The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-06-25
HOW BREAD
SHOULD BE
CONSERVED
Serious Waste in the Handling of the
Staff Of Life IS Pointed Out by
Close Student
BY IDA M. TARBELL

Ked bread. we so take THIS cOnNen'
fence for granted that we do not ex-
ercise even ordinary forethought
order in the morning. We know that
IL we take two Ioaves in the morning
and find ourselves short toward tea
time that an extra fresh loaf is easy
to get. 1t is only when orr attention
liz challenged that common sense tells
us that this is no matter of course
but the result of large preparation on
somebody's part. What the mach
inery and efforts are have just been
made clear by the Governments Coun-
ell of National Defense.
War Fought OIL Wheat
The fact that this war is to be
fought on wheat as much if not more
than on guns and men is becoming
clear to us all. The government is
turning its machinery to study the
practical points of saving wheat
without too largely disturbing bust
ness The Council of National De-
tense has a subordinate body called
the Commercial Economy Board. 1t is
the business (of this board to see
where we can make useful economics
in the distribution Of commodities.
One OF the first things to which this
Commercial Economy Board turned its
attention was wheat products, and
quite naturally it seems now, the first
thing they discovere dwas the con-
tinuous supply of fresh bread on the
retailers shelves. They saw that he
was carrying every day more tan he
sold, which meant that the bakers who
supplied him were making more than
tehy sold.
Look Into Bread
The Commercial Economy board at
once undertook an investigation. 1t
is one of the prettiest pieces of work
that has recently been turned out In
Washington. The board sent its
agent to a. number of leading bakers
and wrote to over 400 others in all
parts of the country in order to find
out what their practice was. 1t was
discovered that largely for competi-
tive reasons these bakers kept the
shelves OF the bread retailer stocked
fully with fresh bread. In doing this
they did not expect the retailer to sell
the bread. Their point was that the
retailer should always have enough of
their bread on hand so that there
would be no complaint on his part that
he was not supplied. Any part OF
the bread that remained unsold, the
baker took back when the next days
supply was delivered. The retailer
knowing that he would have more
bread than he could sell never requir-
ed his customers to order ahead. His
customers were trained, so far as
bread was concerned, to toll not Meth
er to spin, nothing to do but order
at any hour of the day.
Loaf That is Sent Back
1t requires little thinking to see
that this arrangement must mean
waste at some point. AS a matter of !
fact the Commercial Economy board |
finds that it means a considerable |
waste, one which at the present time |
cannot be allowed to continue. AS |
viz mo a
with the help of the bakers of the
country, who have been taking hear |
~ interest in the investigation, it,
should be said to their credit, fully |
tour per cent of the bread delivered to
he retailers of this country is return
I'd to the bakers, the bakers them
selves going to the expense to collect'
How Stale Stuff Is Used
Now what is done with this four per
,ent Of returned loaves? Some of it is
IoId to the poor who go direct to the
,akers for it. 1t is perfectly clear,
however, that if the bakers did not
,ver supply the retailers and were
lot obliged to bring back the left
,ver Ioaves, they could afford to sell
he bread on the ground at as low
rice as they they do new. Of the four
'er cent returned, probably one and
ne-half per cent is fed to pigs, chick
ms and other animals. Now make a
title calculation. Suppose in your
own the bakers put out 10000 loaves
day, small town requires as
lany, there was $50 loaves fed to the
igs and chickens. Extend this cal
ula4on. There are bakers in our
lrge cities which turn out over half
million loaves a day. That means
500 for the pigs.
Must Stop the Leak
TT moods M argument to those who |, :