The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-09-11

TEN CENTS STANDARD?
Small Five Cent Loaf, HsNot Popular,
VIII be Abolished Altogether
No Six Gent
Leaves.

The five cent loaf may be abolished
IN Keokuk Jacob Schouten, presi-
dent of the Schouten Baking COM
pany, stated today that If prices fell
within the next few weeks there
would be no price increase, other
wise it is inevitable.
He says that the increased price of
all the materials entering into the
bread MAKES the change imperative.
There seems t., be feeling among
bread consumers that the price is to
be raised from five to ten cents on
the present five cent loaf
@This is not the case" SAID Mr..
Schouten this afternoon. The new
price will not be for the present loaf
of bread at all The present jitney
loaf will be abolished IL possible, as
il we were to make it smaller than it
is now people would not care to buy
It.
- 1--WE may continue to make the five
cent loaf for some time. II the de-
mand justifies it, if the people seem
to desire to purchase their bread In
five cent rather than in ten cent
units. then we may retain this loaf
Ten Cent Loaf Standard.
however,, u ID Jul NCoho AAe~ eAO
people may purchase the ten cent
loaf. This loaf will not be quite as
large as the present ten cent loaf,
which contains twice as much dough
rs does the five cent loaf
''The present five cent loaf weighs
about twelve ounces. The new five
cent loaf, If it is made. will probably
weigh about ten ounces. The present
ten cent loaf weighs about twenty
four ounces. The new loaf, which
we hope will become the standard
loaf, will contain about twenty-five
ounces
In some cities, there is talk of max
ing six cent loaves Of bread, instead
of cutting down the size of the
1oaves. Mr.. Sehouten said that this
plan is impracticable and that 1t
probably never would be used here.
Two years ago when there was
flour shortage in the east, the price
of bread was raised from five to Six
cents for the standard loaf This
raise proved very unpopular with the
consumers, who found it very incOn-
venient to pay a jitney and penny
for loaf of bread. As result the
six cent price was abolished and
smaller loaf, selling for five cents,
was placed on the market.
Hopes Change Unnecessary.
Mr.. Schouten said he hoped very
much that it would be unnecessary
to make the change in the prices OF
bread. However, at the present time,
the bakers are doing business almost
at a loss. The cost of every item
entering into the baking of the bread
has gone up enormously. Flour is
now selling ut $500 per barrel, in
carload lots, an advance of $3.50 over
the price of a few months ago.
1t is deemed probable that the price
of -four may go to twelve dollars per
barrel.
Mr.. Schouten says that this raise in
the price of flour is caused, in his
opinion, by the shortage in the wheat
crop in this and other countries. In
America the crop is 100000 bushels
short. In Canada there is an immense
shortage, and the same is true In
other countries. Last spring was bad
for seeding, and as result the acre
age is 15 percent less than a year
ago. The weather conditions have
been harmful to the growth of the
grain, so that the crop is greatly
curtailed one.
r orei9n Demano increase.
In addition, there is an increased
foreign demand for the grain. The
\ peasants in Europe are at war, and
the women have not been able to
raise as much grain as the men did
in the past Il. addition. many hun,
dred acres of fields have been laid
waste by advancing armies, SO that
Europe is dependent on other por-
tons of the world for large part OF
her wheat supply.
No hope of relief is seen In the
near future, and it is alarmingly ap-
parent that -four is about to rise to
hitherto unheard of prices.
Hubert Schouten, secretary-treas-
urer of the Schouten concern states
that the increases in the prices If
the various materials in the last two
years has been about as follows:
Flour. 100 percent; rye, 124 per
cent: sugar, 66 percent; shortening,
so percent; milk. 40 percent; salt, Ia
percent; wrapping paper, 10 percent :;
gasoline, 100 percent. and feed in de-
livery expense, 25 percent.
Order Different Pans.
Jacob Schouten states that he Il
about to place orders for pans for
the new sized loaves. He says that
the change will be made as soon as
the pans can be obtained, date that
1t is hard to determine as the fac
tories will be rushed with orders from
all over the country. He said that Il
there should be fall in prices, be
fore the pans arrived, there woull
be no change.
Frank Pollard. proprietor Of
Keokuk bakery, states that he has no
decided about raising the price O.
bread, by changing the size of tn,
loaf He said that his concern would
probably follow the lead of the Schou
ten company.
The other bakers here are pursuins
n policy of ''watchful waiting" and i