The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-10-26
Increased Price in Effect Here
Since Seven O'clock This
Morning.
MAY MOUNT EVEN HIGHER
Bakers Statement Gives I'm
, pressive Figures on In
creased Cost of Materials.

In all parts OF Washington today
housewives began paying cents a loaf
for bread and ~ cents dozen for
rolls.
The advanced prices announced by
several of the larger bakeries became
effective, as far as the patrons OF
those establishments are concerned. at
Z o'clock this morning..
How long the new prices for bread
and rolls are to prevail will depend
largely, 1t is stated, on the prices for
raw materials. ..-
There il little prospect at present
that the raw materials will become
cheaper. Local bakeries are inclined to
believe that they will become costlier,
and for that reason all those who have
announced their intention of establish
ing, the 6-cent loaf have warned that
another advance In bread prices may
be expected at any time.
Data on Costs.
Impressive figures showing the extent
to which the cost OF bread materials
has gone up. have been collected by
II. B. Leary. former president of the
National Association of Bakers, who
has issued the following statement:
ton of bread in seventeen of the most
efficient bakeries in the country
shows that the average cost of 1,0eO
loaves of bread in these efficient es'
Establishments was 1925 when flour
was sold for $3.50 n barrel, lard
cents a pound, and sugar o cents a
"Flour now costs from $3.50 to
S10.25 a barrel, lard 16 cents pound
and sugar cents a pound. As l,
takes three barrels of flour to produce
1000 loaves of bread, the minimum
increase in the cost of 1000 loaye'
on the account of -four alone is $l2.
original profit of s2.75 on 1000 loaves
and leaves n deficit of 1926 on LOO
loaves through the advance in COS
OF flour alone. without taking int
consideration the increased cost o
lard. sugar. paper bags. horsestoes
repairs. or any of the other necessitie
Of the bakery. The 1-cent increase II
the price of bread merely removes tn
loss and allows of no profit.
"The statement that the bakers ar
not affected by the increase In tn
cost OF -four by reason of having
large amount in stock bought "sefor
the high prices prevailed Is untrue
for prices have. been so high for tn
last three or four months that tn
bakers have only bought what the,
absolutely had to. hoping all the tim
that something I'M IKE normal price
"The prevailing. high prices are nc
counted for by the shortage of tn
wheat crop in this country. Canada. an
Europe. The production OF wheat in tn
United States In 1915, plus the surplu
from 1914. was 1.O66, 100000 bushels.
Figures on Stocks.
1.-THE production i'm the United state
in 1916. plus the surplus from 1915, wa
100000, 900 bushels. OF the 100000 0C
bushels. 10000, 900 bushels were lef
from 1915. Thus the consumption an
export In 1915 totaled 966, 100000 bushels
For this year our crop IL short 266 OO0. "
bushels of last years crop. and to max
matters worse, the production of Can
ada dropped from 35O.OOO.OOO bushels |
1915 to 175,O0O,0 900 bushels In 1916, thus cut
ting in half Canada's export possbil
ties.
THE crops IN Europe are smaller tina
last years crops. so the need there
greater than last year. So, although W
could consume every bushel of wheat l
the country now for -four and seedd. W
are facing q shortage on this hemiS
phere and I'm Europe. The high cost {
hour is consequence Of the law c
supply and demand. and the baker
should not be censured for raising tn
price of bread.
washington has been particular
fortunate in the matter of the reta
cost of bread. Although it costs nor
to produce bread here because labor
so we'll paid. the local bakers have d,
layed advancing the price OF brea
more than a month longer than baker
i'm other cities have. In some parts
the country the price was increase
nearly a year ago."