Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-19
MAD AT HUCKSTERS.
Farmers Complain of Being Crowded
Out of the Pittsburg Market
BY THE HORDES OF MIDDLEMEN.
They Say They Have No Show Whatever to
Sell Their Produce.
BIG MONEY IN RETAILING PEACHES

The gardeners who attend the Pittsburg
market are all torn up over the encroach-
ments of hucksters. Some of them have
been casting about for time, in hope of
finding relief They say the law for the
prevention of forestalling has not only been
dead letter for years past, but instead of
getting their rights they are treated as step
children, and as though they were only
there by sufferance. AT the same time they
claim that petition and remonstrance are of
no avail and that regular garden product
ralsers are forced to take back seats so that
people whose dealing there is not contem-
plated by law monopolize the space, and
among those are fakirs and Italians. most,
if not all, of the latter being not even nat
uralized citizens, while some of the COM
plainants pay considerable taxes in addition
to the rent of their spaces, and some hucks-
ters pay none
"Why do you not file remonstrance and
support it before the powers in charged" was
asked of one, and he replied: "I think the
result would be disastrous 1 don't know
but that it would be worse for me, as I'm
afraid I could not get support from fellow
sufferers, and might be forced out entirely,
as some others have been.
AFRAID OF BEING FROZEN OUT.
81 understand that Kane disposed of his
business, fearing that he might be forced out
on short notice and thus lose on his stock,
and seeing a. good chance to sell avoided
trouble. You know Zoch got out also. If
could dispose of my truck farm for its full
value would quit. We are so crowded for
room by trucksters that we cannot find
place for our stuff except by putting it out
on the back streets, and then teamsters
drive into it, and having right of way, we
cannot prevent 1t. One butcher seems to
have authority to take any liberty his fancy
dictates, and backs his wagon among our
baskets, regardless of consequence. l am
glad to say that he is the only one of the
butchers that tyranniZes over US, but he is
one too many.
"The market house, as 1 understand it,
was established for the mutual benefit of
farmers and the general public, and while
we are allowed to sell to grocers we are not
allowed to sell to one another, but along
came adventurers, many of whom have
never declared their intention of becoming
c1t1zens, and not only elbow us out of our
places or greatly crowd us, but sell the stale
products of the South, the West and Ber-
muda. If we complain to the constables it
does us no good. They seem to have their
orders from some source of power, judging
from the indifference with which they treat
our complaints"
As far as could be learned farmers and
gardeners all talked the same way, but they
all said "Don't quote me, as 1 cannot afford
fight on top of present trouble" One of
them pointed out two stands, the best, he
said, about the market house, and said: "I
will give 81, coo spot cash to get permanent
hold on one of them, and yet neither of the
men who occupy them produces single
who lives in the country pays the rent to
the market clerk and turns the stand over
to the huckster. 1 don't know what ar
rangement the rent payer has with the
huckster, but do know that he has often
made s25 i'll three hours selling peaches, and
between some of the hucksters' tricks and
the absence of a sealer of weights and meas
ures, both the farmers and the public are
done up pretty thoroughly.
CROWDED OUT BY HUCKsTERs.
"We must crowd our stuff out into the
street to accommodate hucksters ranged
elong the walls, and the streets are largely
taken up by wagons also belonging to huck-
sters. Some farmers come here early in the
night in order to secure place, and their
horses are left standing suffering on the
stones until often wonder the Humane So
ciety does not get after the owners and vet
the farmers can do no better, owing to the
huckster nuisance. The public may be sat-
isfied to pay speculative prices for stale i'm
ported tomatoes, potatoes etc, and be
cheated by unjust balances and short
measures, but it should know what it buys
and that the market is no longer one in the
primary Specification of the term, and when
we are entirely driven out as we will be in
few years If this state of affairs continue,
you will all be driven to the groceries for
supplies, or buy all the time at a speculative
advance-for the monopoly is nearly perfect
now"
A visit was made to Chief Bigelow's office.
but he was not at home and Mr.. Bingham
said he knew nothing about the matter, and
referred the inquirer to Market Superintend-
ent Adams. A couple of calls were made at
Mr.. Adams office, but he was not found in
either time. His clerk said they had not 4
heard anything of the complaints.