THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 179, 2 June 1916, Page 2

THE PRICE OF BREAD.

Local Position Explained

The matter of the price charged for bread in Pukekohe, as enquired into at a sitting of the Cost of Living Commi9sirn held last Saturday, was discussed yesterday by Mr Frank Perkins in conversation with a "Times" repiesentative. Mr Perkins, at the outset, mentioned that as one of the master bakers concerned in the enquiry he had favoured evidence being taken "in public" so that their the master liakers') case should have been fully revealed, but the Commissiouer (Mr l\ Rally" expiewed the opinion that the proceedings should be private, and consequently asked the "Times'' reporter, who was in attendance, to withdraw. Mr Perkins went on to state that the reference in last Tuesday's issue of the "Times" to the Commission dealing with such disparity of price* for bread (-Jib loaf) as 7d in Auckland and 101 in Pukekoln wis hardly accurate, as the Co umissioa practically concerned itselt with Ud as the ruling rate in Auckland. Iu a few solitary instances, ad led Mr Perkins, confined probably to grocers who made the supply of bread a side-line to thoir real business, and whilst charging below costprice for bread made any deficiency up on other commodities, 7d might be paid, but for purposes of fair comparison 'Jd was the figure in Auckland at which broad was generally retailed. South of Auckland 10d was the universal price and not a storekeeper within 20 miles of Pukekohe sold bread below that figure The local position was that the bakers of Pukekohe had to deliver bread as far as five or six miles away from their b ikeries with houses in some instances a mile distant from one another. The delivery men were paid £2 10a a week each and to cover the ground each of thorn had to use two horses every day. Labour, as well as fuel, was always on the up grade. The Auckland bakers had supplied the information that they were barely covering their expenses in selling at 9d per loaf and working items naturally in the country were much in advance of those in the city. One delivery cart in Auckland was practically equivalent to five or six in Pukekohe or in other words live bakers' carts delivered to different residents in one street in Pukekohe, and both men and horses had to be debited to the cost of the product. Mr Perkins concluded by saying that the Hour, used in Pukekohe, was costing from £l4 to £IG per ton delivered and at that price and having regard to the other points he had mentioned he claimed that it was impossible to make and deliver bread in the district under lOd if any piottt was to be returned.