Evening star., 1924-01-06
1000 Carloads Of Fruits and Vegetables Years Supply in Cap

assisted our first President In the se-
lection of a site for the marketing
place. Instead of constructing cred
liable buildings at the very outset.
Congress dilly -daliied along and ap-
propriated only meager amounts for
the upbuilding of the market. AS a
result, a harum-scarum string Of
sheds was erected, extending in
crooked line from the present site of
Center Market as far as the George
town terminal of the Chesapeake and
Ohio canal. In the early days con-
siderable produce was brought in by
canal boats for sale at the market
place.
Cattle, hogs, turkeys and sheep were
driven from the farms Of Maryland and
Virginia along a route which ended In
a trip along Pennsylvania avenue TO
the slaughtering pens which were an
adjunct Of Center Market. In time the
odors became so Objectionable that
Washington citizens objected strenu
ously and petitioned Congress repeat
edly to remove Center Market to an
outlying section of the city.
Finally, Just before the civil war.
Market Company TO borrow one-fftll
of million dollars for the construction
of permanent buildings. The civil war
knocked this project into a cooked hat.
and it was not until a decade later.
when a fire razed the market sheds.
that Congress again intervened.
project was formulated by our nationa.
legislators featuring the sale of 10000
shares of stock in a marketing con.
pany incorporated at S1.0o0,0 600. The
present Center Market was subsequent
ly built and equipped.
x X y =
WERE you to take the trouble TO in
w ventory the assets of Center
market, as Uncle Sam had to do when
he assumed control of the enterprise.
you would find that the annual sales
at Center market amount to about
s14, 100000.
During the period that Uncle Sam
has run the market the profits have
totaled $4,000 a year. Here is one
enterprise, at least, in which Uncle Sam
engages that pays good prof1t-about
5 per cent interest on the investment.
The tradesmen and dealers who rent
stalls in Center Market pay Uncle SAM
s233. 900 a year for the space which they
occupy. Some OF these dealers and their
relatives have operated the same stands
for fifty to sixty years. As legacies.
the booths have descended from one
generation to another.
There are 173 dealers who now rent
space in the market place, the distribu-
ton by trades being as follows: Seven
ty-four are meat dealers, twenty-four
fruit and vegetable dealers, fifteen han
die dairy products, twelve tradesmen
purvey bread, buns, cakes and cookies.
ten others sell poultry and game, nine
sell fish and nine others operate delica-
lessen shops. There are six specialized
fish stands, while five men run regula-
ton grocery stores. The six other
spaces are utilized as miscellaneous
stores, two Of the tradesmen even SELL
ing clothing and notions. If it is an
apple. needle, a piece of fancywork.
frog legs, shad roe. a jar of honey or
will find any or all Of these products.
Center Market in many respects is
antique and obsolete in equipment and
plans on equipping all the stands with
efficient cold storage facilities, SO that
perishable products may be displayed
| under refrigeration in glass show cases
for the inspection of the buyers. Expert
designers and cabinetmakers of the
United States Department of Agricui-
ture even now are working on plans
for such display cases. They already
have perfected excellent show boxes for
| the display of poultry. Uncle Sam, in
time, will doubtless remodel and re-
habilitate Center Market so that it will
| be one Of the marketing show places
of the country.
! The public cold storage ware
| house now in use in Center Market
provides low temperature conditions
| in 100000 cubic feet of space. These
facilities will be materially increased
and improved in the development
campaign which the national author
tiles have mapped out.
| Strange to tell, you will find that
| Uncle Sam is also a manager Of a
| bowling alley. billiard parlor. roller
/ skating rink and basket ball court
| if you visit Center Market, for the
:
building are leased for such pur-
| poses.
/ The Secretary Of Agriculture, as a
| side line to his many other duties.
! is responsible for the direction of
| Center Market. He draws up all the
rules and regulations which govern
the operation of the massive red
brick building which faces Pennsyl-
vania avenue between 7th and 9th
! streets.
!: n * X
ITHE government experts have not
opened stands at Center Market
and engaged in the direct selling of
| fruits, vegetables and meats. They
have, however, used the establish
ment as sort of experimental lab
oratory where they have tried to
work the kinks out Of some OF the
cost Of living riddles. They have
studied such problems as; what
| constitutes profiteering; how public
market can be best managed to pro-
vide most efficient service for trades
men, producers and consumers; why
some dealers are able to make
higher profits despite the fact that
| their selling prices are lower than
those of their associates. -sS S'st
barely eke out a livelihooS --ATn their
business enterprises.
All the reports and receipts Of the
different market stands are open to
inspection by the government repre-
sentatives at any and all times. Ex-
rerienced economists are studying
and analysing these records for the
good of all inc public markets and
the consumers in the United States.
Uncle Sans desire is to engender
more economical methods OF food