The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-10
COMMERCE BUREAU
SUGGESTED FOR CITY
Commissioner Hartigan Believes
In Permanent Municipal
Food Supply Body.
OPEN MARKETS GROWING
Begin to Attract Buyers in
Autos-Bloch Says Meat
Packers Make High Prices.

Out Of a mass OF theories developed by
various Inquiries into quantities and
prices OF foodstuffs has come suggestion
made by Joseph Hartigan. Commissioner
OF Weights and Measures. which has
found favor with several city officials,
that the city Of New York have a depart.
ment Of commerce (some other title may
NJ i equally welD whose function Will be
the doing Of all those things essential to
bring the producer and the consumer to-
gether In times OF scarcity and plenty.
Not only In II proposed that this de-
partment shall have supervision OF the
cttys newly established open market sys-
tenn. but 1t shall act a. a general clearing
house OF Information pertaining to FOOD
supplies. where they can be found and the
most likely markets for specific products
and shall encourage and facilitate trans
portation from the farm to the markets so
as to reduce handling and lessen the cost.
Mr.. Hartigan and Borough President
MARKS talked over informally yesterday
the proposition OF department OF com
merce and both agreed that through such
an agency concrete work could he done
that II now left undone because of lack
~ authority
Commissioner Hartigan will take up
with Mayor Mitchell to-day the question
of foodStuT exchange, such az has been
suggested by Jersey farmers and fisher
men who are anxious to send their prod
ucts direct to the New York markets with
out paying any attention TO middlemen
The Commissioner took two Jersey
fishermen to see Borough President Marks
| yesterday and they were enthusiastic over
| the scheme.
The tnion LIghterage Company
| through Charles r. Bauer. sent a letter to
/ Mr.. Hartlgan yesterday saying that Il;
| was willing 10 run n boat from the fish
/ cries the IprpHN Ulth fresh ns n
! to the Fort Lee ferry and Chelsea dis
/ tricts. MIR. Bauer expressed the belief
that II would not he difficult to round up
shippers
There Is no doubt that the city's four
new open markets are growing in popu-
! larity. Borough President Marks said
/ Yesterday his reports show that in four
days the volume OF business at the mar
/ kets has doubled.
A trip through the markets late yes
terday afternoon showed that the push
cart men had the market under the Man
haitian Bridge pretty much to them selves
1t Ii an open secret here that the push
cart men do not like to have farmers
around and would like 10 freeze them out.
The Greensboro Bridge market. which
started up slowly has developed into a
very lively place OF business One hum
dred and ffty stands and carts were
there yesterday. John Gerbe OF Newtown
the lone farmer at this market late In
the afternoon. said that he had demon
strated that he was able to make slj
more on his days sale of produce al
the market than II he sold direct to the
wholesaler
The East Harlem market II already
too small for its purposes The overflow
| Of sellers now extends far down the
I street During rush hours 1t In crowded
with housewives. Alderman Pouker has
been spending hours at this market each
day directing Affairs. He gets the prices
m the regular markets and II he finds a
/ man quoting figures that he thinks are
| too high he Immediately suggests a re-
duction and generally has his own way
about It. He insists above everything
else that every stand shall post prices
conspcuously.
The Fort Lee ferry market has founC
much favor with commuters from New
jersey and people living in fashionable
neighborhoods A number OF wumeI
visited the market In their autos late II
the afternoon and made purchases.
Borough President Marks said last eve
. ming with the continued active coop
Grafton Of our city departments and oul
citizens the market system will be per
fected and developed In Manhattan anC
the other boroughs. New York has been fa
behind other cities In market development
The inauguration of our new movemen
development Of "A permanent market sys
! tenn for the people The regulation AM
reduction OF food prices will he equivalen
to adding to the wages OF every work
ing man and woman.
Jacob Bloch Of Bloch Bros. presiden
OF the East Side Butchers Associ ton
tetiied at the inquiry into the high cos
OF food before Chief Magistrate Meade,
yesterday that the large meat packing
, companies are responsible for high mea
prices. He declared that the wholesaler
are driving retailers out OF business b,
, preventing them from making sufrcien
profits and by capturing for themselve
the trade OF hotels and other consumer
OF their products on a large scale. II
said that all meat products are store
l by packers until they can get large prices
: Bloch suggested that the price OF meat
can he reduced by putting an export dut
: on live stock and dressed meats by open
ing up all unoccuped Government land
e for grazing purposes by forbidding h
law the slaughter OF all female beeve
. until they are 3 to 3 years old by tn
? passage OF Federal law appropria ting
per cent. OF the income tax for the deve
/, oping OF cattle raising by compellin
= packers by statute TO sell to retailer
4 only and by the establishment OF Govern
fnent slaughter houses.