The Saint Paul globe., 1898-03-27
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disposed of, both by the producer and
the trader who deals directly or indi-
rectly with the consumer. Fresh meats
may be Indefinitely preserved by the
adoption Of modern methods designed
for that purpose; but early spring and
summer vegetables and berries and
fruit of various kinds, must find quick
sale if they are to carry with them to
the family table their choicest quail
ties of freshness, juicineSS, tenderness
and flavor.
Every city is, therefore, called upon
in some form or other, and at some
time or ether, to give public attention
to the require ments SIS c'at6 with this
branch of trade. The producer is usu-
ally an industrious citizen of the rural
districts, Of limited means, whose in
duStry and proper utilization of his
time constitute his capital. When he
goes to market he figures upon the
quickest possible disposition of his
stock, at the lowest cost in the way
OF fees, or commissions, or rentals for
accommodations. and an early return
to his labors in the field. The residents
of the cities are the immediate con-
SumerS OF a proDOrtionate supply of
this produce, and the surplus passes
into the hands of commission men for
shipment to other markets, more Or
less distant. ~ s.-s7 -
Conditions change so rapidly in the
newer cities Of the West that nearly
every growing town finds itself con-
fronted, sooner or later, with the neces-
sity of seeking new locations for its
public buildings and other institutions.
Thus a market house centrally located
and Well adapted to the needs of a
community when constructed, say, ten
or a dozen, or fifteen years ago, be-
nd
orally incOnvienent by the rapid growth
of q new city, in a direction not antici-
pated. until today it may be practically
useless for the purposes for which it
was originally intended, a condition
now existing in st. Paul.
Meanwhile, property all around it,
and in every section to which a change
would be desirable or available, has
been improved, at large cost, or has
grown so valuable that it cannot be ac-
Quired without an enormous outlay Of
public money, which the people do not
feel justified in making.
To Overcome the Difficulty.
1t is here that the difficulty must be
met and overcome, and the experience
of Eastern cities, particularly, demon
strates the fact that the sooner the
work is undertaken and performed, the
better. Private enterprise has, in those
localities, taken hold of the matter, to
a large extent, and turned the business
into a source Of revenue from the in
vestment of capital in the stock of
regularly organized companies.
But in other communities, particular
ly in the West, a feeling prevails that
q market place of this class should be
owned and controlled by the city, not
with a view to adding to the revenues
so much as to provide accommodations
for It's own citizens. This view of the
question is probably due in a large
measure primarily to tradition, for
from the earliest days in the history
of all American as we'll as English and
Dutch cities, the farmer, with his mer-
chandise borne along on wheels, was a
sort of free agent, because of the
nature of his commodities the irregu-
larity of his advent and his transitory
passage.
Then came the regular market days
in the towns and the assembling of
the teams of the farmers at common
center. This involved the utilization of
large areas of ground, and thus almnst
all the older cities, and many of the
newer ones, have had, at some time or
other, their market squares which were
public reservations, and many possess
them today.
This, in a sense, is true of Kansas
City. Several years ago a square or
block of ground was donated to the
municipality on condition that a por-
tion of it should serve as a site for a
city hall and another portion should
be applied to the uses of a market
place; and there the gardeners mar
ket has since continued and been con-
Quoted meanwhile as an institution OF
the city; and a profitable institution it
has proved to be. And, although little
more than seven years have passed
since the completion Of the building
the accommodations have become sc
crowded that additional space must be
provided, and this will probably be ac-
complished through the early con-
demnation of property contiguous tc
the present market site.
Cities Are Alike.
AS is generally known, Kansas City
and St Paul are about equal in popu-
lation. the claim of the former being
approximately 100000. What st. Paul
is to the Northwest as a natural gate.
way between that section and the
country to the eastward, Kansas City
IS to the Southwest. geographically
as we'll as in the construction of theil
buildings, they resemble one another
and they derive their commercial i'm
portance and support from practically
the same classes of industries, although
in the matter of live stock Kansas City
is pre-eminently ahead of ST. Paul al
the present time.
Her citizens are intelligent, alert, in.
dustrious, energetic and enterprising
and the activity everywhere observa BILE
reflects these characteristics. The towr
is corspicuously a produce market, sur.
rounded by fertile country adapted