Remember when: Gold Coast bakeries feared a price way after cut in price of sliced bread

IT was feared a Gold Coast bakery could trigger a price-cutting war following its refusal to increase the price of bread.

Flashback: Bread price slice war

Gold Coast Bulletin, Tuesday January 24, 1978

IT was feared a Gold Coast bakery could trigger a price-cutting war following its refusal to increase the price of bread.

Bakeries were openly at variance over the decision which meant Gold Coast Bakery bread sold 2c cheaper than theirs.

The bakery had already sold thousands of extra loaves of bread following its price rebellion.

But the company office manager of Gold Coast Bakery, David Newcomb denied this was the reason for sticking to the old prices.

“We aim to give the consumer bread at the price it costs and we could not justify a price rise,” he said.

But spokesman for opposition bakeries, which claimed to be fully or partially owned by flour mills claimed the latest price rise was justified and in accordance with a decision of the Prices Justification Tribunal.

Gold Coast History: Gold Coast Bulletin 1978, January 24. Front Page.

Gold Coast manager for Regal Bakeries, Don Casber, said “we put up our prices 2c across the board”.

“I am tired of the press misconstruing things,” he said.

“I don’t want Regal Bakeries to look like the big ogres and Gold Coast Bakery to appear like the good ones in this deal.”

And Bill Sassie, Brisbane manager of Cobbity Farm said he would be disappointed if the price increase caused housewives to look somewhere else for bread.

Meanwhile, state primary schools returned to classes following a six-week break, with a total of 9569 pupils, an increase of 327 on 1977 numbers.