There Are No

Files In This Bread

From a Suva Correspondent The Fiji baking trade, which is largely in the hands of Chinese, de servedly has a high reputation for turning out light, feathery, good quality bread. There may be many reasons for this, but perhaps a major one is that very few of them, if any, have mechanised plant.

T ARGELY because of the cost in volved they stick to the old type wood-fired ovens, or they use diesel fuel. And perhaps, because they do not have to contend with the stupid baking regulations they have in some parts of Australia, they can give their bread plenty of time to cool before delivery.

Another reason why Fiji people are satisfied with their bread is that they get deliveries six days a week.

But good as the bread made by the Chinese is, there is an institution which tops them for quality. This is the Suva Gaol.

The bakery was opened at the gaol about 30 years ago by a prison over seer, who was a bricklayer by trade.

It was the first prison trade training scheme started in Fiji.

Very few, if any, trained bakers have ever worked in the bakery and they have never had a qualified in

fhpm bakers, about 12 of them, are all long-term prisoners. n . . D .

Ula Kecipe The prison bakehouse has been using the same basic recipe for the years and it is kept a secret.

Fiji Superintendent of Prisons, Mr.

Basil Sellers, estimates that about 100 men have passed through the bakery during its existence. A lot of them have been placed in the Colony’s bakeries. One man, recently released,

went into a small country bakery which will turn out about 500 loaves a , d ay. Before being sent to prison that man had worked in the cane fields, The bakery makes all-white and wholemeal bread, and special loaves required by dietitians for issue to hospitals and nurses’ quarters and rolls. Each Easter it turns out hot cross buns based on the recipe of the famous Mrs. Beeton.

The bakery bakes about a ton of

One of the prison bakers stacks new loaves to cool. — Photo: Stan Whippy,

bread a day and supplies all Govern ment institutions, such as hospitals, the Fiji Military Forces, some school.

Government House, and all PWD ships. The general public do not get it.

The prison staff also receive the bakery bread, for which they pay 3|d a lb loaf. This is an undoubted privilege for them for the retail price of bread at Suva is 1/- a loaf, with prices higher for special types of bread.

A “plum” order in February was to supply the Royal Yacht, Britannia, for the voyage from Suva to New Zealand.

The bakery shows a small profit of about £5O a month. This is paid into revenue.

Four Bakes a Day There are four bakes every day, except Friday, when there are seven and eight to cater for weekend re quirements.

The gaol bread will remain fresh for three or four days—for a week if it is wrapped in a polythene bag and placed in a refrigerator. Bread put into bins in which there are stale crumbs, however, does not remain fresh very long.

The gaol has a special van f° r de liveries, and all bread is covered. Mr.

Sellers insists on the highest possible hygiene. Before the men finish work each dough trough is scrubbed with vinegar and water. Each Saturday, if the weather is fine, the tables and dough troughs are put out m the sun.

Lautoka, Too?

Mr Sellers said the prison was watching with interest proposals to establish a flour mill at Suva. This would mean a saving m production costs. And there is also a possibility that baking may be started at the Lautoka Gaol next year.

The firms which supply the prison with flour are all Sydney-based— Mungo Scott, Gillespies and Sun shine (owned by Hackshalls).

GEIC Prepares for Tourists

A Visitors Bureau Committee has been formed in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony to co-ordinate the activities of various organisations tor the reception, entertainment and accommodation of visitors m the Colony. The chairman is Mr. R. O.

Roberts, an Administration official.

One of the committee members, le Teweka Nare, has organised two dancing teams—one Gilbertese and one Ellice—as a first towards carrying out his committees aims.