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The Report of the Food Council to the President of the Board of Trade on the price of bread was issued this week. It gives a scale of maximum prices for the quartern loaf which the Council considers would give the bakers reasonable profits according to the price of flour. That price is now 46s. a sack (280 lbs.). The Council's scale puts the fair maximum price of the loaf at 9d. when the sack of flour costs from 44s. to 48s. To this price of 91d. we are therefore to expeCt the loaf to rise. The Report gives the impression that the Council was not entirely satisfied with the candour of the bakers in producing all the evidence that they could, nor with the free play of competition in the public's favour. For the first time, we think, there is reference to the differences in quality of bread sold. Quality is not- standardized with the standard prices. So far we do not think that the Council has given the bakers any excuse for lowering the quality, still less for refusing to bake' at the prices which the public is encouraged to expect, but such dangers must be present, and maximum prices have always proved to be minimum prices. The Report makes no reference to the costs of distribution, which cannot be constant, either in the distribution of flour from mills or docks, or of loaves to customers in town or country. * *
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