New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-05
BREAD PRICE RISES;
suit THREATENED
Any Combination in Flour
VIII Be Prosecuted,
Says Woodbury..
SIX-CENT LOAF ON
EAST SIDE TO-DAY
Size Reduced by Some Bakers
Higher Sugar Increases
Pressure on Them.

ry.,u A Sfar Correspondent, % The THhua'
Albany. Feb. Attorney General
Egbert + Woodbury. notified Commls-
siorer Dillon Of the Foods and Mar
let's Department tonight that he would
prosecutc any combination designed TO
advance the price OF -four. Under sec
tions $40 and 342 oil the business law
known as the Donnelly antitrust act
the Attorney General is authorized 10
bring an action.
Mr.. Woodbury's statement was IN re-
plv TO a telegram from missioner
DilIon earlier in the day saying that
the New York bakers were trying 10
avoid an increase in price and asking
what means could be taken 20 restrain
-four dealers from advancing prices 10
the speculative wheat level.
William A. Pechter. chairman OF the
East Side Retail Bakers Association,
said last night that the association nad
decided to raise the price of bread one
cent pound, the new price to ne eI,
fectiye to-day. East Side citizens VIII
meet this afternoon at 264 Madison 81,
at 1870 o'clock, for conference 10 ais,
cuss the rising price OF bread ana
means for checking II.
With the pressure increasing Tor an
advance TO six cents, the bakers yestef-
day saw new force to hasten TINS
William Steinmetz, president OF the
Master Bakers Association, which mas
a membership Of over three thousand
declared that the sudden rise IN the
price OF refined sugar was serious.
Thousands of barrels of sugar are
used weekly BY the makers OF bread as
! we'll as by those who make pastry, Mr..
/ Steinmetz said. and even a small ad-
vance in sugar at this time, when prac-
/ tically all the bakers were selling hYe-
cent bread at a loss, brought them
/ nearer to bankruptcy.
"The price Of sugar was raised yes
, terday from So 10 a barrel TO 50 80, ne
said. "In my bakery we use about hye
; barrels week. The small bakers
/ throughout the city average about three
+ barrels, while the large wholesalers
and independent bakeries consume
from hundreds TO thousands OF barrels
q week. Under present conditions TINS
il big factor Six-cent bread is IN
cyitable, and the time for the advance
ia coming near. The bakers are re
luctant to raise the price and are all
waiting until the last minute"
The Federal Sugar Refining Company
Yesterday made further advances on re-
fined sugar to So 80. The American
Sugar Refining Company, Arbuckle
Rrothers and B. NJ. Howell e. Sons
Company continued TO quote 1t at
So 30. incidentally. American Sugar
Refining Company stock broke 4 points.
There were rumors that the American
company was short on its contracts be-
cause cf the unusually heavy snip
ments to Great Britain.
Alfred Romer, OF the Shuts Bread
Company, % Beaver St, said yester-
> day:
1--WE snail have 90 put up the price
OF our twelve-ounce loaf from five to
i six cents soon. AT six cents we shall
perhaps just manage TO break even.
Usually when -four goes up it is a
speculative advance, and we look to
see the price go down again soon. But
! the present situation seems TO be more
serious. The high price is due to the
great amount that Europe is taking,
/ and unless the export stop do not
/ see how the price can be much lower
/ for some time
Some bakers have begun to cut the
| size of the loaf Raoul Fleischmann,
/ of the Fleischmann Bakery, said that
he and many other bakers had cut one
ounce from the size. He declared that
no baker could now make money at the
old prices.