Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-12-13
PUBLIC MARKET AT
MEDFORD BIG SUCCESS
Something About What Has Been Ac-
complished in Southern Oregon in
Handling Products.
[uNirED PRESS LEASED WIRE. !

lie markets in the country, and is get
ting much publicity from it. E. j.
Runyard is market master and has the
charge Of the municipal enterprise since
its start, May 25, 1912. Concerning the
market Mr. Runyard says:
"our public market has been sue
cess from the start. 1t was built by
the city and is operated and controlled
by the city. There are "a booths and
the farmers and gardeners pay SO per
month rental, the meat men $3.50.
~ regulate the price of products.
The products are confined to Jackson
county. The market is open Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday and that per
mits the producer to attend to his other
duties and get ready for the next mark
ct day.
AT the beginning, before the city
decided to build, there was strong oppO-
sition from the grocers and meat-mark.
ct men, but that feeling has disappeared
and the grocers buy from the market
for their families and sometimes for
their stores.
The public is satisfied; the market
means living to many growers, and of.
ten the sales foot up to $500 or more.
One Saturday this season 5000 melons
and 500 boxes of peaches were sold.
Berries and cherries are not counted by
the crate, but figured blythe ton. Dairy
butter, eggs, home baking booths, are
always sold out early. Towns so to rs
miles distant keep buyer here in fruit
season to buy and ship. This has also
eliminated the peddler with his poor
stock, as the market is subject to county
inspection.
A visit to the Medford market shows
a well lighted and neat appearing build
ing with cement floors and the general
appearance of large garage. Saturday
it is crowded. All kinds Of garden,
orchard and vegetable products, fresh
and wholesome, are displayed In neat
booths.
As an instance of the way the opera
tion of the market has changed the at.
titude of the merchants there is told
the case of Mrs. Frye, a resident of
Trail, 40 miles from Medford Last
summer she brought in a wagon load of
chickens and sold them at prices above
what she could have obtained by ship.
ping and the consumer obtained them
at figures much lower than would have
been possible if they had passed through
two or three hands. Mrs. Frye then
called on local merchant and bought
a bill of goods, The merchant had not
seen he for 10 years, and was glad to
regain customer. She had not done
any trading in Medford during that
time.
Tables on which as a rule household
necessities and Injuries are sold are
rented for 30 cents a day, and some
very tempting canned and peserved
fruit, bread, pies, cakes, etc., are dis.
played by housewives who are proud of
the trade their skill draws to them.
Sometimes one of the churches sets up
a table, and at other times country
home mistress exhibits her homo
products,
Little pigs for sale" is sign thos
attracts, and the market master ex.
plains that farmer has sold over 100
little pigs through the market this
season . People seeing the sign teI3.
phone to him if he is not at hand, an
there is no commission.
o. l. Ames lives 10 miles north OF
Medford, and on his stand, had sono
fine yellow corn for which he takes
orders, selling several tons in that way.
Strawberries are sent in from 20 to 80
miles away, sometimes 60 crates being
brought in at time by a single grow
or during the busy season.
All stock must be sold fresh; no stale
and wilted exhibits are allowed. The
farmers bring in their fresh meat as the
weather gets cool and the heaps Of saw.
ory spareribs and the half aud whole
hogs on sale do much to reduce the high
cost of living,
From the mines Of northern Californ.
ia and adjacent country comes to tho
market master many orders for fruit.
This season $50 boxes Of peaches were
shipped from the market direct to cor.
spmers in Portland Orders are FIRE
quently turned over to local merchants
to fin. The people Of Medfori are sn..
isfied that the public market is COED
thing for every one, and that it has
come to stay,
One effect Of the establishment cf
the market has been to increase the de
STABILITY and consequently the value of
real estate in that section Of the town.
The Medford people have discovered
that Il does no harm to have tho pro
dueor and consumer come together with.
out a fine, tax or license.