Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-30

TNHERE are about 1000 homes in Phila-
l. delphia. That figure includes boarding
houses.
The wheat conservation in those homes
since the United States food admnistra-
tion began to plead for wheat saving lest
the American and Allied soldiers suffer
and the war for democracy be lost--the
wheat conservation has amounted virtually
to nothing 1t has been less than ! per
cent That means that after all the pleas
of Hoover and his assistants, after all the
newspaper editorials, after all the patriotic
appeals of leading citizens, Philadelphia is
consuming just about as much wheat flour
as it consumed three months ago. 1t is
consuming only about 10 per cent less than
it consumed "A year ago--before the United
States was at war.
And If wheat -four consumption in the
United states is not reduced 80 per cent.
and quickly, the war for democracy may
be lost.
The average bread consumption per home
in Philadelphia is nine loaves-about nine
pounds--a week. the average family num-
bering five persons. 4 year ago, according
to estimates Of several bakers and grocers
serving many sections of the city, the aver
age consumption was ten loaves per home.
Bread consumption a difficult thing to
reduce. Bread Is a necessity. We could
eat less than We do but we must eat some
Other things We can do without We can
spare fancy meats and game and poultry
but we cannot spare bread-though we
could spare more than we do.
Large numbers of persons suppose that
in utra-modern America, where commerce
and industry have advanced SO much far
ther than anywhere else in the world, vir-
tually all the bread baking is done in
bakeries and virtually none in homes. But
that is very serious error. Eighty per cent
of Europe's bread Is baked in bakeries. Only
40 per cent of Americas bread is, and in
Philadelphia approximately 70 per cent of
bread is baked by housewives.
OF the 3.600,0O loaves of bread that are
eaten in Philadelphia homes every week
only about l.0sO,OO0 are baked in bakeries.
Since the average percentage of flour In
loaf of bread is S5, 1T appears that the
city's homes consume in bread 2,360,OOO
pounds Of flour week. In cakes,
pies and other pastry they consume approXi-
mately 700. 900 pounds more. A year ago
they probably consumed 100000 pounds
of flour in pastry but cake takes eggs and
sugar and milk and butter. all of which cost
more.
But the people have become accustomed to
high prices now, and their living is adjusted
to those prices When conservation was
| demanded the peoples living had already
| been adjusted to those prices. They were
| already conserving on luxuries and they had
| conserved as much as they could without
| actual discomfort on bread which they had
| regarded not as a luxury, but necessity.
| Now something is needed to accomplish in
| creased saving of wheat -four in homes As
| to what that something is opinion differs
| The big" bakers will not speak, but their
| views have been obtained from their friends
and associates Other opinions are easy
enough to learn.
| The following paragraph Is the opinion
| Of one of the six biggest bakers in Phla-
| delphia, obtained from small baker, who
| is his persona. friend
"The people at home need bread and need
| II lust as much the men in the trenches
| and the people Of Europe. The rich people
| who do no hard work, and the people who
work In offices have reduced bread con.
sumption. but the people who do hard
| work have reduced bread consumption only
in small degree. Yet they have reduced
n almost as much as they possibly can
The bakeries have reduced wheat -four con
sumption as much as they possibly can b,
elimination of waste. There was nevel
much waste. but what there was has beer
! eliminated. Whatever further reduction
| can be obtained cannot be obtained b,
eating less nor by elimination of waste II
bakeries. There remains but one thing q
| do. and that is to eliminate waste In tn
| homes. The only way the waste In home
| can be eliminated Is by transferring hom
| baking to bakeries. Let the 246,ooo house