Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-17


The Halles Centralles are the largest of the
markets Of Paris, though they are not the
only ones They are the largest markets in
the world. They consist of ten great pavil-
ions of iron and glass, and they cover %
acres of ground. Each pavilion contains
$50 stalls, each Of which is as large as a small
hall bedroom, and the cellars below. for
storage. number 200, each of which is 12
feet high. These markets cost about SIC, ,000,-
coo to build, or nearly as much as our national
Capitol The city, however, gets a good in
terest from the investment by Ler tax on
the enormous business done. Each Of the
stalls pays rent, and the government taxes
everything that comes into the city. The
daily bill of Paris for meat, wine and bread
alone amounts to about $3.50, 600, and there
are a, ,00O, 900 worth Of eggs sold here yearly.
The fish sales amount to 100000 a year,
and those of butter AMI poultry are equally
as much. In 1889 there were sold at these
markets GO, ,000, 900 pounds of meat, GO, ,000, coo
pounds of fish, 27,OOO,O00 pounds of butter,
343, 900, 900 eggs, $4,000 pounds of cheese,
4S, 900 900 pounds Of poultry and l92, 900, ,0O0
oysters In other words, estimating our
population at 6O,000,0O0, Paris in 1882 ate
enough to have given each man, woman
and child in the United States more than
pound of fish, pound OF meat, 5 eggs, 5
oysters, nearly ? pounds of cheese, Il pound
Of butter and pound Of poultry and game.
But the United States is a great country.
Paris is only city, and the Halles Centralles
are only one of its marketing places. Paris
drinks 100 OOO, 600 gallons of wine yearly, and
the average annual consumption of wine per
haa1 / OH a int 10.
for each man, woman and child in the city.
took my coffee and rolls sn hour earlier
than usual one morning and paid visit to
the markets. Going down narrow side
streets where the bare headed women were
busy cleaning in preparation for the day,
took car down the Rue de Rivoli, and soon
found myself in one of the strangest and most
bustling scenes of Paris. Ii was about s
O'Clock and the wholesale market, which lasts
until a. M, was going on. In each of
these great pavilions crowds OF roughly
dressed women and men were gathered about
little pens where eatables were sold at auction.
There We're hundreds of chickens cleaned and
dressed, thousands of rabbits in square, low
baskets, tons of fish, and vegetables innumer-
able. Each pavilion had its special character,
and / watched first the selling of chickens.
The auctioneer, a sturdy Frenchman in a
VII e apron, stood behind a counter, and at
his side was little white capped woman who
was keeping the accounts and taking the cash.
Around the outside of the box-like counter
few men and perhaps sixty women in white
caps, shawls and cheap dresses stood with
eager calculating faces, and made their bids
on the lots put up for sale The dressed chick
ems were brought on great board crates, car
ried upon the heads of porters, about half
dozen on each crate. This crate would be
laid down on the counter, and the auctioneer
would sell the lot to the highest bidder. The
sales we're mads vsrv fast a half minute only