On This Day
On This Day, 3 March 1917
On 03, Mar 2017 | In On This Day | By Nicola Gauld
Evening Despatch
Saturday 3 March 1917
THE ELEVENPENNY LOAF.
BIRMINGHAM DECISION OF A HALFPENNY RISE.
It is officially announced that on Monday the price of bread in Birmingham will be advanced to 11d. per quarter loaf, an increase of one halfpenny on the price which has obtained in the city since November last. The price of flour will also be advanced by 2d. per peck.
The explanation of the master bakers is that the price of flour has been steadily advancing, and has now reached a figure when there is no alternative but to pass the burden on to the bread consumers.
“It was touch and go as to whether we should increase the price of bread last week,” said a member of the trade. “We found, however, that in justice the public should allow the price of flour to advance by another shilling at least before we announced another rise.”
To-day there is only one uniform price of bread in Birmingham and, therefore, all classes of the community will be affected. Owing to the scarcity and high cost of potatoes, there has been substantial increase of late in bread consumption, but the master bakers say that this has not been determining factor in their latest decision.
