The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-06-02
CITY MARKET
BIG SUCCESS
CONTINUED From Page One.)

NbBtldDlco, Ncio BtHpi o'iy o'"'N
by the time they reachd tn home.
Present Benefits Apparent.
Anyone can see for himself
the benefits and success of our
present plan
Seattle absolutely protects the
farmer from commission house
competition, and guarantees that
everything sold on the municipal
market is direct from the farm.
1t has a simple, direct system
which could be adopted In Ia
coma, say at Firemen's park, with
a very small outlay of money.
Expense to the city of Tacoma
for a market similar to Seattle's
would not be more than $1,000.
And the people would save that
much money In reduced food
prices before the market had been
established a month.
Pike place market in Seattle,
the larger of the two municipal
markets, consists of a long roof
on metal columns, similar to a
train shed, extending over side
walk and curb. The city has pro-
vided metal tables on metal legs,
each four and one-half by three
feet In size, which are placed in
rows along the curb and on the
property parking opposite.
Rent at 10 Gents a Day.
Only one Of these tables Is
rented to a single producer. No
farmer could have more than one
table, IL he had dozen assist
ants to help him sell his goods.
The rental fee is 10 cents a day.
including light and water.
Vegetable and fruit producers
have the curb tables. Farmers
with chickens, butter, eggs and
meats have the inside OF the mar
ket. BY means Of a lottery sys-
TEN, or drawing, each farmer OBJ
tain a different table for each day,
the drawing taking place on the
previous afternoon. In this man.
ner no farmer maintains the
same position, or controls the
best location, permanently.
In order to be sure that only
produce from Seattle farms is sold
on the market, each farmer must
swear on oath that he is selling
his own goods, and must furnish
a statement telling the location
of his farm. City inspectors check
up these statements constantly.
Meet Jap Question.
If 1t is found that farmer Is
handling commission house goods,
he is barred from the market for
80 days. A second offense and
he goes to Jail.
The city of Seattle has evolved
a plan whereby Japanese farm
ers have reduced their numbers
on the market to certain proper
ton of the entire number, and the
Japanese are given alternate ia
bles, thus prohibiting any mo-
nopoly of the municipal market
place by the Oriental producers.
Say, this market is the great
est benefit for the farmers that
could ever be imagined" re-
piled a butter and egg dealer to
question of Commissioner Petit.
The dealer had brought his days
supply of butter and eggs to
market in a suitcase, riding to
town ON an auto bus.
Godsend for Farmers.
Before this market was estab-
lished, we had to accept whatever
the commission men wanted to
give us. If we sold to a grocer,
he wanted us to take our pay out
In trade. Now we cut out the
middleman's profits. and still
come below the price charged by
Seattle grocery stores. And be-
sides, II means ready cash for us
farmers whenever we need 1t. Be-
lieve me, this markt is a God
send to us farmers"
Everyone else in the market
had the same verdict. As a re-
suit Of the market, most of the
Seattle farmers have been able to
build greenhouses and compete
with California and Eastern
Washington in early-season stuff.
Prices Cheaper.
The prices as reproduced here
we're jotted down from placards
in all parts of the market at 10
o'clock Friday, and verified again
NJ o'cIoek