Weekly journal-miner., 1916-01-05
LOCAL PROBLEM IS
 SIMILAR TO ST. LOUIS
(From Thur sday's Oaily.l

COililllsllll Ol d idOh Oi llldi hCi iOl lilIu products might with advantage to themselves and this community pur- sue the plan adopted by St. Louis. Missouri. farmers. Showed off the curb by commission men, they organ ized and financed an association, built their own market house and are now making money. A man who recently returned from St. Louis explained :he plan to JournalMi-er reporter.
 The farmers for St. Louis? Does that sound funny to you?" ne said. That's just what they are, though. and there are 5000 of them-truck growers of St. Louis county surround ing the city.
 "The association, which does busi- ness under the name of the St. Louis County Producers Market, has a membership of 600, and offers mai ket to as many more truckgrowers as may find difficulty in disposing of their stuff.
 While only small percentage of the truckgrowers market their wares through the facilities furnished by the association, its influence extends throughout the business, if its officers are to be credited. l talked with Joseph. Vonderhaar. the market mas ter, for the day that I went market ing.
 "'Before we had this association, he said, the truck growers backed IT. their wagons on Third street in front of the commission houses, or else ir front of a saloon. When s o'clock came the commission men would tel us to move on, saying that they need ed the parking space for their own vehicles, but it was in reality becaus, we did a retail business as well as selling to them. If fellow used . saloon corner, he had to spend about half of what he took in in the saloon to hold his place.
 "'We have been organized one year and now the commission men are a: polite as you please. They make tn trucker welcome and tell him to stay as long as he likes.
 "'The association is capitalized 9 S200,000, each of the 600 member, having from one to twenty shares o' stock. We paid S145,0O0 for thi. eight acres of ground
 The Market Buildings.
 "The market is located in the yves; end of St. Louis. the residence sec ton of the wealthiest purchasers. It: buildings consist of long one-storl brick structure. whose storerooms arc rented to commission men and butch CTS who keep open all day. There ar, also five long concrete platforms roofed high and wide by means o iron posts, structural steel and gal vanized iron, so as to shelter custom CTS and wagons from the weather This platform is about twenty ice wide. The truckers back up theil wagons to it and do business in tf, open air as long as their stuff lasts Each shed brings in rentals of S2,40l a year. Each parking space rents fo' $50 a year. If the holder does no show up it is rented to anyone for 5' cents for the day. The market doe business six days in the week.
 ''I commented on the fact that mos of the truckgrowers are Germans.
 ''Vonderhaar laughed gleefully Only the Germans are willing to woil as hard as farmer mas to- he said.
 Only One of Kind.
 "Thc associations president ! Henry Myers. Vondernaar says it :: the only organization of its kind in tn world. its distinction being that tn farmers themselves have furnishe, the capital.
 At this season, when the fields 0 Missouri are frozen and the onll growing things come from hot-houses only one of the sheds is occupied. l mad the privilege of going marketing on a Friday morning with a house wife and of carrying her basket.
 
 We arrived about 9 o'clock, ahead oi the rush of business. Many house wives of that district go in person tC thc market. They must carry hom their purchases made from the farm CTS. but the commission men in the brick stores will deliver the goods. As the commission men buy first from tly farmers, everybody seems contented. Celery and similar vegetables, and fruits from the South and West. which cannot be grown in St. Louis county during the Winter, are hand led by the commission men, so that the housewife can get anything she