Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-24
SAVING OF BREAD
IS DUTY OF WOMEN
Co-Operation With Bakers and
Dealers and Care in
Ordering Urged.
PLAN TRIED IN WASHINGTON
BY IDA M. TARBELL.

BY IDA NJ. TARBELL.
Few women have any idea OF the
commercial machinery which makes It
possible for them in every town OF any
size to get at any time of the day
loaf OF freshly baked bread. We so
take this convenience for granted that
we do not exercise even ordinary fore
thought about the amount of bread that
we order in the morning. We know
that IL We take two loaves in the morn
ing and find ourselves short toward tea
time that an extra fresh loaf is easy to
get. 1t is only when our attention is
challenged that common sense tells us
that this is no matter of course, but the
result of large preparation on some
body's part What the machinery and
EFFORTS are have just been made clear
by the governments council of ma
uonal defense.
The fact that this war is to De fought
on wheat as much IL not more than on
guns and men is becoming clear to US
all. The government is tuning its ma
chinery to study the practical points of
saving wheat without too largely dis
turbng business. The council Of ma
uonal defense has a subordinate BODY
called the commercial economy board.
1t is the business of this board to see
where we can make useful economies
In the distribution of commodities. One
OF the first things to which this COM
mercial economy board turned it's atten-
ton was wheat products, and quite
naturally. 1t seems now. the first thing
they discovered was the continuous
supply of fresh bread on the retailers
shelves. They saw that he was carry
Ing every day more than he sold.
which meant that the bakers who sup
ar n Vvrr lit
sold
Undertakes an Investigation.
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 agents
to number Of leading bakers and
wrote to over 400 others in all parts
what their practice was. 1t was dis
covered that largely for competitive
reasons these bakers kept the shelves
of the bread retailer stocked fully with
not expect the retailer to sell all the
bread. Their point was that the re-
taller should always have enough Of
their bread on hand SO that there
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 required hts Gus
toners to order ahead. His customers
were trained. SO far as bread was con-
cerned, to toll not. neither to spin
nothing to do but order at any hour
OF the day.
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
1t means a considerable waste, one
which at the present time cannot be
allowed to continue. AS nearly as the
board can estimate with the help Of
the bakers of the Countrywide have
been taking hearty interest in the
Investigation. 1t should be said to their
credit-fully 4 per cent of the bread
delivered to the retailers of this coun-
try is returned to the bakers. the
bakers themselves going to the ex-
pense to collect 1t.
What Becomes Of Surplusp
Now what is done with this 4 per cent
OF returned loaves? Some Of it Is sold to
the poor, who go direct to the bakers for
It. 1t is perfectly clear. however. that If
tailers and were not obliged to bring
back the leftover loaves they could af-
ford to sell the bread on the ground at
as low price as they do now OF the
per cent returned PROBABLY 112 per cent lG
fed to pigs. chickens and other animals.
Now make little calculation. Suppose in
your town the bakers put out 10 900 loaves
a day-a small town requires as many
and chickens. Extend this calculation.
There are bakers in our large cities who
turn out over half a million loaves a day
That means $500 for the pigs.
1t needs no argument to those who
realize what the shortage of wheat means
to convince them that this leakage must
be stopped All that thinking people ask
Is how it can be done. The bakers them
selves are beginning to take steps Inquiry
among the bakers show that probably on
an average at least so per cent are in
favor OF stopping bread returns-that is
they are in favor OF selling to the retail
bread dealer only what he believes he can
dispose of. This plan has already been
put into effect by the bakers of Wash
tngton city and they say il is working
satisfactorily.
Duty Of the Women.
And here the women come in. They
are the bread buyers. and the no-return
bread plan means that they must ma ke
their calculations for the days sup
ply and do IL in such businesslike
fashion that they will not be left in
the afternoon without a loaf; that IL
they are so left they will not complain
to their grocer. hut that they will ac-
cept the fact a proof Of thei- own
lack of business foresight in ordertn1
This really important saving can only
be effected IL the women Of the coun-
try generally back II up. The woma n 3
committee OF the council of national
defense is today asking the chairrnen
OF its state divisions TO spread through
out their organizations a request that
they will Immediately begin to order
bread for twenty-four hours instead
OF for temporary needs; that they regu-
late their purchases from day to day as
much as possible, so the retailers NAV
know better how much to order: that
they explain carefully to their neigh
bors who may not have been reached
In ony other way the reason for all this
that they make everybody feel that IL
is one of their patriotic duties SO to do
Should Back Up the Bakers.
Intelligent women must eyerywber.
back UP the bakers and bread dealers
in the no-return plan. This is what the
woman's committee will insist II thew
will do this we can save the one and
one-half per cent that now goes to the
pigs and chickens.
II will be putting this many loayes
a day into the hands of hungry women
and children and fighting soldiers. and
will be one element I'm that great task
that we have before us Of so handling
the wheat crops of the world that every
man and woman in all of the allied
world will have enough to eat in the
long struggle that is before US.
DISCUSS ASPECTS OF WAR.
Economic Society Speakers Warn
Aooinaf oEosv Goino', E;nono..