South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-09-23
Who gets the money

Who gets the money?
From two years of experience, South |
Bend, Ind. offers testimony as TO how |
a public market operates to reduce |
the cost OF living. COlfaX avenue |
bridge, across the ST. Joseph river |
was thrown open as a public trading /
place IN the summer of 1911. The sue
| cess of the market has been such that !
other municipalities are continually |
asking South Bend officials for inform |
alton as TO operating methods and the |
venture has been quite widely exploit |
| ed
Between 1000 and 5000 persons
visit COlfaX avenue bridge on market |
days and occasionally the number !
runs as high as 5000. The compar-
ative size Of this attendance can be !
| judged better when it is remarked that |
| the last census gave South Bend a
| population of 53,6S4. The total num- |
| ber of families was placed at 1909. |
| 1t indicates the extent OF market GO |
| ing. But the patrons of the open
| salesplaces are not the only benefi-
Charles. The city authorities outline
| the benefits as follows:
The market has tended to re-
duce prices in the retail stores.
1t has stimulated truck raising
and led many family to take up
market gardening.
1t has saved waste by opening
sales for goods that had hitherto
been allowed to decay.
1t has given retailers and
peddlers a wider and fresheT va
riety OF produce, again benetiting
the whole body of consumers.
III has brought from distances
of twenty-five or thirty miles
farmers who before never took
produce into South Bend, thus in
creasing trade for retailers as
most of the producers receipts at
the open market have been left in
South Bend in exchange for goods
needed.
As to the effect of the market upon !
retail prices, the story of eggs is quite |
! Illuminating. One week the eggs
were priced at some of the down town !
/ retail stores on three successive days,
the middle day being the one on which |
| the open market was running. The
| results need no embroidery nor en-
| bellishment. The tale can best be
| told by a short tabulatiOn:
! STORE PRICES On EGGS.
Day before market day.. % cents
Market day ;,.......... 5S cents cents
But let Charles l.. Goetz. mayor of
South Bend. tell the story.
/ THE market" says Mayor GOetz,
twas established in the summer of
/ 1911. There had been some demand
! for a market and some discussion be-
| tween the citizens and Chamber of
J Commerce circles. 1 accordingly ap-
1 pointed a committee of five citizens to
/ investigate as TO the desirabillty OF a
public market and the best plans by
which il might be established and
/ conducted.
''The committee acted promptly.
/ After extensive investigation il advis-
ed that what is known as an open
market be established. After further
/ inquiry. a committee of the council
recommended that the ColfaN avenue
! bridge be utilized for the purpose.
An ordinance of the common cOun-
ell established the market upon this
| bridge and its approaches and desig
/ mated Tuesday and saturday of each
week as the market days. The city
| Sealer was made market master. The
| vehicles were To be backed to one side
| of the bridge. thus leaving the other
side clear for traffic.
AS the cold of winter approached,
il was found that the open bridge was
not entirely satisfactory snd public
/ spirited citizens at once contributed
/ about $500 to a fund TO be used in the
renting of a building adjoining this
! bridge and in the defraying of other
! expenses. such as stalls. heat and 9TH
/ er incidcltals. After the first winter
the city appropriated sufficient funds
10 rent this same building and TO de-
FRAY the expenses of the inclOsed mar
/ ket.
The winter market is necessarily
much smaller than the summer. but
the continuity of the market is pre-
served md all in all the market has
/ been considered a success from its
( opening day.
The producers bring their wares TO
this market from all the surrounding
/ country Farmers whose homes were
] TWENTY-FIVE TO thirty miles distant,