Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-06-17
CITIES SHOULD
OWN MARKETS
WELFARE COMMISSIONER OF DEN
YER. DECLARES CITY NEEDS MU-
NICIPALLY OWNED MARKETS TO
LESSEN COST OF LIVING.
PROPOSES TO ESTABLISH FIVE
BRANCH MARKETS IN DENVER
TO ENABLE BUYERS TO BUY DI-
RECTLY FROM GARDENERS.
DR.. James NJ. Perkins.

Denver needs series of municipal
markets 10 reduce the high cost of living
Denver wi | have these markets this sum
mer and Denver housewives are certain
10 find in them great relief from the op
preston of the middleman. In Los An
gclcs, the success of city owned markets
was immediate. Denver. profiting by the
example of Los Angeles will throw off
the bondage of the middleman.
To accomplish this | intend to estab
lish 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 a big success But the city has
grown greatly since this central market
residential sections of the city and i'll the
suburbs are Il real necessity
The two fold problem Of every house
wife fr m California to Connecticut and
from Montana to Mississippi is how To
get fresh vegetables ut less cost. The
community market vii make this pos
sble. | know this from personal obscrva-
ton and experience
When | lived in South Denver some
member of my household made three
mile trip three times Il week to the down
town market to cvade the middleman and
buy the fresh vegetables Street from the
man who grew them. After | made the
trip several times ! realized the great
advantage i'm getting vegetables. fruit.
produce and poultry before it had un-
dergonc the rcfrigerating process of the
wholesale houses. Hundreds of people
g2 just rs far or farther. If hundreds do
this. il Will pay 10 establish such mar
ketS where all can trade within reason
able distance from their homes.
OF course. the middleman is a necessity
i'll certain instances but not where truck
gardeners are in i position 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 il were not for distances
from their homes to the markets. | viii
advocate the purchase Of five city blocks
for the establishment Of Il market in the
north east south or 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 Il small fee that defrayS the upkcep.
This small fee permits the producer t0
SCI AZ Il price low enough IL save every
customer from twenty to forty per cent.
The cost of the erection of these stalls
To the city will be a mere trfle compared
t. the great good that will bc derived
by the majority.
Another great advantage will be that
such system of markets where producer
sells direct To the buyer will knock the
very StUfling out of the food trust. In
stances of fruit and vegetables spelling
because commission men xfuscd to over
stock the market by SC ling at lower pric-
cs are known in every city.
! have interviewed in Vulnerable pro
Guce farmers as to their opinion of the
plan and not one but who praised il and
promised to engage a stall. All de
clare the middlcman is as much an Ell
envy of the farmer 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 estimate 10000 house
wives will trade at the municipal neigh
borhood markets Every one of these
housewives will be abe to save at the
very least one dollar every wcck-which
means a total Of 10000 saved each week
or 81 800 900 saved 10 10000 housewives
in one years time This is a very con
scrvativc estimate. The figures might he
run up to $1,000 900 saved every year
and not be too high.