The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-11-07

aA0A hCeS WHICH tney feR1yA
as indications of progress
The corner grocery has not rn,
the market out of existence IN.
fact is the market holds niac. -
community life entirely senar,..
from that held by the grocery stn,s
Both are important; one snnr,.
ments the other. The neiphho,
hood Store offers convenience snss
as telephone orders and delivery :,
purchases. 1t is close enough "a.
the cook to dash cut for a for,o,
ten ingredient, and its shelves hold
until the day they are needed ths
staples that cannot be crowded int
apartment house cupboards.
The market has a different func.
ton. 1t specializes in perishahl.
food. You can walk along mari.
ct aisle and see long rows of vhits
tile counters showing nothing hut
meat. The display on every counter
is kept cool by whirling fans over.
head and revealed for examination
by high powered lights. Along An.
other aisle or outside at the curh
are rows of fruit stands. There /.
a wide variety that the corner stors
cannot offer.
Food Standards High
The dealer here who offers with.
cred apples or inferior eggs has
competitors only a few steps avav>
with higher grade offerings. The
standard in perishable food is con.
sequently high. 1t can be high. b..
cause much of the food especially
that bought at the outdoor stands
is brought from the producer to the
consumer without delays.
The market cannot be expected to
hold the strategic position in com.
munity that it held in earlier cen.
turtles when life. was less complex.
But it still offers chance tor the
farmer to meet the city dweller
without the middleman coming be-
tween, and there are still enough
farmers and consumers who like
the market plan.
For these reasons the department
of agriculture believes that mar.
kets are a live issue and that lis
work at Center Market is of inter.
est to the country. Every week let
tiers are received from cities plan
ming to establish markets and ask
ing for information and advice, and
every improvement installed in the
Washington market will be Of ben
eft to other municipalities.
No radical changes have been
made in the governments market.
The buildings are old and conse-
quently they are not models of con-
struction. Cleveland and Detroit,
for instance. have up-to-date city
markets that are more nearly mod
els Of structure and equipment.
The government is concentrating
to a considerable degree on high
standard of sanitation. Several
thousand rats which had been COM
fortably quartered in the old mark
ct buildings have gone to another
world. Importance Of sanitary pre-
cautions is being impressed upon
the men who rent the stalls. The
bureau of markets insists on knives
and saws being kept Thoroughly
clean. The bureau also employs 3
meat inspector whose sole dutyIt
is TO see that no impure meat issot-,
Tered for sale in the market. n
Modern stands for fish and green
produce have been established. and
plans for the latest type of poultry
stand have been worked out The
experts say that fish. and indeed al
meat, should be displayed under
glass so that it is protected against
flies. dust and handling. At
model fruit and vegetable stand
the goods are arranged attractively
and conveniently, so that the Gus
toner can see az a glance what u
offered and so that the dealer can
quickly fill the order,
The old fashioned market with ~
refuse scattered about. its pouf1y-
carelessly provided for, and ths
continual touching Of cverythIns
by dirty hands is being run out OF
existence. A city today can have
the kind of market that its people
want ~