The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-11-10
IND.
Our Markets.


The old system of markets. for the sale of
vegetables and meats, under the supervision
of the city, is becoming unpopular every
where. The regulations are generally in
convenient and vexatious, and in order to
secure a petty revenue 10 the city treasury,
they are constituted monopolies In Bos-
ton, the old system is virtually abolished, |
and vegetable and meat stores, to which |
keting, are as numerous as grocery stores
In New York and Philadelphia movement
Is beginning against the nuisances Of the
public markets. The people demand free
trade, and insist upon being left to take care
of themselves in the purchase of their meats
and fruits, as well as their tea, coffee and sugar.
The City Council of Cincinnati is consider
ing the propriety of abolshing the public
markets, and have, now, an ordinance for
that purpose, under discussion. In the large
cities the municipal corporations have Al
large invested interest in the market houses
and the sacrifice of property is q serious OBJ
lection to the immediate adoption of a new
plan but in smaller places, like our own
city, the revenue and the cost of the build
iugs are of little consideration.
Our market rules force every man out OF
his bed-nnder penalty of the loss of his
dinner-before daylight, without any ra-
gard to the breaches that crying baby,
or the inroads which a quiet rubber of
whist or of chess, may have made upon his
slumbers The whole business of procur-
ing the food for the city is forced into an
hour, and that hour the most inconvenient
in the twenty four, at least, to some OF Us.
Those whose employments keep them uphill
midnight and after, have no fair chance with
the sunlight laborer, who goes to bed with
the chickens and is up in the grey of the
morning, waiting for the market bell, to
snatch from the stalls and from the mouths
of his poor night-toil worn neighbor, every
delicacy and good things in the market
The editors at Vincennes recently proposed
q change of market hours to 8 o'clock A.
n. At Terre Haute the people are talking
vi plcpllGll VI OPCllltIe, LliSlA maj NV oO
I'm. This arrangement would enable the
farmers, they contend, to leave home in the
morning and reach the city before market
hours and return home at night; and avoid
the necessity of taveing TO the city in the
night, or coming in the previous evening,
and exposing themselves to the inconven-
ince and danger Of sickness from sleeping,
as they do, in their open wagons, for which
they must bepaid in the prices they demand.
The Terre Haute suggestion would be an
improvement, and contribute to the con-
Yenience of farmers and citizens.
But the best policy would be to abolish
the public market system altogether,-let
the business regulate itself. Allow meats
and vegetables to be sold in shops aud from
wagons on the streets, without restraint
There would be economy Of time to both
seller and purchaser, and the necessities o.
both parties would soon inaugurate plan
that would be more for the interest and con.
veuience of both. 4 farmer, in order t.
dispose of SIS or $40 worth of vegetables,
consumes one day in preparation and get
ting to market and another day is spoiled
by broken sleep and the time in attending
market and getting home. His whole sac
do not often pay him fair wages for himsel
and horses for the time consumed. If Their
were shops and dealers for the regular sal
of marketing the keepers would select thei
stocks from dozen farmers by one trip int
the country, or the farmer could slip int
town with aload at any hour that was mos
convenient for him, and leave it with tn
dealer. One man could sell what now oc
cupies the time of twenty persons to dispos
of at the market place. The principles o
which the business is now managed are oh
solete, and should be discarded.