96 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



sumption of bread would be the 

 consequence of the measure, and 

 thisincreased consumption might in 

 a considerable degree make up for 

 any saving which might resultfrom 

 the use of the finer pollards: in the 

 second place, if the millers were 

 permitted to make only one sort of 

 flour, it is to be apprehended, that 

 sieves would be introduced into 

 many private families for the pur- 

 pose of sifting the flour to diiferent 

 degrees of fineness : such a practice 

 might, in times of scarcity, increase 

 the evils which it would be the in- 

 tention of parliament to remedy. 

 The quantity of flour extracted from 

 a bushel of wheat, depends very 

 much on the skill of the miller, and 

 the perfection of his machinery. 

 The extent of his concern, and his 

 interest in his trade, is a security 

 that he will endeavour to draw 

 from the grain whatever it will pro- 

 duce ; but the comparative want of 

 skill, and want of attention to the 

 nicer parts of the operation, in pri- 

 vate families, might lead upon the 

 whole to a very great and unneces- 

 sary expenditure and waste of flour. 

 Your committee are of opinion, 

 that to change by law the food of a 

 large part of the community, is a 

 measure of the gi-eatest delicacy, 

 and on the face of it highly objec- 

 tionable. If a considerable benefit 

 could be proved to arise from it to 

 the community at large, your com- 

 mittee might be induced to recom- 

 mend it, notwithstanding any in- 

 conveniences which might for a 

 time result from it ; but from all the 

 consideration yoiir committee have 

 been able to give to this subject, 

 and from the evidence which has 

 appeared before them, they are not 

 satisfied that any saving would arise 

 proportionate to the disadvantages 



that would, in the first instance, 

 necessarily attend upon it. 



Your committee have hitherto 

 confined their observations to the 

 idea of compelling the people, by 

 law, to consume a particular sort of 

 bread. They are sorry, however, 

 to be under the necessity of stating, 

 that, in consequence of the last wet 

 and unfavourable season, crops have 

 been unusually deficient; and al- 

 though a considerable importation 

 of wheat from foreign countries has 

 already taken place, and more may 

 be expected, yet they feel, that they 

 should not discharge their duty, un- 

 less they strongly recommended to all 

 individuals to use every means in 

 their power to reduce the consump- 

 tion of wheaten flour in their fami- 

 lies, and encourage in the district in 

 which they live, by their example, 

 influence, and authority, every pos- 

 sible economy of this article. 



Impressed with the idea of the 

 importance of such economy at the 

 present moment, your committee 

 earnestly recommend the adoption 

 of a measure, which, from the una- 

 nimous opinion of those who have 

 appeared in evidence before them, 

 would lead to a very considerable 

 saving of wheat flour. The evi- 

 dence of the bakers who have been 

 examined before your committee, 

 cannot fail to convince the house, 

 that in families where bread which 

 has been baked for some hours is 

 used, the consumption is far less 

 considerable, than in those where it 

 is the custom to eat it new. They 

 diflfer in the proportion of this sav- 

 ing, some have stated it as amount- 

 ing to one-third, some as amounting 

 to one-fifth, and others only to one- 

 eighth ; but when it is considered, 

 that one-half of the bread in Lon- 

 don is consumed the day on which 



