The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-20
SIDE OF
 CASE PRESENTED
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wholesale price of four at $5 per barrel. Now, gentlemen, having recognized the 5-cent standard of value before I think 1t is right that you should do so now. You have set a precedent, which you should not ignore now. The standard of value for a single loaf has been 5 cents ever since the 5-cent pieees were first coined. An old and established cus- tom should be respected.
 Two of you. gentlemen, are lawyers, one of you is also judge. In the practice of your profession you have the greatest respect for old established customs, and a judge on the bench will be governed by precedent in judging a case at law.
 Precedent Already Established
 Gentlemen, we have both old estab- lished customs and precedent in our fla vor and all we ask is justice in the mat ter. Gentlemen, this law is impractical. It has been found so in the few cities in which it has been tried The law is still on the statute books of few of these cities and Chicago, I believe, is the only city that is attempting to enforce it.
 Now. that the law has been found impracticable, why force it upon the peo- pie of Birmingham at a time when the bakers can no longer maintain the 14- ounce loaf as a 5-cent seller? Now the hardship of the law will come home to the people, in paying the odd cents for a loaf of bread, as the baker is forced to raise the price of the loaf unless you gentlemen change the law.
 Tt will be a great inconvenience to the housekeeper and a hardship to the grocer to handle odd pennies. These inconveni- ences and hardships will come back on the baker in loss of business. People will not buy as much of an article that is in convenient. to pay for and the grocer x,..k ....l~ to make change in odd pennies, so why not let us sell our goods in the most conven- tent and practical way?
 Five cents should constitute the stand ard of value and the size of loaf should be regulated according to the market price of flour.
 ''To this end I would suggest a sliding scale of weights based on the price of flour, which think would be just to the people, to the grocer and the baker.
 SCALE OF WEIGHTS.
 s4 four 16-ounce loaf
 $.50 flour, 15-ounce loaf
 s flour, 14-ounce loaf.
 S.50 flour. 13-ounce loaf
 $6 four 12-ounce loaf
 g flour, 11-ounce loaf
 $S flour, 10-ounce loaf
 ''To make this practical, let the inspec- tor of weights and mea asures notify the bakers the first of each month what the weight of bread is to be for the month. The price of flour to be supplied by reli- able flour dealers of the city agreed upon by the city and bakers. Yours very re- spectfully, WILLIAM FISCH, ''Vice President American Bakeries Can
 dy Company"
 Petition Is Presented
 Over 5000 signatures were attached to sthe petition delivered to the city commits sion by the bakers These names were mostly housekeepers and grocers, 1t was said. The petition was as follows: "To the Honorable Board of Commis-
 sioners of Birmingham. Ala: z 'The undersigned citizens of Birming- ham, Ala, respectfully petition and re- quest that the ordinance regulating the weight of bread be repealed or amended so as to permit the bakers to manufac- turc a loaf of any size, provided the weight thereof be clearly and correctly indicated by label attached thereto"