The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-20
THE FARMERS TRUST"

TINS clty, we give place TO the foilowlnj
statement by an interested farmer o
this county:
FEW WORDS FROM A MARKE.
GARDNER SOUTH OF THE CITY.
!, To the People OF Salt Lake city:
For twenty-five years or more the mar
Ret gardeners OF Salt Lake had beer
gathering on First South between Mali
and West Temple streets, The last few
years. however, they have been buiieteC
about. here and there. as II they were {
| public nuisance.
Within recent years company of Og.
den spectators built some warehouse:
near the railroad track between Seconc
and Third South and Second and Thlrc
West streets. Here they made a. street
sixty feet WIDE. Half of this space was
| taken up by the platforms and teams ol
| the occupants OF the warehouses, u loca
| commission company. These people evil
denuy thought it a good plan to have
| all the farmers gather ON this street One
| hundred and thirty places were marked
| off To accommodate two hundred and
| ffty wagons. who come TO sell. and the
| one hundred that come to buy. The city
council was then petitioned TO have the
| farmers moved of the street, as a mar
ket place CD had been provided for
| them.
Could the builders of the warehouse
have been acquainted with existing con-
dltions, could they have been aware that
the number OF gardeners will increase as
the city increases. and then have in
tended that small street 10 be used as a
market place. Such place must NEE,
future demands and this one does not
even meet the present ones. Why. then.
should the occupants OF the building in
tend IL as such2
The city fathers. however, without in
vestigation, granted the petition,
a report was then circulated by the
commissioners that the farmers would be
compelled TO so down there. Looking
upon this as graft the produce men
decided TO gather at the Old Continental
Haymarket. This place is unfit for any
demned from sanitary standpoint alone
But where shall they go? The new mar
ket place is inadequate; the present one
is unsanitary and the old one is denied
them.
Some Salt Lake grocers claim that
high prices are due to II trust among
the farmers. They advocate that the
formers Ia instead OF congregating should
around at the stores and houses. This
they believe will solve the problem. But
no such trust exists
High prices are a result OF the sup
man. before buying, looks over the mar
ket and then pays his price. The same
opportunity is offered the people at
market OF garden produce on the other
hand. II the gardeners sell around the
city. who sets the prices? IL they wish
to fleece the people who can prevent it?
No standard can be set The buyers do
not know what other people are paving.
they do not know how the supply stands
and can't pay accordingly. So the need
Of a market is obvious.
The city council has been petitioned
again and again. But sun no market
place.
Business men are anxious that the city
should offer inducements to bring peo-
pie here and yet are Indifferent to the
TACT that nearly every town or city OF
any Importance has Its market place for
The men who feed the people Where is
ours? The lack OF one is disgrace
10 the city GEORGE REED,
32I5 South Seventh East
Ii is clearly a proper demand that if
;he market place referred to is not ade-
luate, it should be made so. 1t is a |
public duty that proper facilities should |
De provided, under thorough sanitary |
preparations and regulations, for the
armers to bring in their products for
ale to the people Of the city. Pre-
erably this should be provided by the
.ity, but if the city is not prepared to
upply it, the next best thing should be
lone. What is that next best thing7 |
We think that it is to allow the farm
rs to sell at various places throughout
he city, where local open markets can
'e established, TO the mutual advantage
f the seller and the buyer Such linn
ted markets could easily be kept in
anitary condition, and the local trade
enters established where buyers would
now where they could buy and the
armers be sure OF their trade.
There is no place in the city outside
+ the private market referred to as in
dequate, where large collections of
armers' wagons could be massed. with
ut annoyance, confusion. and unfit con.
ltions. Therefore, the segregated plan
GEMS TO be the only alternative; and
re believe it to be the best.
1t is idle to deny the farmers trust,
nd to argue that the general supply
nd demand doctrine governs That
oes not explain the phenomenon of a
,hole line of farmers asking and stiffly
olding to the one price for all they !
ave to sell. Nor does it explain the
act that after the brisk demand Of the I
forming hours is over, great reduc- {
ions are offered, and buyers are i'm
ortuned to take at almost any price.
supply and demand governed, the
rice would be fairly uniform; and if
farmer could afford to sell any given
mount of his products at 40 cents, say.
t o'clock, then he ought not to have
sked double that at 7 O'Clock. And
he fact that he did so, and that every
armer in mass of hundred or more, {
nited with him in doing so proves the
ombine. I
1t is very serious question that is
resented to the people here, both in
ne city and out of it, by this farmers '
roposition to sell their products in this
lty. We believe that its best solution !
as above Indicated And we believe \
18th full conviction. that the way for
irmers to come into the city and sell 4
leir foodstuffs should be preserved in \
ne simplest practical form, consistent 5
18th cleanliness, sanitation, and fair
-ade.