of the city's filthy slums every ounce
counts, and counts considerably and two
ounces less means a material sacrifice.
Until the bakers have decided to wrap
their bread without reducing the size
of the loaf there is no hope that the
poor of Washington will fall in love with
the sanitary crusade.
An interesting letter has been received
by The Herald from C. F. Stoddard, sec
rotary to Representative S. F. Prouty OF
Iowa, indorsing the wrapped bread cru
sade, and lamenting the scarcity of the
sanitary product and the reduction in the
size of the loaf. The communication is
SO timely and so realistically true and
Illustrative Of the present situation that
1t follows in full:
Il am glad to note the effectiveness of
the campaign The Herald has been wag-
ing for wrapped bread. but IT seems TO
me that the matter should now be pushed
with more vigor than ever, It is very
evident that the bakers are endeavoring
to create sentiment against the prop
osition by their policy OF wrapping only
one kind of bread. and their further
policy of cheating the public by making
the loaves smaller. Many of those who
want wrapped bread do not ask for it
because they have noticed that the
loaves are not as large as the unwrapped
kind.
Little Wrapped Bread.
Furthermore, it is very difficult to get
the wrapped bread This morning
counted just ten loaves of wrapped
bread all from one bakery, in the Arcade
Market, while the shelves were filled
with other. bread from other bakeries.
Then. again, ii is necessary to ask for
the wrapped kind or you will not get it.
It may not be a fact, but it appears that
the clerks are instructed to give out the
unwrapped bread unless the wrapped
kind is expressly demanded.
CLEARLY the baEers do 70