The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-07-31
GET DEADLY GRIP !
ON COST Of LIVING
Des Moines People Find
Market Success; Then
Want to Broaden It.
PRODUCT PRICES GET JOLT
After Weeks Experience With New
Plan They Clamor for
More.

the plan cannot be extended to other |
lines of necessities
Tho cost of vegetables. which have
been sold at exceedingly high prices |
this summer in cities all over the west, |
dropped in Des Moines this week at
least one-thtrd. So pleased are all the
buyers that they want the market open
every day instead of only Tuesday.
Thursday. and Saturday. That change
will relieve the congestion that oc
CURED in the market during this the
opening week. and will pave the way
to enlarge the scope of the market and
thus reduce the cost Of living In more
comprehensive way.
The only people dispieased with the
outlook are the commission dealers and
grocers. who have been accused OF us
ing trust methods to extort unreason-
able profits. They are so disgruntled
at the prospect that they talk OF at
lacking IN court the ordinance under
which the market has been opened.
Thinks Ordinance Illegal.
Fred Beaner. secretary of the retail
grocers' association, said he had no
comment to make as he watched the
rushing business OF the retailers COM
petitors Saturday morning.
ordinance is entirely Illegal" he added.
The ordinance is unconstitutional be-
cause it prohibits peddlers and gro
cerymen. or any one. from buying for
the purpose of reselling. while the
market is open. The law can never be
enforced and will be defeated in the
courts"
! Attorney Frank 8. Shankland. e.
to defend them in the event that ar
rests are made for violation of the or
dinance. stated that the measure would
be given a test case in the near future.
Provided arrests are made. we in
tend to carry the case TO the highest
courts unless favorable decision rs
secured at once"
! The commission men and grocers have
always been ready to prove by figures
that they used no trust methods and
made only a small profit sometimes no
profit. The difference between their
prices. however. and those paid to pro-
ducers in the market this week show
that the consumer makes a great saw
ing by eliminating the middle men.
The change has been of advantage TO
the producers also. as they obtained
higher prices in the market than the
commission dealers pay them.
i Comparison of Prices.
A comparison of prices on some arti-
lcles follows:
New potatoes. bushel, market place
$3.50 to 81; grocery stores. s240 70
$275
Apples (cooking). market place. 40
to so cents: stores. so cents to 81.
Apples (eating). market price. 81
stores, 81 to $40.
Tomatoes, market place. two pounds
Is cents; stores. Is cents a pound two
for 20 cents
Sweet corn, market place, Is and &c
cents; grocery stores. 20 and Is cents
Cucumbers. market place, 25 cents .
dozen; grocery stores, so cents.
| Eggs. market place, 16 cents; stores
20 cents.
Great Crowd of BMuyers.
| Nearly fifty truck gardeners, to-
gether with a crowd of buyers esti-
mated at 5000, were in attendance to-
day. The rich man. the poor man
many of them accompanied by thei.
children and nearly all with baske Is
on their arms, vie with each other IL
making their purchases.
AS early as o'clock this morning
the gardeners began lining up on thS
vacant lot by the city hall. and in ar
hour the pot had been filled to over
flowing.
Commission combine prices wer.
scattered to the four winds. Produce
sold at prices that brought gasps o.
amazement from the marketers.
Mayor Hanna gave out the follow
ling statement after the market place
had closed:
The opening of the market can b.
justly accounted a great success. A!
the public become little more accus
toned to the idea and learn of TIL,
great advantage, both in price and II
variety, and quality, of things Offered
for sale. the interest will greatly in
crease. The market is sure to becom
one of the really important institution
of our city.
The market will also be of grea
value to the producer, in that 1t will
provide ready sale for all kinds o
vegetables and produce"
Good ms Higher Wages.
"A cheap market is equivalent to
raise in wages and for that reaso'
means a great deal both to the wag
Garner and to the employer of labor.
People can't afford to work for or
binary wages II the cost of living I
extraordinarily high.
Neither can manufacturers an
lother employers OF labor pay undul,
Thigh wages to make up this high cos
lof living. especially when competin
manufacturers in other cities have bet
conditions.
Il think we have today started tn
most important thing that has beef
Istarted in Des Moines In many months
We shall try hard O have the ma rI< O
house itself ready for the early sprin,