The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-08
Bakeries of o. s. Increase 81
Per Cent in Is Years.
While Value of Their Products
Advance 127 Per Cent.
OUTPUT IS A BILLION A YEAR
High Cost Hits Home Made
Harder Than Bakers.
President of National Body Pre-
diets Higher Prices.

Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 81
Housewives will have to pay more
for bread in the near future" So de-
clared Jay Burns. president of the Ma
tional Association of Master Bakers, in
his annual address delivered before
their convention here today.
Industrial preparedness, first for in
dividual efficiency, and, second. for
| Industrial efficiency, were advocated
by Mr.. Burns, who made this last in
clude organized cooperation in scien-
tific knowledge of methods and pro-
cesses.
That the value Of bakery products
| in the United States jumped from
Sits, 900 in 1900 to 5000, 000,0 900 in
| increased 81 per cent in that period;
| that the value of their products 127
per cent; capital invested 100 per cent,
while the population served increased
only 20 per cent, were some of the
things pointed out by the speaker. who
the United States would approximate
| 81, 600, 100000.
| Baker Too Long a "FootbaH."
| 1.-The baker has too long been the
| football of unscrupulous and ignorant
politicians, and the stalking horse for
| the food faddists." said Mr.. Burns, in
asking for cooperation. I'VE need to
|
| provement in the quality of product"
In explaining the reasons for the
high cost of bread. Mr.. Burns said:
while it is true that much of the
machinery now used has reduced ma
terially the amount of hand labor en-
| ployed, it is equally true that upkeep
| and depreciation on machinery, short
| er hours, higher wages, better facili-
ties which bakers have adopted, have
absorbed nearly or quite all of the
! .r,v bod
material, of producing 1000 loaves of
bread, Notwithstanding all our new
machinery Is much greater today
than 1t was ten or twenty years ago."
| Consumer Pays % Per Cent More.
He gave statistics, showing the varf-
GUS increases in the raw materials
used In producing bread since 1914.
and said that during all this time there
mas been an advance in the price of
| bread to the consumer of from Is to
| rs per cent. He advised his hearers
not to be afraid to face the rise, and
lose customers. because, he said, the
| cost of producing home bread was
much greater than that of Commercial
| made bread
I'VE need to cultivate the friendli-
| ness of the press he said in conclu-
sion, land we need this powerful. ma
tion-wlde influence to aid in the solu-
| ton of many of our problems The
| industry should maintain a publicity
bureau, fully equipped to handle pub
hc1ty Tor the industry, and inform the
public what the tCkers are doing to
better conditions of labor, to improve
the surroundings for labor, to shorten
hours, to increase the hours of day-
light service, and take the public into
our confidence regarding the cost of
producing a loaf of bread"
10 Cent Loaf, Bakers Keynote.
Ten cent bread was the keynote
sounded at this afternoons session of
me National Association of Master
bakers by c. n. Power of Pueblo
Colo
The overhead expense on the lit
ney loaI IS out OF all proportion to
the value of the article" he said. THE
alike will be better served by the
dime loaf. 1t will be practically twice
the weight of the present 5 cent loaf.
local standards prevailing. The bak-
er cannot give the best value in nutri-
tive, digestible bread for nickel. The
buyer has no right to expect the same
value in two cent loaves as in one
dime loaf"
T. T. Aranberg of Columbus, O., di-
rector of the associations national
publicity, opposed a suggestion to in
crease the price of the cent loaf to
6 cents. He favored 10 cents.
Flour up 20 Per Cent I'm Two Years.
Flour has advanced 70 per cent
in two years and forty per cent in the
last sixty days." said J. Burns, of
Omaha, Neb., president of the conven-
ton.
Ten cent 1oaves are the only saliva
ton of the bakers trade. The in
creased price of raw materials makes
it necessary for us to cut our over
head expense which is the same for
the dime as for the nickel loaf"
S. F. Mcdonald spoke on the sub
| n
Strain, of Battle Creek, Mich, led the
discussion on the report of the legisla-
tive committee made by H. w. Stude
of Houston, Texas.