BREAD PRICES.
BAKERS DISSATISFIED. • WELLINGTON THREAT OF STOPPAGE. TARANAKI SUPPORT. The new prices for bread hare aroused general dissatisfaction amongst baker*. "They are absolutely no good to the bak. ers," declared Mr. E. May, chairman of the Taranaki Master Bakers' Union, to a Daily News representative yesterday. Mr. May referred to the regulation with which the baking business had been hedged about for a long time now—longer than any other business which had been under Government control. He also pointed out that although the people had been buying bread at a fixed price for I some time, they wer£ really paying Bior« through the subsidy;, to the millers. the !Gove£nniejit g aV e froifc ■ th% the Consolidated.Revenue. ' . ' The bakers have beta,, negotiating witk, >the Board of Trade for a long time in an endeavor..to get what they regard as a "fair deal," but Mr. May said they ha* been unable to get any satisfaction. Now. the new prices were announced, whicbr were of no advantage to the baker*, as the increase would be practically taken up in increases in wages to the opera-, tivea, and the increased cost of all the re» quisites used in the trade. "PUT IT ON SMALL GOODS." Mr. May stated the fixed price of flout was a f.o.b. price, to which had to be added the following charges: —Freight Ids Bd< insurance Is 4d, wharfage 2s, sorting Is Kid, railage 3s (plus 10 per cent.) 3s 4d, cartage 3s; making a total of £l7 10s 2d landed at the bakers' stores. An increase of Jd per 21b loaf would yield £2 15s from each ton of flour made into bread. Subtract the £1 10s additional price for flour, and it left the baker £1 r>s with which to meet the increased wages and cost of all bakery requisites. A ready argument thrust at the baker was: "Put it on to the small goods and wake the public pay for the bread through that channel," but many people bought but sparingly in these lines, and many bakery' did not deal in small goods,. STRIKE NARROWLY AVERTED. Xr. May stated that quite recently, in negotiations between the masters and the men, a stoppage of work was. averted by the narrowest of margins. The men at that time were conceded a measure of the demands they were then making, on the understanding that they would swure a further increase in wages when the Government allowed the bakers to n ike an increased charge for bread. The present increase, therefore, is practically mortgaged to the men, and the baker's are in no better position than before; in fact, Mr. May said, they would bo worse oil'. All the Taranaki bakers were did-.. satisfied, and had been so for some time. .. A meeting of local bakers" was held last night for the purpose of considering, the position. A News representative was ussured that,the local bakers were prepared to support the Wellington bakersami stop making bread if no otner means could be found to remedy this trouble. It was hoped that if fresh representations" were to be made to the Government, a deputation representing the bakers of the whole Dominion should go to Wellington to confer with the Prime Minister. PRICE UP TO-DAY. At, lest night's meeting it was decided that t.!io price of bread should, be raised from to-day according to the now scale. A two-pound loaf will cost fl'/jd over the counter, and Gd delivered.
In the meantime it whs decided that no definite action should be taken in regard to profiting against Cabinet's decision until more information is received fv !:i Wellington. The matter will bo further considered at a meeting early next week. WELLINGTON BAKERS' VIEWS. "NEW PRICES MEAN A LOSS." TALK OF CLOSING DOWN! By Telegraph.-Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The new prices of flour and bread sanctioned by the Government for the year ending February 2Sth next wore considered by the Wellington Master Bakers' I'nion, and it was decided that to make bread at the new prices fixed by Cabinet would mean a loss which bakers! could not bear. Mr. .A. Kellow, managing director of the 21b. Automatic Bakeries, interviewed, said the Wellington bakers simply could not make bread *t the new prices. "If the prices are gazetted it will mean we will have to close down, and Wellington will then be without bread," he added. "But every endeavor is being made ' \ to seek an interview with the Prime Minister to-day, and there is hope we will be met in such a manner as to prevent our closing down. As the prices of bread in Wellington are fixed we are unable to increase the price of bread to an amount which will pay us." Mr. Miusey told a reporter late this afternoon that he had not received any communication from the master bakers.' He hoped the bakers would not go so far as to stop their output.
PREMIER TO MEET BAKERS. NO PUBLIC STATEMENT YET. Wellington, Last Night. Referring to the statement attributed to him that he had not received any communication from the bakers in regard to bread prices, Mr. Massey said this afternoon that ho had received a telegram from the Master Bakers' Associai tion, and he expected to go into the matter fully with the' bakers. This he was *£ prepared to do at the earliest opportun- .*' ity. In the meantime, he was making no public statement on ilie matter.
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Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1920, Page 4
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907BREAD PRICES. Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1920, Page 4
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