Evening star., 1926-10-19
The Market Site Paradox.

II the question OF immediate urgency
is to determine the choice Of market
site. only the location Of a new farm
ers' market is involved, for that estab-
lishment alone Is to be at once re-
moved from its present situation.
There is no such urgency in the case
Of the commission houses or the Cen
ter Market. which are on lands not yet
definitely selected for public building
purposes But if the question Of the
relocation of ths commission houses
is to be considered in connection with
that of the farmers market, then
quite plainly the future of the Center
once. The City Park and Planning
Commission, however, divides the sit
uation into two phases as to time, re.
gardless of the clear logic of a unified
and immediate disposition Of the whole
question.
1t does not necessarily follow that
The farmers market, the commission
houses and the retail market should
all be located on one site or in one
area of the city. They are now close
together, but mainly because the gen.
eral market establishment simply grew
In the course Of many years around an
initial food purveying center. They
may in the new dispensation be scat
tered, but in that scattering there
should be consideration primarily of
the interests Of the people who go to
market
The farmers market can be located
new Center Market can be placed on
q stipulated site. The commission
houses, however, may go anywhere
that the owners wish, subject, Of
course, to the Zoning rules. 1t is, in
deed, impossible for the Government
to dictate the location of the wholesale
food establishments. When they are
driven out Of their present location to
make room for public buildings the
merchants will doubtless follow their
own judgment as to the best position
for their trade.
Closely related, however, are the
farmers market and the retail market.
AS far as the public is concerned they
should be adjacent. The proposition
to put the farmers market on the out:
skirts of the city merely for the sake
OF access to the commission houses or
a railroad line is to disregard this
nf ra1 HI hntu
and the retail market center.
The proposition to postpone the Sc
lection of a site for the retail market
because there Is no present need of it's
removal is somewhat reminiscent of
the familiar story told of municipal
alderman who offered as a solution OF
an urgent local problem the following
resolution: Resolved, That the Coun-
ty of Blank must have a new jail
Resolved further. That in the interest
of economy the new Jail should be con.
structed out of the materials of the
old Jail. Resolved further, That for the
safekeeping of the prisoners in Blank
County the old Jail be not torn down
until lIIc IeW JeiIl Is COIIlIlclcu.
The market paradox is somewhat
akin to the Blank County Jail PROPOSE
ton. The farmers market should go
where it will be accessible to the
patrons of the retail market. But
the retail market does not require to
be moved for the present. Therefore
there is no occasion to select a site for
tho retail market at once, but a site
for the farmers market is to be i'm
mediately chosen. And the commission
houses, which need not be moved un-
til the retail market is moved, are
likewise to be given a site at once,
leaving to the indeterminate future
the emplacement of the retail market,
despite the fact that its location is
the key Of the whole situation. Truly
there is need of logic in the considera-
ticn of this question.
--S>es@--