Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-28
MODEL CITY MARKET
HOW GRAND RAPIDS SOLVED
THE PROBLEM.
From the Chicago News.

From the Chicago News.
Grand Rapids. Mich. has market sys-
tenn that is attracting a great deal of at
tention from other municipalities. The city
confines all of its marketing operations TO
one district of nine acres which affords
room also for a garbage crematery a light
and power plant and dog pound. From
5000 to 5000 year is cleared the
operations of the market.
Before this place was established mar
kets were scattered over several, sections
of the city. The people authorized the
municipality to issue bonds TO the amount
OF $4,000 the proceeds to be used in estab-
fishing market that would be credit to
that great fruit and vegetable center.
The meanderng Grand river had formed
island within easy reach of the buyers
and sellers of the city. II was decided 20
buy this island. fill In one of the channels
and the other low places and convert the
whole into a city market. Forty-fiy thou
sand dollars was paid for the island. The
ground on which the marketing is done has
been macadamized. There wide plank
walks that extend the length of the market
place.
Overhead. along the center of each plank
walk wire is stretched tight. AT inter-
walls of about ten feet there re tin placardS
bearing two names, one on each side. Each
p,acarG indicates that the man whose name
is painted there may back his wagon to tho
edge of the walk. The man whose name IS
the other side OF the plate may back his
wagon to the other side OF the walk These
placards stand for many stalls, and there
are 1000 of them. There is a walk for The
fruit growers and one for the gardeners
who are sellers on the market There is an
other for the commission men, who are both
buyers and sellers. and there Others
for the grpcerymen and the hucksters who
are also buyers.
for the of one o. the stalls for year
or a season, according to Its location. II
a producer cares to haul in a single load
of stuff and dispose Of it on the market he
may do SO by taking a stall temporarily.
for which he pays twenty cents.
The most perfect system that prevails In
this market is one of its desirable features
A city groceryman backs his wagon to the
place where his name appears a tin tag.
Then he starts out among the other wagons
that have been backed up to their respect
i've stalls. He buys here and there as he
may desire. the seller in each case deliv-
ering the purchase to the grocerymans
wagon. The buyer moves up and down the
walks, and when he returns he finds that
the different tradesmen or producers have
loaded his wagon. So he drives away to his
store
Here is a commission man who has
fruit or other articles imported from
distance. He sells out his stuff to the
grocerymen and hucksters who call at his
stall and then he turns buyer. He has
been commissioned to purchase certain veg
etabes and fruits and SO he goes among
the wagons that have such articles for sale.
The huckster, who plans trip about the
city, buys every pound of his stuff from
the stalls of this market.
Practically the whole of the business is
conducted at night. By Z O'Clock In the
morning the only on the grounds is
the worker who goes about with a wheel
barrow gathering up the refuse that has
fallen on the ground, for the place is kept
scrupulously clean. The fruit and vege-
tables are hauled in at night, in some in
stances from points twenty miles distant.
On one occasion before l O'Clock in the
morning 100 wagons had been loaded from
those In the market and had hauled their
loads to the tracks of the Pere Marquette
railway, All the stuff was to be shipped
to other towns. some of them far distant.
1t is a matter of record that this market
handled in one day 5000 bushels of
peaches Atone An immense business in
grapes is transacted here. One Kent coun-
~ grower produces forty tons OF grapes
in a good season. He has hauled to the
market a single wagonload valued at S10I.
Then there are the cherries and the plums.
Some of the growers have whole farms that
are set out in one or the other of these
fruits Inside the city limits of Grand
Rapids are produced 600 tons of lettuce.
valued at S1S0.000. These figures afford
some idea of the immensely of this mar
ket in the center of one of lie greatest
fruit and vegetable sections of a state
where are now S1S,S35 acres of fruit under
cultivation The Michigan fruit crop of
this year IS estimated to have value OF
$4514,61S to the growers In a single day
Loo teams have transacted business in the
Grand Rapids market
Within the near future a great many I'M
provements of the grounds win have been
made. 1t is believed that eventually the
city will pay off its market bonds Then
the market Will become source of con-
siderable revenue.
All citizens are privileged TO buy at retail
in this market If they disposed to get
up early enough to make their purchases
there. great many of them do get NJ
early enough and profit by the bargains
which are TO be had in the market