, 1888-11-22
OUR VEGETABLES.
The War Between Retailers
and Marketmen.
How They Are in Conflict in
New York.
Tho Farmers' CIub-A Package of Spi-
mach Substituting Weight
for Measure.
New York Sun.

reported to the board proposed ordi.
nance making vegetables saeable by
weight only in the markets of New York.
A large number Of Rrocerymen and some
wholesale dealers were present. The re.
port was tabled. This meant that its dis.
cussion was to be postponed until after
election, 90 that no city father might i'm
peril his chances. The friends of the
movement are assured that it will be the
first business disposed of after. election:
| The ordinance lays down schedule Of
weights for vegetables as follows:
Irish potatoes 172 pounds per barrel,
60 pounds per bushel; spinach, 40 pounds
per barrel; sprouts, 80 pounds per barrel
turnips. carrots parsnips aud beets, 90
pounds per bushel; onions, 30 pounds per
bushels tomatoes. 60 pounds per bushell;
per bag; cranberry beans, Lima beans and
green peas. 80 pounds per bag"
The ordinance provides that all vegeta-
bles offered for sale in the public markets
of the city shall be in packages plainly
marked with the actual weight of its con.
TENTS so that variations in weight in the
above schedule may be offset by cores
pondng variations in the price of the
packages ordered.
This is the second attempt of the Retail
| Grocers' Association to get the ordinance
i
and earnest fight between the retailers on
the one side and the receivers. wholesalers,
| farmers, yenders and marketmen on the
other. In the battle the bill has been so
modified that receivers, wholesalers and
vendors have been eliminated from its
provisions and occupy neutral position.
The fight is now between the grocers and
the farmers and the marketmen. If John
O'Donnell of Jamaica leads the farmers
la.,h ka th.. c,,- ,.,n
fly. The grocers claim victory already.
They say they have visited every alderman
at his home, and that the board stands
solid in their favor.
As the ordinance was originally framed
in December last it included berries and
fruit in its provisions, and was applicable
to the entire city. Ii was revolutionary
proposal in support of weight versus meas
ure. The grocers claimed, too, that their
object was purely and simply reform.
They believed in the principle of weight.
and wanted to weigh eggs as well as po-
tatoes and spinach. The public favored
the proposal, but a mighty howl arose
from Washington Market and the whole
sale districts. All the handlers of vege-
tables before they reached the retailers
hands concurreLtsat the ordinance must
upset business and drive hundreds to the
wall. Vegetables, they said, arrived in
train loads and ship loads in the early
morning, were bought upon the wharves
and marts in great blocks by wholesalers,
and sold to retailers before breakfast time.
The wholesaler had not time to see tenth
of what he bought and sold, to say moth
ing of weighing each package. Yet the
ordinance imposed $40 fine for every un-
der-weight package. Besides, every
shipper in every state. and port put mp
vegetables in any sized package he chose,
and the New York merchant should not
be held responsible for misdee0s in Vir-
Rinia and Florida. Even though all
packages could be weighed. the cost of
weighing would eat up the wholesalers
small profit.
| The ordinance was rejected by the al
dermen, and the Retail Grocers' associa-
tion began the campaign over from the be-
ginning. Then cropped out the real mean
ing of their movement. The general re-
form for principles sake was abandoned,
and the object that the grocers were aim
ing at all the time came up on the real is
sue. Conferences were held with the
wholesalers, and the retailers readily
provisions, and make the ordinance appli
cable to markets only, This let the whole
sale alone, and the wholesalers with
drew their opposition. The farmers and
market.men were the only ones antago.
nized, and the retailers were amply salts
fed. The whole movement proved
to be merely measure to pre-
vent farmers, particularly in Gan
sevoort Market and speculators in
both markets, from swindling unsuspect-
ing grocers by selling short baskets bar
rels and bags for long ones. All sorts of
tricks are practiced to deceive trustful
grocers and sell them twenty barrels of oo-
tatoes for what would be the price of only
sixteen barrels of just measure. Many of
the largest retail grocers antagonized the
movement, saying that it must be a very
green grocer who could not tell a short
barrel from long one, but the rank and
file persisted. They did not make much
noise about it, and the farmers, most of
whom live far out on Long Island and in
New Jersey and Westcheser county, did
not hear of 1t until the bill was on the eve
OF passage in May.
Then John O'Donnell. president of the
Farmers Club, made a great scene before
the aldermanic committee He declared it
wickedly unjust to place the whole farm
ing community at great and perpetual
risk. time, trouble and expense. simply to
make sure that few inexperienced gro
GERS would not get cheated nv few sharps
who posed as farmers blt weren't He
accused the erocers of trying to pass the
ordinance without letting the farmers
know of it, and demanded time. A week
was granted him, but meantime the mat
ter was laid away for the summer. Dur
ing the summer the market men have been
bestirring themselves. They nave asked
delay, but the grocers wouldn't give it.
They asked O conference, but the grocers
said they had modified all they were going
to. The Farmers Club sent the associa-
tion letter asking for aconference. The
Rrocers replied that it was too late, and
they would make no more concessions. In