The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-06-10
CONCERNING THE
BREAD SITUATION

1 Germs that have been retailing tn
products of the bakeries. In orde
that the public may understand
what it is all about The Herald ha.
been requested to make a statemen
of the status of the situation. II
the line of service to our readers We
herein endeavor to do so, but wisl
it distinctly understood that the pa
per is UNFOLDING neither side of the
controversy, is expressing no opin.
ions of our own and building no argu.
ment. A number of the interested
parties on each side have been in
terviewed and their positions in the
matter are stated as fairly and ac-
curately as possible.
The local bakeries, conducted by
The Cash Grocery and Bakery and
by John Greenwald have been whole
sailing their bread to local stores and
markets at ten cents per loaf. The
retail price at both the stores and
the bakeries being 15c, two loaves
for 25c. Recently the bakeries en-
deavored to advance the whole
sale price to 121ac per loaf and
leave the retail price where it now
is. The stores objected to this. Not
to the advance in the wholesale price
but to the continuation of the two
for a quarter retail price as it left
them without profit and without COM
pensation for paper, Irvine and cost
of wrapping and delivering. AS a
result, outside bread is being ship
ped in and sold by the stores.
Concerning this situation, J.. F.
Ryan, manager of McAllen's and
president of the Merchants ~associa-
ton, says that it is obvious that the
dealers retailing the local bread can
not pay 12A cents and get nothing
for the expense of handling, and
that they cannot retail the bread at
a higher price than that charged
consumers at the bakeries. Why,
he asks, should we help them dis
tribute their products without profit?
Service to u trade demands that
we handle bread and if we cannot
buy it from the local bakeries and
make some margin of profit we feel
justified in buying outside bread on
which we can make a profit.
W. L. Young, head of the Valley
Market and Grocery takes substan-
TALLY the same position as Mr.. Ry-
an, adding that he has suggested to
the bakeries that they split the diff
ference and wholesale bread for II
cents or ONE such figure. A large
percentage of our orders call for
bread and we must keep it for them,
if we cannot sell the home bread at
a profit we must get bread that we
can afford to handle and retail at
price set by the bakeries.
Neutgens and Kapinos, of the
Cash Grocery were seen. Since buy
ing the business of o. H. Hanson
they say they have kept a careful
record of the cost of everything en-
5ering into the cost of making bread.
The figures showed that bread cost
practically 1Oc per loaf, 9A
% be exact, without taking account
If the time of a clerk to deliver
bread to stores and restaurants sew '
,ral times per day. "It was plain
o u.s." they say, "that we were los I
ng money on all the bread we whole {
aled, but until flour advances still S
more, we can retail it a a living prof '
t at the rate of two loaves for 25c. I
we decided that we would q
Iuit making bread for wholesale S
rade unless we could get 12hc or |
learly that price for it. Since 12hc $
fields us a fair profit, we are unwil- J
ing to advance the price to 15c
traight to those who ~patronize u !,
The other stores are under :
compulsion to buy our bread at :
and if they did it would make '
o difference to us at what figure !
hey sold it. If they can buy outside =
read at a lower price than we can 5
it, that is their advantage and .
heir privilege. Also, while the !
.anitary Bakery and our bakery j
ave so far ~wholesaled and retailed 8
read at the same prices, we are .
Filing that Mr.. Greenwald should )
.ontinue to sell his bread at 10c !
1holesale if he sees fit to do so. AS .
appears to US, the whole situation .
inges on the question, Shall our 2
read be advanced to 15c per loaf .
traight to the public in order that >
he stores reselling it may realize a 5
rofit?' We cannot make and sell 3
read without profit and we are not .
to charge u customers 15c .
ntil the price of -four compels us Z
. do So" :
John Greenwald, proprietor of the q
anitary Bakery, was interviewed. =
If. Greenwald betrayed anxiety over y