Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-05

I lpcnJ3lnln L. l'uTCcll. director OF
4 bakeries. fecuS and dairicS under the
state food administration, called the
/ bakers Of the city together yesterday
! afternoon at 4 O'Clock in the audito-
rum of the Chamber of Commerce in
! all effort TO come TO better under
standing OF questions Gravcly affecting
| the bakers the food administration and
| the general public.
| There were present at the meeting
| twenty-four Of the representative
bakers of Richmond. The meeting, as
Il whole. WAS marked by spirit of
obvious uneasiucss on the part of tho
bakers and u marked rcticcnce in the
matter OF expressing their opinions.
Nr. Bethel. of the division of enforce
ment who is the legal aid OF the food
administration, was introduced by Mr.
Purcell Mr.. Bethel spoke briefly OF
tn" reasons for calling tho conference
of bakers and commended Mr.. Purcell
highly.
There has been no hearing of tho
bakers hitherto" explained Mr.. Bethel.
but the spirit OF The food adminisA
tration is cooperation. Mr.. Purcell is
technically vcrscd in questions affect
ing the bakers. and he is the one to
whom YOU want to talk. The part the
enforcement division plays is to put
the outlaw who refuses to conform to
tho regulations Of the food admins
tration out OF business. The federal
| food administration bespeaks your
hearty cooperation not in any spirit
of coercion.
Mr.. Purcell then explained that hc
had just received telegram from
Washington which required definite
answers to pointed questions, and he
thought those questions were better
answered by laying them before the
bakers themselves.
ALI. Local. BAKERS
Make VICTORY BRE,D"
The frs; question which Mr.. Purcell
put TO the assembled bakers OF the
city was: Are you all baking victory
brcad?" There being no audible re-
sponsc. he asked any baker present
who. for any reason. was not baking
victory bread" to hold up his hand.
No hand went UP. Mr.. Purcell said
that quite recently he had found that
about > per cent of the bakers OF the
| city aud state were not complying
| with the regulations OF the required
ratio OF four to one in the matter OF
wheat -four and substitute cereals or
potatoes. and expressed his plcasur"
that they were all now complying with
| this regulation OF the food admins
/ tration.
! The nest question concerned the re-
duc;ion Of the output to so per cen.
/ of the for:Ncr volume of business dur
ing the time when. for any reason, the
bakers were not complying with the
regulation about substitutes. Mr. Put-
/ cell went on to say that in case Il was
/ not possible for any baker To sccur"
I tho substitutes required by law, it was
/ Of tho utmost Importance that We no.
/ tify the local foot administration and
! Immediately cut his output to so per
cent.
lit is not that tho food aGministra.
| ton wants to keep close tab on You"
said AR Purcell but in justice 10
/ competitors who would have just cause
Tor complaint, il no restriction was
/ placed on output in such instances"
! lie made II plain that the action
/ o! mis- onice in sending inspectors to
/, the bakeries was not a police measure.
+ hut YVES necessary in order to check
up results from the mixing of sub
stitutc iiours and to obtain valuable
information for general use.
Can each OF You secure substi-
tutc that Is approved that will enable
you TO put 20 per cent OF it into the
manufacture OF products" was next
asked the bakers
After an appreciable pause one
baker answered in the affirmative hut
The remainder preserved q cautious
silence. Mir. Purcell then took up the
matter OF potatoes rs a substitute for
Hour. and asked ii. in the opinion of
the bakers. thcre was a surnlus suf-
were not available. and also if pota-
toes were really practicable in tho man
nfacturc OF bakery products and If
they could he used advantageously
DIFFICULT PROBLEMS IN
USE; Of SUBSTITUTE
The bakers We're decidedly uncom-
nunicativc on this matter, also, al
though one OF them expressed himself
forclh!y TO the effect that he had tried
everything in the line OF substitutes,
but his bread came out like Il board
with mo spring TO It,"
Mr.. Purcell then put tho question to
them OF the ACCESSIBILITY OF closing on:
any bake" after March 10 WHO in
SiStcntly used white nour in the man
ufac;urc Of his products "Wha, would
YOU recommend as n fair measure fo,,
bakers outside OF Richmond who. per
maps, cannot secure substitutes all tho
t!mc? WAS asked. Several bakers cy-
pressed their opinions relative TO the
fairness OF arbitrary measures aud
suggested Il time limit in which to pro
cure substitutes. The general scnti-
m"nt Of the conference was TO tho
elect that il the baker did not exert
himself 10 procure substitutes he was
not entitled 20 any undue considcra-
tion on the part OF the food admins
tration.
The matter OF the increased use OF
corn starch provoked more discussion
than had been accorded any topic
previously introduced. 1t was brought
out IN the discussion which followed
;hat while it was recognized that corn
starch w@s unwhoicsomc ana highly
ihdiEestihlc. vet the use OF ii had a
tendency 10 whitcn bread and make a
looking finished product. which
4 S"ih well TO customers. who object cd
10 barley broad on account OF its dark
aPh'arance and for this reason refused
10 buy il. ct looks like pnt;y. nnd
ihcy Jus; don't want it," commented
one oC the bakers
y strong point was Trough: out bv
a make" present in the discussion reIa-
iiNc to III" instructive appearance OF
h'f"rF bread which conformcd ncccs-
H''iN |" government regulations.
SUGGESTS MIXING or
FLOUR At THE MILLS
This is the kind OF argumcn.
rear, said II !cadn; baker OF tho
city, who is also n retailer OF his
products: ~ man looks at my hrca,!
ana passes II IN. ] advance tho ,,eu,I