The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1904-06-01
A Public Market in Seattle.

Seattle is in fair way to soon have
a public market, where the farmers of
the county can dispose of their farm
produce every day and carry home
their cash. The Seattle Market Com
pany has been organized, with Col. D.
B. May as president, r. M. bennington,
secretary, and W. B. Allison, treasurer.
Negotiations for site of one block
bounded by Fourth and Fifth avenues
and Union and University streets are
in progress, and the promoters say
they begin the erection of a large
building as soon as the lease of the
ground is closed. The building is to
cost $150O00 and will accommodate $50
dealers. A view of the front elevation
is given in our illustration.
Public markets are a necessity in
the large cities, and it is rather sur
prising that Seattle, a city of over
125,000 people, has got along so long
without one. How much of loss the
ranchers and produce raisers have suf-
fered by the absence of a market here
cannot be computed, but it is great.
Spasmodic efforts have been made dur
ing the last eight or ten years to have
a market established here, but all eff
forts have failed, and it is the hope
of everyone that the present plans will
not fall through. Without a public
market the consumers of the city have
to put up with vegetables and similar
produce that are stale. They cannot
always secure strictly fresh vegetables
from the commission houses, for the
latter are able to get only a limited
supply each day, the bulk Of their
goods being shipped in from California
and other points. The farmers in the
fertile valleys tributary to Seattle re-
fuse to come to town with loads of
vegetables every day and be uncertain
whether they will find a purchaser or
not With the public market all this
will be remedied. The produce raisers
will bring in their goods fresh from
the ground and sell direct to the con-
sumers at the market. They will do
a cash business, and as soon as their
loads are disposed of they leave the
market and go home, or do such shop
ping in town as they may wish. The
consumer will be able to get fresh
goods for the table every day the mar
ket is open and need not depend on
the door-to-door peddlers of truck, as
is now the case with a large proper
ton of the homes in Seattle, nor need
they go to the retail merchant and
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pens to have on hand. Everything will
be fresh, and the peddler of garden
truck will disappear.
In some quarters doubt has been
expressed that the wholesale produce
dealer would tolerate anything like a
public market without making a fight
to discourage it's establishment Such
is not the case, so far as can be
learned. On the contrary, many of the
wholesale commission houses have ex-
pressed themselves as faVOring a pub
lie market, saying it would benefit
themselves and their retail customers
as much as anyone else. The whole
saler will be able to go to the market
and purchase all the fresh produce he
needs for the days business, and the
retailer will be able to do so also, or to
have his wholesaler get the produce
for him and send it to him strictly
fresh. Thus it is seen that a public
market aids the farmer, the consumer,
the retailer and the wholesaler, while
the first named secures a larger oItlet
for his goods and has more cash in