Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-08-14
SURVEY SHOWS
MARKET EVIL
High Class Vegetables and
Fruit at Fairer Prices Than
at Market
Is ALSO Delivered
Prices in Stores Lower in
is ALSO Delivered
Prices in Stores Lower in
Several Instances, Survey
Here Today Shows

Farm produce is being sold
cheaper today in the stores of
the city than it is at the farmers
market. This fact was ascertain
ed by a survey made this morn
ing. Some idea of the prices
charged at the stores and those
in vogue at the market today
follows:
TOMATOES: A sixteen quart bas-
ket at the farmers market, not Sc
lected, was selling for forty-fve
cents. In the stores of the city a
sixteen quart basket of selected to-
matoes, all large and ripe was SELL
Ing for fifty cents per basket The
stores also had unsolicited sixteen
quart baskets, containing both large
and small tomatoes for thirty-five
and twenty-five cents.
POTATOES: At the farmers
market sixteen quart basket of
large potatoes could be purchased
for eightyf1ve cents, and a smaller
size for fifty-five cents. In the stores
of the city large potatoes could be
purchased for eighty-nine cents per
sixteen quart basket and medium
size for thirty mine cents per six
teen quart basket.
CORN: Large fancy corn at the
farmers market sold today for forty
cents a dozen ears while small ears
brought thirty cents dozen. At the
city stores large fancy corn was only
selling for twenty-five cents dozen
while medium size ears were selling
for but nineteen cents per dozen.
EGGS: Eggs at the farmers mar
ket and in the stores were selling
for fifty cents per dozen.
ONIONS: A sixteen quart basket
of onions was selling at the farmers
market for $1.10. These were of the
white or yellow variety. In the stores
the best red onions were selling for
sixty cents a sixteen quart basket.
PEACHES: Not the finest were
selling at the farmers market for
seventy-five cents, per sixteen quart
basket, while at the city stores large
fancy New York peaches were SELL
ing for 81 a basket and medium
sizes for but fifty cents per sixteen
quart baskets.
Another thing to be taken into
consideration when comparing these
prices is the fact that the goods
purchased at many of the city's
stores are delivered to the residence
free of charge. while it " necessary
for one to carry home their purchases
from the farmers market.
Some believe that it is because of
the opportunity to obtain a higher
price for their goods that the huck-
sters congregate at the farmers mar
ket on market days, instead of con-
tinuing their practice of selling from
house to house, privilege they OBJ
tain when granted a license.
The presence of hucksters in the
market is said to have been one of
the causes why there are fewer
farmers coming tn the market this
year than last. These farmers it is
alleged, declare that the hucksters
made unfair competition and they
would rather send their goods to the
New York and Newark markets than
take the trouble of driving all night
over the country roads to reach the
market here, only to find the best
spcts occupied by the hucksters.
The farmers seemed to be salts
fed last year by the scheme in force
whereby the hucksters were allotted
that section above New Brunswick
avenue and the farmers were locat-
ed south of New Brunswick avenue.
Now, however, the hucksters are
scattered among the farmers and
those patronizing the market find
it a question as to whether they are
trading with the farmer or the huck-
ster.
The question that seems to be con-
fronting the city at the present
time is whether the farmers market
is to be a farmers market or a
hucksters market. From The fact
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