The Saint Paul globe., 1898-03-27

! heavy black lines of the accompanying
| diagram. This interior portion is di-
vided into stalls of various dimensions,
| the spaces being rented on the basis of
| 50 per front foot per month, on annual
| leases. The highest price paid by any
one tenant is $50 per month for a
/ frontage of 291a feet. He is a retail
meat dealer. A wholesale poultry man
pays $751; while there are fish dealers
who pay a like sum, being on the basis
Of a frontage of 2S1a feet.
The Market Daily.
These stalls are in operation through
out the day during every day in the
week. except Sunday. The stock con-
sists of all kinds of produce, including
butter, eggs, cheese, vegetables. fruits,
! etc, and as mentioned above, there
are also meat, fish and poultry stalls.
| Some Of these are occupied. by those
| engaged exclusively in the retail trade,
while the lessees of others are whole
sale provision dealers who handle their
merchandise in considerable bulk. One
of these, it is said, transacted a busi-
ness last year of 100000.
The building is Of red brick, one
i story high with an elevation and a
| cupalo in the center Of the roof. The
cost Of its construction was S45,000. Not
long after. its completion there was a
| demand for more room and outside ac-
commodations. In responding to this
requirement a series of sheds of cor
rogated iron were extended from the
walls of the main building. For the
use Of these there is a charge of $6.65
| per month in winter and S10.65 during
the summer season. Many of these
tenants are Italian fruit dealers who
cheerfully pay the fee and operate their
| stalls at good profits.
Along the rim of the market place, or
curbing Of the streets, and the drive
way west Of the city hall, space is
rented to the farmers for backing up
their teams. This is what is styled the
gardeners market proper. The allot-
ment to each is about eight feet, and
for the exclusive privilege of using
these spaces there is a charge Of So
! per month for reservation and 25 cents
for every day the space is used.
There are III of these spaces, or
stalls. as they are styled, and it is in
this connection that the facilities have
become insufficient for the increasing
demand. But the authorities have
temporarily overcome the difficulty by
permitting the gardeners to back up
to the sidewalks on Fourth, Fifth and
Walnut streets. making a charge for
that privilege of % cents for the period
covered by each occupancy. Occasion
ally objection is made by tenants on
account of the resulting obstruction
upon the sidewalks; but there is less
inclination to object for the reason that
nearly every building overlooking the
market place is used as a produce COM
mission house, and owing to the fact
that the business is all of one kind,
the temporary inconvenience is quiet
ly ignored, While the odors which at
some seasons of the year might be Of
fEro civ TO dol lO,.-- -.
merchandise. are Unnoticed by the COM
mission dealers themselves, because OF
their familiarity with them.
Applies to ST. Paul.
The additional fact that these pro-
duce commission merchants have clus-
tered Immediately around this marker
place is a strong justification of the
arguments advanced by the same ele-
ment in ST. Paul who have earnestly
Il advocated the permanent location of
the gardeners market in that city in
the vicinity of their present stores on
West Third street. They have persist
emily claimed that to drive the market
gardeners to some location remote from
that which they have instinctively
sought on the bluffs of upper Third
street, would eventually necessitate the
abandonment of that street by the
commission men, who, in the nature OF
the business would find it to their in
terests to follow the market men, when
the latter were no longer permitted tC
remain in reasonable proximity to the
wholesale produce dealers.
1t is notable as further illustration
of the similarity Of the requirements
, of the two cities in this connection
that space is needed in Kansas City fol
about 400 teams, which is the nxmbel
, seeking accomm odation in ST. Paul. But
Kansas City has a way Of doing what
it wants to do, while st. Paul appears
to have a habit of avoidance in this
respect. Kansas City proposes the con.
demnation Of adjacent property. The
market place Is permanently located
by reason Of the conditions associated
with the donation plot; hence the com
mon sense, business way Of meeting
; the difficulty by meeting it, and con
| demning before property has an oppor
tunity to increase in value is likely tt
be pursued.
AS an evidence Of the good manage
ment Of the affairs of the Kansas City
, public market the following figure:
are ample. The total receipts durinf
, the year 1897 were in round number.
$50, 0,500-which was an excess of So, 500
over the amount received in any pre-
vious year in it's history. The expense
, Of maintenance and repairs amounted
to approximately $5,500-leaving a ne
revenue to the city of $4,000. The mar
ket master receives an annual salary O.
S1,350; the 1anitor Is paid $3.50. ant
z there is expended for scavenger worl
l $1,000. Soft coal is used for heatins
and during six months, four, and some