The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-08-03
Vegetables in Local
Markets Now Selling
at Winter Prices
Truck Gardeners Trust Responsible
for Remarkable High Figures Pre-
vailing-Haul Produce Back to the
Farms and Destroy 1t Rather Than
Flood Market

Tons of choice vegetables are
fed to cattle or destroyed outright
every day by members of the local
vegetable farmers combine in an
effort to maintain the present ex-
orbitant prices for green produce
In Tacoma.
Rather than food the market
and thus reduce their combine
prices the members OF the petty
trust, most of whom are Japs,
daily haul back to their farms
large quantities of choice produce
and thus arbitrarily regulate the
supply and Ak the prices at which
the people must buy.
The combine is blamed entirely
for the high prices Of green stuff.
and that these prices are fixed ar
bitrarily is evident when 1t is
shown that they are the same as
the figures which were quoted
during the coldest winter months.
Force Prices Up.
As compared with the prices of
last summer, the prices now show
an increase of about 80 per cent
all along the line.
Formerly all small bunch vege-
tables were sold at three for Ave
cents: now only two are given for
that figure.
Larger vegetables are held up
to 20 cents per dozen while last
sumner they sold for Is cents or
two for 25 cents. These two
boosts are fair samples, grocers
say of the arbitrary way in which
the truck gardeners have advanc-
ed prices.
That the vegetable farmers have
formed a combine to hold the
prices up is believed by almost all
growers. 1t is charged that each
farmer has up large forfeit to
insure his adherence to the rules
set by the combine. When an
independent farmer comes in, the
grocers are afraid to buy of him
lest they should be boycotted by
the Japanese. The result is that
the small gardeners are shut out
or bought up by the combine.
Market Dealer Talks.
In reference to this situation, A.
o. Smith, one of the largest deal
ers at the public market, said:
"I have been in the grocery
business for nineteen years and I
have never before seen bunch veg
etables sell for more than FIVE
cents for three punches. I do
not hesitate to say that a COM
bine exists and the Japanese farm
ers have admitted to me that they
throw away tons and tons of vege-
tables every day, rather than put
It on the market at reduced
prices. They say that they can
sell Just as much at the high price
as they could IL they lowered 1t
to the usual rate. I do not be-
lieve this, and even II It were true
1t certainly is not right that valu-
able food should be thrown away
when 1T could Just as we'll go to
fee dthe poor people in Tacoma to
whom vegetables are luxury at
the present exorbitant prices.
81 have heard from many
sources that the Japanese farmers
have deposited forfeit of some
thing like $500 each which they
are to lose IL they break the rules
Of the combine. One of their
rules Is to hold vegetables at 20
cents a dozen, wholesale. In for
mer years they have been 15 cents
a dozen and two for 20 cents
Prices are now just the same as
they were last winter when vege-
tables were the scarcest, and /
think know Just the time when a
meeting was called to torn the
combine"