Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-12

Continued from First Page)
in all the principal cities are being
studied in this connection.
Now comes a brand-new proposal,
entertained by at least some Of those
who are in conference on the market
problem, It is pointed out that there
are eight public markets in Washing
ton, well scattered in the residential
and secondary business centers. as,
for example, the Arcade Market. If
there is to be one big central retail
market that would overbalance all
these and cater to the trade or the
entire city, it must be located in the
center of the shopping district, some
of the market experts argue, because
it is a food department store just as
much as other department stores are
for general merchandise.
New Site Proposed.
That would bring the center market
into the very heart of the city, within
| the cluster Of department stores, and
| the suggested site is somewhere be
tween Ninth and Thirteenth and G.
streets and New York avenue. They
say that this should be a court market
structure with space for a sufficient
number of farmers in the center to
stabilize prices. This proposal has
been laid before the city planners and
the fine arts commission.
| The star ~ on the accompanying
map shows the proposed location. 1t
is not likely that this recommends
| ton will get very far because the
| structural development in that area
makes the cost of acquiring site for
a central market prohibitive.
There seems to be considerable mis-
understanding of the market problem.
The property occupied by the present
wholesale market. between Ninth and
| Tenth and 3 streets and Pennsyl-
vania avenue, is all privately owned
and occupied by individual business
concerns. They cannot be forced to
move to any particular location that
NAV be chosen. The Government may
take their present location away from
them through condemnation proceed
ings, but then each individual busl-
ness man may go to whatever new
! location he wills. So the location of
| a new wholesale market. in the final
! analysis, as it concerns those who
| buy in carload lots and feel that they
could more economically and efficiently
| handle produce by having a railroad
:
whether the Pennsylvania or the Balti
more and Ohio railroads can offer dhen
the best Inducements.
1t has been commended that the
| Farmers Market is really a whole
| sale market rather than retail mar
ket, and should be located handy to
the wholesale or commission houses
| so that the corner grocery men may
conveniently buy from both the com
mission men and the farmers, with
| out loss of valuable time early in the
morning The farmers themselves
| have rather discredited this conten
ton by submitting petitions to the
City Planning Commission. asking
that they be located near the retail
Center Market rather than neal
! wholesale houses at freight terminals
or along the waterfront.
Opposition to Farmers.
The city planners also have beer
giving serious thought recently t
this suggestion. The farmers are 6
check on high prices and it has beer
pointed out that the real interests o.
the farmers may have been misrepre
scented by interested parties who wan
them moved to a disadvantageous 10
cation. Along this same line O
thought, 1t is argued that the corneI
grocery men do not want the farmer.
as business rivals near the Cente
Market The city planners howeve
think that the farmers should b,
given a direct hearing before any one
decides where the farmers should &c
Now let us take each of the thre,
or four sites advocated and conside
the principal arguments for an,
against each:
AS regards the Southwest, or water
front site. This Is really a Pennsyl
vania Railroad proposition to develol
a freight terminal. The one big ad
vantage is a short haul of mile
from the Potomac freight yards il
Virginia, with a big refrigeration
plant adjacent, and with water from
land across Water street to be bulk
headed for farmers market.
The principal objection to tn
Southwest location is that it is OIL
the very edge of the city, withou
adequate street car facilities, an
necessitates hauling along two streets
Twelfth and f'ourteepth. across tn
Mall. and through the most congeste
traffic area. 1t is pointed out ais
that at times of parades. when tn
Avenue is roped off. il would NEAR