The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-17
Much Talk About Free Market
BY MRS. J. B. REID.

The establishment of a free market in Birmingham was intended as another public service, rendered for the protection and convenience of housekeepers.
 Like every venture of the kind, its needs and responses must be adjusted, by experience. The men, especially those in charge of affairs, have heard the cry of high prices-the cost of living-the Womans Civic league caught the echo, and reinforced the city's purpose to meet the needs-to try the experiment of bring ing home products to the clty's center, thereby aiding our struggling local truck grower in dsposing of his products and probably at better prices to the market This measure, like all others at the eX- perimental stage, has excited criticism but such as will benefit buyers and pro- ducers and offer suggestions for perma- nent installation of the city's market
 We have advocated our Trade in Bir- mingham," have a brilliant guide post sign on our commercial building, and yet when we find Jefferson county products brought to our central market, fresh and must be cheaper, we are confronted
 
 street car fare
 Truly, from an economic standpoint one can trade better when supplies for several days are purchased in advance. One can buy a quart of beans for such a price, but a gallon at a discount It does not follow that beans shall consti- tute feature of each meal until con stunned, but they may be kept crisp and fresh in a cool place for several days, and on this one purchase we may have saved our car fare for the next market day. If one has to pay car fare every day. of course this would mean $1.20 a week-ths includes car fare for delivery enough to furnish an average family s bread; the market furnishes the commo- dites, the housekeepers but think and plan for economic arrangement. The buyer who phones for a 30 cents steak often gets a poor sample of the butchers S stock; when personal observation of meats will demonstrate the error in pur- chasing of the kind, and 90 cents steak, with bone and trimmings thrown in. will furnish stock for next days soup. Phon- ing for a rib roast, with ribs removed. means the meat robbed and secured with pin to hold in shape. The ribs are weighed with the meat. then removed and bones go to butchers credit The thoughtful housekeeper claims the ribs for a Brunswick stew" We who wait each day for the vender to bring us our todays dinner are not the best man. agers. Good management consists in looking ahead If our market man fails us today our emergency provender should be established in the house.
 The city market will not interfere with the neighborhood vegetable deliveries; few have their market wagon to ring at their door before noon. and at once started it would be easy to purchase a day in ad- vance, and do away with much of the housekeepers unrest as to what shall be eaten today. Marketing is more than buying-it is the proper selection of pure foods to feed the family and at least cost Good living is not dependent upon variety alone, but judgment and discre- ton as to quality and preparation. Ger tainly if one has little money to spend tand this seems very prevalent she can best use 1t when she sees what she is paying for
 Not long since well known housekeep- CT remarked she r'could not afford steaks and roasts, she was tired of ordering a dimes worth of stew meat every day. and it took so much gas to cook it. With a little mental exercise she could have bought to an advantage 50 cents worth of the stew meat, cooked it all at one time used the meat in variety of ways--each day presenting a new dish-had good amount of soup stock on hand and saved