East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-08-31
NEW YORK IS
SOLVING HIGH
FOOD PRICES

(By Carlton Ten Eyck. Written for
the United Press.)
NEW YORK, Aug. 31.-New York
has found one way to beat Those
food-vultures." as they have been APP
propriately called. who have grasped
upon the great European conflict as
a reason" for boosting above the
reach of New York's poor. The mid
dleman and the jobber are to be done
away with. There will be no need OF
middle profit II the plan of Borough
President Marcus NJ. Marks, of Man
haitian, can be carried out. The
plan put into effect In preliminary
several days ago. has been so success
full that there is little II any doubt
that IL will be great success.
Here's the way Borough President
Marks figures he can beat the need
less middle profit" He sent out a
call to all farmers within radius of
fifty miles OF New York City. telling
them that he has prepared market
spaces in four of the most congested
districts OF Manhattan.
To these places the people will go
to deal direct with the farmers. The
! city is to boss the whole business.
| Comptroller Prendergast was so i'm
| bued with the idea that this was the
best way to solve the high food price
scare" that he detailed n corps OF
his best men to act as market mast
ers.
President Marks idea was born OF
| the wise retrenchment policy Mayor
| Mitchell adopted when the European
war first broke out. The board OF
: estimate had just appropriated 342.-
900 for the development OF the city's
markets. This $4,000 had TO be held
back as one OF the items in the re-
trenchment measures. Borough
( President Marks was told he would
ultimately get the money, but that
/ he'd have "to wait for it."
| Borough President Marks Is not
/ of the waiting kind. He bethought
| himself of the many open spaces in
| his borough which were lying idle. He
: thought they would be the very places
for the temporary city markets he
had in mind. He believed that the
growers of food stuffs and the buy
ers could get along pretty we'll at
these places even II they were not
improved" He therefore threw
them open as markets.
The points now open as city mar
kets are beneath the Manhattan and
| greensboro Bridges. at Third avenue
and East One Hundred and Twenty
ninth street. where the people have
long wanted such a center. and at the
Fort Lee Ferry. The farmers. from
the opening day. have fallen in with
the idea in enthusiastic fashion. The
people. too. have shown their APP
proval by flocking in hundreds AMI
thousands to buy direct. The ar.
rangement. is eminently satisfactory
to everyone concerned The farmer
gets better prices from the consum.
er than he would from the middle
man and the consumer PAYS less fol
a little more OF the same goods thar
he would II he bought from the re.
taller.
b'HNNNSt pNlSOUS III Ine WOTlI
are those who are struggling bach
through New York from war-torr
! Europe. The same sccenes are beinf
enacted with the docking OF eacf
refuge ship. The marooned ones
many bereft Of clothing, baggage ant
; forced to pay extortionate prices fo
travel out OF the war zone. are never
theless happy to be back. II Il
worth the price. they hold. Men ant
; women who therefore have neve
been satisfied in their voyages unless
they occupied the pick OF staterooms
are coming in second class. or ever
, steerage-and never murmuring, 8,
, glad are they to get back. A specia
: committee of men and women ap
, pointed by Hayor Mitchell meets eaci
refugee ship to render aid whenevei
necessary. The thing for which
many of the returning passengers nr,
particularly grateful is that this com
mlttee cashes checks.
Speaking of the war and returninl
travellers recalls that railroads, coas
and lake steamship lines and trave
resort boomers In the United state,
are looking forward to their mos
successful season next year. They
figure that the war will continue Ions
enough to make European travel mex
season impossible, or, II the war Il
ended, that conditions will not b,
comfortable, ana that American
"cures" and resorts will get the Eu
ropean voyagefs and their money
Meanwhile the losses to the steam.
ships companies continues piling up
Tying up here of the liner Vaterlant
means the Hamburg American lIn'
Is losing interest on that $40, 900, 0Ot
every day her earning power is de-
stroyed.