The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-02-01
No Desire to Retail.

No Desire to Retail.
And now If the commercial man is
not above carrying a basket of eggs
and a jar of butter in hand as ne
makes his home run into Fargo on
Saturday evening, don't you think he
would take advantage of al. omen
market? Again, gentlemen, / can as
sure o that the producers have no
desire whatever to go into the retail
business in Fargo.
And another objection is this that
If we have a city market and the
farmer gets the advantage of COM
petitive buyers it would raise the
price of food products. instead Of
lowering them. Now don't let us
lose sight of this fact. That the u 3
ply and demand will regulate the
price of food product as it is now. you
have not the supply for SO to rs per
cent goes right by you into the twin
cities, paying the extra express and
commission rather than submit to a
skin game in Fargo. At present all
that the producer gets for his chick.
mi is 8 cents per pound and the mer-
chant in fifteen minutes after charges
the consumer Ia cents per pound.
making 6 cents profit on s cents pur-
chase which is rs per cent that con-
sumner has to pay. Now, if he, the
merchant, sells 500 per week, fifty
two weeks in a year, is equal to
$4,000 profit on chickens alone that
the consumer has to pay and other
things in proportion.
Benefits Of Open Market.
And now / think we have disposed
Of the principal immaginary obiec-
tons to a public market, We will now
consider, Mr.. Chairman n gentls-
men, the main issues and benefits vod
be derived from a farmers view point.
In having an open market. It is this:
To allow the farmers or their Iocai
merchants along the different lines OF
railroads tributary to this little gigan-
tic city OF Fargo to bring or send
there produce or an open market. and
by SO doing they receive the benefits
OF a healthy competition between the
following parties, viz: The city butcn-
er, grocerman, the hotels and restau-
rants, the laboring man and to tha
poor the gospel of equity is preached.
and If there should come into yo,1p
market nor than Fargo can consume
either on foot or otherwise. there ID
no doubt but the buyers i N the twin
cities would be on hand to buy IN
carload lots, and now again the cues
ton might be asked what do YOU
mean by local merchants along the
railway lines tributary to Fargo? 1t
is this, are they not under lust as
much difficulty to dispose OF their
overplus produce, that they take IN
exchange from the farmer for his mer-
chandise as the farmer has at present?
is 1t not a fact that if the local nner-
chant knew where he could at onee
dispose Of diversified product, he
sell his merchandise from 10 to 25 psf
cent cheaper, and by SO doing. he
would be q successful competitor for
the catalogue houses but, as ii is now.
he is under obligation to charge from
10 to as per cent more than they can
be bought for. to counteract the loss
sustained by freezing and storing IN
~Aasanitary places these farm products
for lack Of proper facilities to inme-
diately dispose OF them ia a sanitary
condition. And now, gentlemen. I'd
conclusion, we don't want any fake
or private institution built BY private
capital, as q substitute for d farmer
public produce market, which in my
opinion should be built and kept UP
and controlled by the city aldermen
and mayor. whose duty Is to appoint