The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-02-02
PROPOSED Market
TO BE ONLY ONE OF
KIND IN WHOLEU.S.

Seattle IL getting ready 10 bal.
lot on the most ambitious munich.
pal ownership plan ever submitted
TO the people OF any city Ia the
United states.
Its adoption would mean a pub
I llcly operated system OF buying
and selling perishable food sup
I plies
/ Butter. eggs. meats. fish. frnitH
and vegetables would b. gathered.
stored when Necessary. and finally
retalled to the public by the city
I direct.
Whether or no, the system IL
adopted. depends upon tho approx
I al of the voters March 6. II three
7 affhs OF tn. voters az that election
[ favor the proposition. tbs city VIII
issue $500 900 In bonds 20 construct
facilities
Its Own aiddieman
A cold storage plant would be
constructed. A great retail station
would be- built. Then the city
would buy produce and sell u. and
become the middisman Itself
The aim Of the system is 90 elm
mate manipulation at the expense
OF the buying public and tho pro
Queer.
The city nOw sells water TO the
public IL also sells power. light
and transportation and operates 4
garbage collection system. which
private ownership failed TO ade-
quately supply.
But tho idea Of city going into
the food supply business n more
radical than anything ever attempt
ed and would attract the eyes OF
the world.
soeislistie Scale
Seattle now owns a market build.
ing and rents stalls to farmers
The present venture iS only
drop In the bucket as compared TO
tho extensive system under consid
Grafton.
II successful conservatives admit
Il would even become an illustration
Of the possibilities under socialism.
That a hard fight will be made
This fight has already started.
Councilman Thomson attacked the
proposition Rt Mondays council
meeting when II came up for con
slderation.
Enemies OF public ownership are
somewhere behind this plan" he
said. because II would curb extern
..tc.n 80 ,ha igykt uud ,,a,ar "A.
partments by putting the city's
bonded Indebtedness nearer the
I limit
No Details Yet
Friends OF the market plan laugh
at Thomson's argument
The people viii be able 10 sell
many times $500 900 every year II
this thing goes thru" says Council.
man Harry Bolton. Tho harbors
and public grounds committee, OF
which he is chairman. recommend
cd that the bond issue be put up
TO tho voters.
The finance committee had
killed H.
When tho report OF Boltons com
mittee went 10 the council Monday
II was adopted by vote OF To 4
Moore. Hesketh. Fitzgerald. Erick-
son and Bolton voted to submit the
plan. Dale. Haas, Thomson and
Hanna voted against IL.
Details OF the plan have not been
completely worked out.
May Have Commission
II Is probable that a market com
mission Will be proposed. This
commission would operate the sys-
tenn Just AZ the port commission
manages tho peoples port prop
critics.
Grange representative and un-
ion labor representatives first pro.
posed that the city 20 into the
foodstuffs business. after n series
of meetings had been held to bring
about cooperation between con
sumers and producers
The farmers were complaining.
Both Complained
They weren't making excessive
profits. The union labor men com.
planned. They felt they were being
robbed when they paid a nickel
apiece for eggs and 80 cents a
pound for butter.
Both agreed that manipulation