The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1919-09-06
prepared by the United States Depart
menr or Agriculture)

prepared by the United States Depart.
menr or Agriculture.)
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 well-worked-out 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 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 1t
in that they assemble and make read
fly 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-
tically 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 a 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 a 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 a 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
iy good, practical sanitary regulations
governing the methods of doing busl-
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 a long lease
will interfere with ejecting a dealer
In case he refuses 10 conduct his bust
ness in accordance with the market
rules and regulations and In the best
interests of the market as a 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 bes
type to the market. He should re
Quire all occupants of stalls to keeI
simple, uniform records, which should
be available for his examination
so that he can ascertain at leas
the volume of business of each dealer
the dealers cost of doing business ant
his net profits.
In all his efforts to better merchan
dlsing methods in the market, TIL
manager should keep in mind two fun
damental things: (D To justify thu
SAlSltuCt VI lllC net NphHNlhNI
must obtain food more cheaply thai
Il can be obtained from most private
stores; (2) to induce the dealers t
make this cheaper food possible, the.
must be given a greater aggregate re
turn than If they were in bushes
merely as private storekeepers. TIL
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 pric
of food products as completely as pos
sible all charges for service nOrmall
hidden in the price. A dollar spent II
the market should bring dollar
wcrth of food, not, say, So cents wort
OF food, 10 cents worth of deliver
and cents worth Of credit. The ma
jorlty Of those who buy in the marke
pay cash and carry away their pul
chases. It is manifestly unfair t