Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-09-03
INDIANA DAILY TIMES, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1921.
FARMERS THINK
RAW DEAL GIVEN
AT CITY MARKET
Unable to Sell Products TO
Peddlers Until After 6
O'clock in Evening.

| Farmers who came to the city Friday
afternoon to sell produce to peddlers and
consumers at the city market were angry
when they discovered the new rules which
the county commissioners, the board OF
public safety. and city Market Master
Harry Libeau have put in force.
For some time the farmers and truck
gardeners have been driving into town
early Friday afternoon. They park
their automobiles, trucks and wagons
along the courthouse side of East Wash
ington street between Alabama and Della
ware streets, paying twenty-five cents per
vehicle for the space. Then they have
been either selling out their entire loads
to peddlers or retailing them. The ped
dler, as a rule, sets up his stand in the
space which the farmer had rented and
rntails from it until closing time Sat
urday evening. This enabled many farm
ers to dispose of load of produce early
Friday afternoon and hustle on home,
losing only a half day from his fields.
1t also resulted in the strewing Of much
refuse over Washington street, due to the
transfer of loads from the farmers We
hicles to the peddlers' stands. East
Washington street merchants complained
to the county commissioners and the
new regulations resulted.
CANNOT SELL
UNTIL O'CLOCK.
The regulations now provide that the
farmers may drive to the East Wash
ington street spaces on Friday after
noon, but that they must neither re-
tail nor wholesale their products until
after o'clock Friday evening, and
that they must clear the space not later
than S o'clock Saturday morning. The
same rule holds good on the other mar
ket days. Tuesday and Thursday.
The city and county also has an
nounced its intention Of keeping ped
dlers from operating on the courthouse
lawn on other than market days. Several
were going full blast Friday, afternoon,
however.
Gathering in angry little groups the
producers discussed the new orders Fri
day fternoon. Many declared they be-
leved the middle men had talked the
authorities into issuing the orders. They
are distinctly to the advantage of the
retailer, the farmers and gardeners said,
because the peddlers, knowing that the
farmer must get off Of East Washington
street by o'clock on the market day
mornings may refuse to buy from the
producers until almost the last minute,
thereby making the farmer take about
any price the middle men care to offer.
Many citizens have been in the habit
of going to producers row. in the aft
ernoon and evening before market day
in order to buy fresh products direct
from the farmers and gardeners. The
order prohibiting sales until 6 o'clock
on the evening before market day pre-
vents the farmers from doing much re
tail business if they desire 10 get hume
that evening, it was stated.
SOME SOLD
DESPITE ORDERS.
Open defiance to the order was ex-
pressed by some producers, who sold
muskmelons, watermelons and other
products to anybody who happened to
ask for them before O'Clock Friday
evening. Others disobeyed the order sur
reptitiously. One farmer was overheard
TO tell a prospective customer that he
could not sell a cantaloupe until after
C O'Clock, but ''if you'll climb up on the
wagon, get a melon, fall OFF the wagon
and drop a nickle while you're falling
no one would object
While the authorities are putting re-
strictions upon the farmers, a man in
one group suggested they ought TO be
watching the men who come around 20
collect the 25-cent fees. These men, ac-
cording to the procuder, give receipts
only when they are asked for. He said
he supposed the fee collector had to ac-
count to the authorities only for the
amount of money his receipt stubs called
for. The collector never refuses to give
receipt when II Is asked for, however,
he added.