The San Francisco call., 1895-11-15
FAVORABLE ARGUMENTS
Producer and Consumer Would
Thereby Be Brought
Together.
GREATLY BENEFICIAL TO BOTH.
Better Prices Predicted for the Former
and Cheaper Goods for the
Latter.

eff it were to cost the City of San Fran
cisco 81 ,O00, 900 to establish free market
within its limits the investment would be
the best one it could make to-day"
In these enthusiastic words w. H. Mills
embodied an idea which lie claimed would
be one of the greatest benefits ever created
for both the producers and consumers of
the State. Then to make clear his idea in
its full development he went on to say:
Take potatoes at 80 cents a sack; that
means 500 an acre, for an acre will easily
produce 200 sacks. Yet, who ever heard of
the producer getting anything like that
figure? 1t is not a question OF freight
either, because they are mostly brought
here by boat, while the railroad rates on
potatoes are merely nominal. The tables
of the residents of San Francisco are sup
piled with grapes at the rate of 500 to
5000 ton; and take such things as water
melons and muskmelons, for which you
pay 10 cents helping at a restaurant, and
you are paying at the rate of $500 an acre,
while the producer gets mere fraction of
this amount as his share.
The producers say they are not raising
anything that pays them, while the con-
sumner pays a tremendous price. Now the
difference between what the producer gets
and what the consumer pays is the cost of
marketing.
1.-The free-market system would correct
this, not wholly, but in so great a measure
as TO make the institution a very desirable
one. In all the principal cities of Europe
they have free markets. There are market
places where the producer takes MS mer-
chandise and sells it himself. There
should be such a market established in
this City, under the direction of a market
master. All produce should be classified
fruit IN one section, dairy products in an
other, and so on.
There would be nothing to prevent a
neighborhOod from organizing q co-opera-
tive system For instance, the people of
4 locality, say of the islands in the Sacra-
mento River, or OF the valleys near San
Francisco, could organize and act in Coop
Grafton. They could have representative
to take charge of their consignments, who
would have place IN the market assigned
him. Under these circumstances the pur-
chaser would be the consumer and he
would pay less and the producer get con-
siderably more than is the case under ex-
listing conditions.
"The prices paid for all family stores
bears such disproportion to the price OBJ
tanned by the producer as to clearly indi-
cate the need OF systematic effort to bring
the producer and consumer together. 1t
does not matter that your market must be
big structure. Its proposed magnitude
only proclaims its necessity.
'To sum the matter up, it is a PROPOSE
tion for the City. Its citizens should be
afforded the opportunity of buying from
the producer as directly as possible. 1t
would make little difference what the
project would cost, for every individual
would be benefited.
San Francisco is already one of the
cheapest places 20 live in in the world, ac-
N f0. lnh 11l I1th ItXY len
Anthony Froude, who asserted this fact
in his work, "OCeana." When in this CITY
on his iour around the world he went into
the markets of San Francisco and COM
pared prices with those existing in other
large cities and in general found them
much in our favor. With the successful
operation OF free market living will be
even cheaper and the farmer will also be
much better off.
1.-The City could well undertake to build
the market, even if it cost $1,000, ,0OO
for the site and structure. The license or
fee charged for the use of stalls would
suffice not only to pay for the mantle
nance of the establishment but would be
a source of revenue to the City and could
be made to return fair income on the in
vestment without imposing any hardship
on the City's tenants"
David Bush, who conducts the country
land department of O'Farrell & Co. s real
estate house, and who is himself farmer
in Contra Costa County, was most enthu-
siastic over the idea of establishing free
open market for country produce in San
Francisco.
speed the dayp' ne exclaimed, ''when
we shall see an open market in this City"
He has had many long years of expert
ence in selling the products of his ranch
and could speak intelligently on the
subject.
ait would be grand, good thing for San
Francisco" he said. ''If you can bring
the producer and the consumer together it
is always to the advantage OF both. 1t
would work well to very great extent
and would inure to the benefit of growers
on the peninsula or around the bay from
where products could go easily to the
market, and also to the consumer or pnr-
chaser. The only obstacle, | think, would
be the immense production against the
comparatively limited demand. Poultry,
eggs, butter, vegetables, fruits, ETC., to-
limited extent, would do splendidly.
The same thing exists in Philadel-
phia, in Washington, New York, Chi
cago and in Oakland. And there is an
open vegetable market here, though with
out building. In every instance there
are the consumer and producer brought
directly together. The prices are the
lowest and the products always fresh, and
there are none of the big profits of the
middleman.
What IS wanted is cooperation. For
example, producers market like the
Fruit-growers' Union of the Santa Clara
Valley, through which the dried prunes of
that section are sold exclusively. 1t is the
most successful institution of its kind in
California and its members are all making
money and prospering. This State wants
small and varied farming, where the farm
er raises berries, poultry, eggs, fruits,
vegeta bles, ETC., just as the small farmers
around Chicago and New York are doing
and making money. Ali he has to buy is
coffee, sugar, -four and other little things.
and these he gets in trade at the stores.
He can raise everything else for his home
use.
''An open market for San Francisco
would be great thing. 1t should be in
central location. People would go there
shopping, and it would astonish you to see
who would go there as they do in the East
ern cities and in Oakland. Across the bay
the open market is held twice a week, but
this city is large enough to have market
every day.
with the present system, viewing it
from producers standpoint whether the
produce comes by steamer or cars, you
lave to pay freight, carriage, s per cent
commission. and you've got to accept the