The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-02-18
.S|X-CENT BREAD
IN RICHMOND SOON
PRESIDENT OF VIRGINIA HAK.
ERS PREDICTS FLOUR WILL
COST $f2 \ BARREL.

While there has been no orga nizcd
movement on the part of Richmond
bakers to meet the steadily rising
price of -four with a raise In the
PRICE or bread or "A reduction in the
size of the loaf, some of the local
bakeries have cut the loaf to a. lighter
weight and bread now sold in many
or the storeg weighs several ounces
less than Il week ago
.Ihere Is now some talk that the
Ioaf Will De made uniform, az large
as 1t has been heretofuls. but with
( the price raised to six cents.
Since he beginning OF war other
| foodstuffs, too, have advanced in
price and consumers are paying more
for them. Bread is the one staplol
that has been held to its normal price.
and this has been at a loss to the
baker. Two of the leading bakers 81
Richmond a few days ago stated that
they had 10 idea where the price OF
flour would stop and declared that
they could not see how they could
much longer mold out without raising
the price of bread
AT that time. however, they had
no idea OF Immediately advancing the
price and hesitated Mt making the
loaf smaller. as there would be adj
'AA'oitii Sooh III tIitftElHE equipments
or II the loas was made lighter the re-
suits in NE quality OF the bread itself
would be poor
Sx-Ccnt Loaf Certain.
The six-cent loaf is bound to come
said Walter c. Michael, Of Roanoke,
president of the Virginia Master Bak-
ers' Association, in Richmond yester-.
day. While here he predicted that
the price Of -four In likely to continue
to soar until 1t reaches sig per barrel.
| Before the war -four could h0
hough by bakers for s3s5. 1t was
quoted yesterday at 1886. The only
reason that the bakers have been able
to hold prices Of bread down ii mar
they had large enough stocks on hand
at the lower cost to be not affected
at once ny the continued advances Ok
-four.
speaking OF the situation yesterday.
Mr. Michael said that the natural
course of the rising -four price means;
there will Ire no slump and that Ul14a
advance will continue until after the
war has been ended.
There may be drop In the price
on the announcement of peace re-
stored he said. "but this will be but
temporary. and -four will again soar
as the call for 1t grows in Europe and
elsewhere because of wars destruc-
tien Of the wheat fields.
Richmond An Exception
Nearly all the larger cities in this
country nave seen the price Of bread
go up with the price of -four. Rich
mond is a city whose bakers havos
maintained the five-cent loaf How
much longe~ they will be able to do n
depends entirely upon how soon thclf|
stocks give cut"
Among roodstuffs in which there
have been advances in price are pAA1.
and beans. Beans now cost about lQ1
per cent more than they did sfx N
seven months ago. Peas advance ~.
been about rs per cent. es n
The grocers selling -four are conf
PEELED. because of the price advance31
to charge So tn 60 cents for the twelvol
pound sacts. running sixteen to th1
barrel. that last summer sold at frOm4
IS to 40 cents. BY the barrel nour r
retailing now at from SO to $9.46t
averaging almost twice az much A. n
sold for last summer. %
In a few lines there have bean
brought about lower prices. SonaI
meats are selling at less than In Eev-3
eral months. White meat that sold AeI
Is cents IS now selling at f6 cents
Canned goods, in some lines. Ares
slightly higher. but on the whole. Is
is declared. the prices are about norsa
NAL.