POOR FLOUR THE CAUSE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 12

POOR FLOUR THE CAUSE

-Pre38 Association.)

Baker Blames Government

(By Telegraph-

| " AUCKLAND^ Eeb. 17. . . ' fitrdng exception to .the criticism 'xaade at a meeting of the Auckland HoS-, pital Board on Tuesday regarding thd! .quality of bread supplied to the board '*1 jinstitutions, was fakeu to-night by Mr! |S. J. Thomas, of the Crown Bakery Com-' ipany, which holds the' contract for the! j supply of bread* The remarkg made oaj jthe subject by Mr. W. G. Mulhollandj Iwere described by Mr Thomas as an) joutburst not bheked np by f&cts. i "When statements are made that the] bread supply is unsatisfaetory," Mr] Thomas said, "attention must be paid] to the question of .flour supply. In 4| ■sense, the flour supplied by the GoVern-; ment is not fit for human Consumptioili] iThe Minister of Industries and Com-| inerce,, Hdn. D. G. Sullivan, had experi-] ments made in conjunction with thfi( poultry industry, to ascertain whetherj or not sprouted wheat was suitable for] the feedihg of poultry. The Government, could not be Sure that sprouted wheat i was good enotigh to feed to poultry but! jit has used and is still using sprouted, i jWhOat in the milling of flour to be used] iby bakers for "human consumption." ; "Only certaih ingredients can be used in the baking of bread, the flour being the most important. It is absolute piffle to say the lowest grade of bread is being supplied to the Hospital Board. Low grade bread can be manufactured only from low grade flour and las -flou* in New Zealand to-day is jstaildardised, there Canndt be any great i variation in the standard of bread baked throughout the Dominion. There | is no doubt the quality of bread of all bakers has suffered as the result of the ' Government control of flour and whe&t in New Zealand. However, we have never had any complaints regarding the quality of our bread and we have never heard oi our bread being coudemned. ,The reported remarks of Mr Mulhol■land, therefore, came as a complete isurprise."