Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-04-06
BUSINESS MEN
ATTACK MARKET
Want Farmers Market Com
pIeteIy Closed Down in Petit
ton to Board of Aldermen

Charges against the way the farm
ers market is being conducted here
and a demand that the market be
completely done away with were
contained in a petition from the
United Business Mems Association
read last night at the meeting of the
Board of Aldermen. The letter,
which follows, was referred to the
committee on markets together with
the superintendent of weights and
measures:
ITO The Hon. Board of Aldermen:
Gentlemen:
with nothing but praise and with
out any attempt at critieizing any n
or his work, the United Business
Mems Association, has been petitioned
and requested by a great many mer-
chants, mostly members of our organ
ization, of this city, to remedy the SO
called market evil with a request mat
the farmers market be completely
done away with for tho reason that
said market is not producing the re-
suits which 1t should.
Before proceeding 10 petition or
request the Board of aldermen 10 OOH
into The affair, q committee was ap-
nointed from the United Business
Mems Association, to investigate con-
ditions, which function the committee
performed and the following VIOLA
lions were noted:
"Whereas the ordinance creating
the market in section No. l states
that there shall be and hereby is es-
tablished a public market TO be known
as the farmers market rms COM
mittee reports that they visited said
market on two different occasions and
at no time did they see a farmer nor
the of one.
Whereas section No. 3 of the ordi-
nance states no goods or produce snail
be offered for sale on m street or
near public market other than in The
place so assigned and set apart by
the said superintendent under penalty
the committee finds that numerous
are erected on the streets and
around the corner on the Sidewalks
of Elm street, blocking traffic, etc,
selling manufactured goods, which Is
directly contrary not alone to section
No. 8, but also to section 23, which
prohibits the sale of factory goods.
Whereas section 16 states all fruits
and vegetables shall be kept in baskets
or on platforms elevated at least eigh-
teen inches above the ground. The
committee reports that there were in
Vulnerable violations of this section,
and also found cheese and eggs wrap
kSa eA 4
wet and filthy ground.
Last but most important of all
the committee finds the poorest grade
OF produce, being disposed of or said
market, to the foreign element, more
so, than to any other class Of people,
at prices as high as good produce
would cost. At n stand the COM
mittee found ono huckster, who had
purchased some rotten potatoes at
Ell En NAV hoe anA ha Nxyoa hYazpn
enough to collect S1.25 per sixteen
quart basket, for goods not fit for
pigs to eat, not alone people. Samp-
les of these were obtained. At another
stand the committee found another
huckster. selling apples at sixty-f1ve
cents per small basket, said apples
being wormy and rotten.
I'm conclusion, most Honorable
Board Of Aldermen, we wish TO state
that the huckster does not handle near
as high grade Of goods, (Which looks
almost impossible) he gets as high,
If not a higher price for his goods
than the storekeeper. The hucksters,
who undersell the storekeepers, are
the ones that go to the New York
markets and buy up goods that barely
passes inspection, and carts 1t to this
market and undersells everyone else.
Although the permit, ETC.. looks wei
from the outside. 1t is defective on
the inside.
This state of affairs, Honorable
Board, is most unfair to the merchants
OF this city. who are the ones that
go to make and build up our city,
paying high rent. taxes etc. The ma
jority of merchants are working on a
very small, margin of profit, and are,
I believe, entitled to much more pro-
lection than they Ere receiving. The
market has brought in a great many
Of outside semi~farmers and hucksters,
and has given them the business,
which such as 1t is, and under such
conditions belongs to the storekeeper.
THE merchants of this city have
not heretofore been accused of profit
eering, as 1t Is we'll nigh impossible to
profiteer, when there were two or
three merchants on one block and
competition between the merchants
and st~orekeepers themselves. has
been. and is keen enough to prevent
proflteering.
Now, Honorable Board, because
of the fact that the disadvantages of
this public farmers market, far ex-
cell the advantages we the representa-
tive organization, having 200 business
men of our city as members, mostly
merchants, take the liberty of re-
questing that steps be taken at once
to remove said market completely,
since 1t has not brought down the
high cost of living in our city, and
simply neglects the merchant ano
turns the business over to outsiders
Trusting that some immediate
action will be taken on this, and
thanking you in advance. we ire
Respectfully yours,
'sTETE UNITED BUSINESS MEMS
ASSOCIATION.