Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-09-28
TERMINAL MARKETS HELP
LOWER FOOD COSTS
Waste and Unnecessary Expense En-.
phasiN Need of Food Handling
Centcrs.

High food prices likely would re-
ceive q severe jolt if every city VITA
population of 100000 or more
would establish a city food terminal
for its Wholesale trade, the Bureau !
of Markets of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture believes.
All large European cities have such
markets and they have proved very
helpful in keeping down the cost of
food distribution. The cities of this |
country have been slow in adopting |
any kind of unified terminal sys- /.
TEN. Most of them are getting along |
as best they can with no plan. All
but those of the smallest size usually |
have several scattered terminals a:
which food products are unloaded
from train. boat, or truck. Frequent
ly the wholesale houses are located ;
depots. This necessitates loading the
products into a true kor wagon, cart |
ing them across the city. and unload
ing them again at the wholesale
house
All these expenses add to the price
the consumer eventually pays for his
food. A city trminal market elimi
mates this unnecessary handling and
carriage, for under such an arrange
ment the wholesale district and the
terminal are brought together. and
tn contents Of cars or boats are un-
loaded directly into the wholesale
houss.
| In recent years both New York
and Chicago have worked on the
problem Of establishing a central ter
minal market, but the size of those
cities makes it difficult problem
and as yet no practical solution has
been found. The situation in these
cities has awakened some of the
smallr NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. growing
at an amazing rate-to the value of
unified terminal system. and the
necessity of installing one before con-
gestion increases. Los Angeles and
Atlanta, through private capital, have
been provided with unified terminal
markets, and Seattle has wholesale
municipal market. Other cities. iii
addition to Chicago and New York,
which are working on this problem
are Indianapolis, Memphis, Tenn,
and Washington, D. c.
/ The idea of a terminal food market
is simple. Under the plan which it
involves all wholesale houses are
built in a locality which is convenient
to all transportation lines. 1t is not
necessary or even desirable to have
them in the heart of the city, where
land values are high. The incoming
cargo of food is unloaded directly
from the car or boat into wholesale
house and is taken away by retail
truck or wagon from the other side of
the house. There is no intermediate
handling or carriage. Cold storage
plants and auction rooms are also q
part of a good terminal food market.
This system of food distribution
expedites the unloading Of cars. I'm
der present terminal conditions UNI
loading is often slow and every week
in the year many cars of perishablc
products spoil before they reach the
wholesaler or even get inside the
railroad yards. A well-planned city
terminel food market has adeQuate
trackage, switches and platforms,
which facilitate the unloading Of the
cars and prevent congestion inside
ton Is added to the cost Of the food
Of cars is important II crops are to be
moved before they perish. Further
more, the retailer finds his buying
simplified when all the food products
are concentrated in one place. and the
work Of the food inspector. too. be-
comes easier.
The biggest saving in money, how
ever, comes in lessened carriage and
less handling and deterioration OF the
food. Where the wholesale district
Of . city il remote from transporta-
ton lines, the, carriage OF the food
prducts sroxa thu freight house to the
wholesaler mounts into hundreds OF
thousands of dollars every year. all
OF which IL added to the bill the con-
sumner pays. This includes the cost
and upkeep OF the trucks and wag-
ons and the wages paid the men who
load and unload them and drive.
To carriage costs must also be add
ed the loss caused by the deteriora'
ton Of the food products during the
trip. Extremes of temperature can
do considerable damage to perishable
products in a short trip. The cost OF
the food which spells in transportd
ton is added tho the cost OF the food
that is sa1able when it reaches the