Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-27
THE INDIRECT TAXATION
CALLED BREAD

FIuhb easiest way TO 90 IL is 70 hanB a
~baKer or two now and then. This used
to be done in Turkey, but the relief pro-
vided was only temporary. The six-cent
bread crises come every so often; the last
one was about twenty months ago, ac-
companied by the same talk Of $40 flour,
81 wheat and smaller loaves. The news
articles OF today are virtually the same
as those Of January, 1915. The crises die
down. and the net result is that bread
stays at FIVE cents. Nothing ever seems
to havehappened but talk.
But something has happened and con-
tinues to happen. Last month twenty
seven small bakers in this city quit
baking and sought other livelihoods.
Fifteen years ago there were 1900 small
bakers; there are only 500 now. Bakery
workers who used to get ss and SO a
week can get twice as much now in other
pursuits. Sanitary devices and cheaper
methods Of manufacturing and distribut-
ing in great bulk combine to put the small
baker at a growing disadvantage when
the bread he makes is no better than that
made by the big manufacturer. When he
makes exceptionally good bread the
small baker holds his place, and always
will hold It. Anybody can beat a trust
who is clever enough to produce better
goods than a trust.
The chief factor in the bread situation
is not a crude trust invasion. The evil
dence of this is on any restaurant table.
Bread, potatoes and oysters are part of
the same meal, but there can be no
French Fried Potato Trust, nor any
Oyster Stew Trust. Bread is thrown in."
It is thrown into the gross overhead
charges of running the place. 1t is called
cheap" though lois Of other foodstuffs
are cheaper. Many a plate of soup is
sold for ten cents and upward which
costs less to put before the customer than
the bread he gets for nothing. Bread is
an indirect tax. 1t can be standardized,
and therefore It is standardized, like a
uniform appliance that can be fitted to
all sorts of autos. 1t is sold as part Of
something else, and hardly ever by it.
self. The "chain stores" carry out the
principle Of the restaurant. They sell
meals in paper bags instead of on plates.
They sell so many other things at an
unchanging (and sometimes advancing
price that it pays them to sell the bread
that is bought with most orders with a
vanishing margin of profit. They tack
five cents on to the cost of each order
and throw in" the loaf of bread.
It will save time. then, in the investi-
cations that are to be made-with some
permanent result this time. 1t is to be
hoped-if good antitrust ammunition is
saved for real and unlawful combina-
tions and not wasted on a normally evolv-
ing system. There are signs that at
last the root of the problem is to be
studied and not merely It's leaf. The
big and little baker can be left reason.
ably free to work out their craft. The
sweeping demand for an embargo which
would prevent any wheat leaving the
country can hardly have much weight
until the price of bread actually goes up.
A partial embargo, the limiting of expor-
tations to a certain amount for a year or
six months. would be more reasonable.
though even this. it must be remem-
bered. would stir up controversy, as
1t would be taken as a blow at the Allies,
whom we help to feed.
1t is hardly likely that the matter
will be settled on international grounds.
The grocery store sales of bread will de-
eide the matter. The poor man viii de-
eide II and not the poor baker, hard
though his lot NAV be-