Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-08-21
Along the Curb Of an Eastern city Market
prepared by the United States Depart
ment or Agriculture.l

prepared by the United States Depart
ment or Agriculture.1
Vigilance is the price not only of
liberty but of successful cooperative
marketing. A city cooperative market
may have fine buildings and equip
ment, but unless it is supervised by
q competent manager who diligently
enforces a .well-worked-ou system Of
operation, the enterprise will sooner
or later fail. This is the rock on
which practically all unsuccessful mar
kets have broken, say city mar
keting specialists Of the United States
department Of agriculture.
If system Of municipal markets is
not so operated as to provide a place
where people can purchase food more
cheaply than at other food distribut-
ing agencies, the system is not justi-
fed, the specialists believe. While it
is true that public markets are useful
in that they assemble and make read
lily available large assortment of GER
tain products, some Of which might
otherwise be wasted, this is Of rela-
lively minor Importance in determin-
ing the markets success. Well-oper-
ated markets may also benefit .prac-
ttcally all consumers by furnishing
competition which will stimulate pri-
vate food dispensing agencies to oper-
ate more efficiently and to charge low
er prices than they would If the COM
petition of the markets did not exist.
But public markets cannot bring low
er prices unless the cost of operation
is less in them than elsewhere. This
is largely the problem of the market
manager.
Give Manager Unhampered Field.
The first essential to successful
market is competent, well-informed
and progressive manager. A man ia
miliar with modern merchandising
methods should be procured even if
the salary asked is more than at first
seems necessary. No private COM
mercial enterprise would think of plac-
ing plant in which 100000 or more
has been invested in charge Of an in
competent, poorly-paid manager. This
has been done, however, by some city
markets with very unsatisfactory re-
suits. Such market has never come
up to expectations and the commu-
nifty which it Is intended to serve as
well as many Observers have been
led rightly to question the work of
the whole municipal market idea.
The manager must have an unham-
pered field in which to work. In adj
ditlon to having satisfactory equip
ment he must make and enforce strict
| ~ good, practical sanitary regulations
| governing the methods of doing bust
ness on the part of the dealers in the
market. To. do this, he must be given
almost dictatorial powers and not be
INSTRUCTED by politics or other outside
influences.
Renting Market Stalls.
Most successful markets rent the
| stalls from month to month. By this
method, no question of long lease
! will interfere with ejecting a dealer
!! in case he refuses to conduct his bust
/, ness in accordance with the market
rules and regulations and in the best
interests Of the market as whole.
All equipment, such as counters, racks,
cold-storage boxes and, If possible,
computing scales, should be owned by
the city, so that no dealer will acquire
property rights in the permanent FIX
| lures in the stall.
| The manager should exert every eff
| fort to attract dealers Of the best
| type to the market. He should re-
| quire all occupants of stalls to keep
simple, uniform records, which should
be available for his examination
! so that he can ascertain at least
the volume Of business of each dealer,
the dealers cost of doing business and
his net profits.
In all his efforts to better merchan-
dising methods in the market, the
manager should keep in mind two fun
damental things: (1) To justify the
existence Of the market, consumers
must obtain food more cheaply than
1t can be obtained from most private
stores; (2) to induce the dealers to
make this cheaper food possible, they
must be given a greater aggregate re-
turn than If they were In business
merely as private storekeepers. The
competent manager, If given adequate
powers by the city, can accomplish
both aims. One of the first regula-
lions should be to strip from the price
| Of food products as completely as pos
sible all charges for service normally
hidden in the price. A dollar spent in
| the market should bring dollars
worth Of food, not, say, IS cents worth
of food, 10 cents worth of delivery
| and s cents worth Of credit. The ma
| jority Of those who buy in the market
oay cash and carry away their pur-
.hases. 1t is manifestly unfair to
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