THE BREAD QUESTION.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 923, 9 June 1877, Page 2

THE BREAD QUESTION.

To the Editor of the Globe.

Sir, —"One of the twenty-eight," in the Globe of 6th June, says that flour in Sydney is worth from £l9 to £26 per ton ; I observe that the price of the 41b. loaf in Sydney is 9d. Wow comes a little sum, and, as "One of the twenty-eight" appears to hold pecubar ideas on the subject of figures, I will work it out my way : —lf bread can be sold at 9d the lib. loaf when flour is £26 per ton, what can it be at, to give a proportionate profit, when flour is £L6 per ton ? Answer—A little less than 6d the lib. loaf! I fancy there must really be something wrong with the bakers' arithmetic, when 1 find that upon "One of the twenty-eight" having occasion to deduct 12s 4d from £1 3s 4d, says it leaves a balance of the paltry sum of 2s, and thinking, I suppose, that the public may possibly doubt this statement, he adds a postscript to the effect, " The above figures I can prove." Again, I have before me three estimates of the profits per ton to be derived from converting the best fiour into the best bread, furnished by members of the trade, and none of them agree. Putting on one side for the present the question as to whether the public really do get pure, unadulterated, full weight bread, made entirely of the best flour —for this appeal's to me to be the data upon which all the calculations are based—let us see how the estimates differ. Mr Hawker says the net profits are about £1 3s 4d per ton. " One of the Twenty-eight," who can prove his figures, gives about £5 10s per ton, and " One not of the Twenty-eight" £2 13s 4d, who by the bye has a charge of one shilling for potatoes (or shall I say fruit), one shilling

representing at the present prices about 351 b of potatoes, a quantity rather in excess of the actual requirement for " ferment," and which, should have caused the yield to be (if the flour was the "best ") at least six loves more.

Let us see how " One not of the Twentyeight's " calculation looks when it is a little rectified. Even at 8d per 41b loaf he shows a balance per diem in favour of the master baker of 10s Bd. I shall take the liberty of adding six 41b loaves as above, equal to 45., and about eight 41b loaves for short weight, say 5s 4d. This brings the daily profit to £1 per diem, or £5 per ton of flour, which appears to be a near approach to " One of the Twenty-eight's " calculations. At 9d the 41b loaf the result would be £1 12s lOd profit per diem, or £8 4s 2d per ton flour, which is a little over 50 per cent, profit. Comparing Sydney prices with Christchurch prices, what an El Dorado for the bakers Christchurch must be, that is to say if " One of the Twenty-eight's " quotations are correct.

Yours, &c,

CRUSTY.