Semi-weekly herald., 1913-06-19
DENVER TO ELIMINATE
MIDDLEMAN; SAVE MILLIONS

the housewives OF America II num-
cipal governments throughout the
| United States instituted system of
! municipality owned neighborhood mar
| kets similar to that which Denver
will establish this summer, accord
ing to DR.. James M. Perkins, new
commissioner of social welfare, and
in charge of city markets. Through
the establishment of the markets, DR..
Perkins says the high cost of living
will be cut 20 per cent and the yoke
of the middleman" will be thrown off
completed. In statement made to
the United Press today DR.. Perkins
explains the plan which is expected
to save Denver housewives from ST.
100000 to $3,OOO,O0O annually He be-
lieves the story of what Denver is
about to do for its housewives is Of
deepest interest to every housewife in
the United States.
Following is his statement:
Denver needs series of municipal
markets to reduce the high cost of
living. Denver will have these mar
kets this summer and Denver house
wives are certain to find in them great
relief from the oppression of the mid
dleman. In Los Angeles, the success
of the city owned markets was i'm
mediate. Denver, profiting by the ex-
ample of Los Angeles, will throw off
the bondage of the middleman.
To accomplish this / intend to es-
tablish five branch markets patterned
after the large central market already
owned and conducted by the city. This
central market was established years
ago. 1t has proven big success. But
the city has grown greatly since this
central market was started and branch
markets in the residential sections of
the city and in the suburbs are real
necessity.
The two fold problem of every
: housewife from California to Connec-
ticut and from Montana to Mississippi
is how to get fresh vegetables at less
cost. The community market will
make this possible. l know this from
personal observation and experience
When lived in South Denver some
member of my household made a
three-mile trip three times week to
the downtown market to evade the
middleman and buy the fresh vege-
tables direct from the man who grew
them. After made the trip several
times realized the great advantage
in getting, vegetables, fruit, produce
and poultry before it had undergone
the refrigerating process of the whole
sale house. Hundreds of people 60
just as far or farther. If hundreds
do this, it will pay to establish such
markets where all can trade within
reasonable distance from their homes.
Of course, the middleman is a me-
cessity in certain instances, but not
where truck gardeners are in a po-
sition and willing to drive to town
and deal direct with the people. The
opportunity to buy direct from the
producer would be welcomed by every
family if it were not for distances
from their homes to the markets. l
will advocate the purchase of five
city blocks for the establishment of a
market in the north,e south and
west sections of the city and one in
the suburbs.
Every one Of the hundred or more
stalls in the present market is rented
for small fee that defrays the up
keep. This small fee permits the pro-
ducer to sell at price low enough to
save every customer from 20 to 40
percent. The cost of the erection of
these stalls to the city will be mere
trifle compared to the great good that
will be derived by the majority.
Anothre great advantage will be
that such system of markets where
producer sells direct to the buyer will
knock the very stuffing out Of the
food trust. Instances of fruit and
vegetables spelling because commits
sion men refused to overstock the
market by selling at lower prices are
known in every city.
have interviewed innumerable pro-
duce farmers as to their opinion of
the plan and not one but who has
praised it highly and promised to en-
gage a stall. All declare the middle
man is as much an enemy of the farm
er as he is the enemy of the buying
public.
Now to measure the saving such
markets will be to the householder in
dollars and cents. At very low es-
innate, 10000 housewives will trade
at the municipal neighborhood mar
kets. Every one of these housewives
will be able to save at the very least
one dollar every week-which means
total of 100000 saved each week.
or S1,560,000 saved to 10000 house.
wives in one years time. This is
very conservative estimate. The fig
ure might be run up to $3,OOO,OOO