Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-29
SUGGESTS RELOCATION
OF WHOLESALE MARKET
Supt. Sherman in Annual Report
Urges That It Be Moved
to River Front.
No Rail or Water Transportation at
Present Makes Prices Higher
Than They Ought to Be.

Relocation of WaShingtonS wholesale
market district at some point where
both water and railroad transportation
are available is recommended in COM
munication addressed to the Commits
sioners today by John H. Sherman, Dis
trict superintendent of weights, meas
ures and markets.
The recommendation will be among
those included in Mr.. Sherman's an
nual report. 1t points out that Wash
ington is unfortunate through not hav-
ing its wholesale market district es-
tablished in some location where saw
ings may be effected through better
facilities for receiving, storing, re-
frigerating and distributing foodstuffs
Efficient means of delivery should be
developed as a part of the general i'm
provement, it is urged.
washington is almost unique among
the larger Cities" states Mr.. Sherman,
"in that the wholesale market district
here is isolated from either railroad Or
navigable water. In the days when
Washington lived mainly on the prod
ucts of the Immediately surrounding
sections, brought in on farmers wag-
ons. this condition was not serious. But
under modern conditions, with the vast
majority of wholesalers drawing their
supplies in large quantities from dis
tant points by rail or water, this i'm
proper location necessitates a tremen-
dous amount of expensive transporta-
ton and rehandling, with accompany
Ing increase of waste through spoilage
and other losses, all of which must be
regained through higher prices to re-
tailers and ultimately to the consuming
public.
Save Through Organization.
OF the city's market problem at all.
thinks of retail markets, since the re-
tail business is the only form of mar
keting with which he comes into con-
tact, yet it is the consensus of opinion
among all who have exhaustivelv
studied this problem that the greatest
savings to be accomplished are to be
made through better organization of
the wholesale markets, and improve
ment of the facilities for receiving,
storing, refrigerating and distributing
wholesale quantities of food products
at the terminal stations.
Washington is doubly unfortunate
in that the wholesale business is not
only badly located, but is also badly
exists is the wrong kind of competi-
ton. Cut-throat methods exist, which.
while legal. and perfectly good, ac-
cording to business ethics, and exactly
what the average citizen not student
of the subject wants, nevertheless re-
suit in actual losses of products and
greatly increased prices to the consum-
ing public.
1.-THE wholesale business should be
moved to some location where both
water and railroad transportation are
available. Here should be developed
union freight terminal with modern
marketing facilities. No one railroad
brings a great enough variety of prod
ucts to supply market with all lines.
Refrigeration should be provided
for both temporary and long storage.
and there should be refrigerated rooms
into which refrigerated cars could dis
charge their contents without change
of temperature and consequent injury
to the goods.
Separate Departments.
Separate parts of the markets should