Evening star., 1927-10-22
SOUTHWEST FILES
PLEA FOR MARKET
Business Men Claim Their
Section Is Logical Place
for Produce Center.


A SS-page brief outlining the merits
of the Southwest location for the new
Farmers Produce Market was submit
ted to the District Commissioners to-
day by the Southwest Business Mems
Association as a supplement to the
verbal arguments presented at the re-
cent public hearing on the proposed
market sites. The brief was drawn up
by Charles A. Douglas and Wrisley
| Brown. attorneys for the association,
who represented it at the hearing.
After discussing at length the Vari.
Gus factors it contends make the
Southwest site a logical and ideal loca-
| ton for the new market, the brief
said. in conclusion:
"If the eminent engineers who orig.
inallv laid out the City OF Washington
could have had before them n vision
of the present day. with the complex
problem her presented, they could not
have done better than to set aside and
delimit the Water street area for the
assembling, storage and distribution
of the city's perishable food supply.
Facilities Emphasized.
"By the force of inexorable economic
| tracks of Maryland avenue and the
Washington channel, in Southwest
! Washington, is the only location in
| this city where it is humanity possible
to develop complete coordination OF
! all the market functions in accordance
with the principles formulated by the
Federal Trade Commission.
ITO divide the wholesale market dis
trict would be a far.rea ching eco
IL
solution of this problem is to be found
! in the establishment of the whole
sale Farmers Market at fhe site ad
jacent to the Municipal Fish Market,
with eventual coordination of all
Wholesale market operations In the
| waterfront area"
Emphasis was laid in the briaf on
the available rail and water trans
| portation facilities in the southwest.
| The criminals of South Washington,
it points out, are served by six rail-
| roads, while the steamboat wharves
| and the fish market docks nearby are
the distribution points of an ever in
| creasing volume of perishable freight.
| The brief also treats with the ac-
| feasibility of the site to the produce
growers who bring perishabie food
! stuffs into Washington in motor
trucks, and the adequate cold storage
facilities already available for the
| preservation of the food. Besides, it
emphasizes that the removal of the
| wholesale market district to South
west Washington would take the in.
tensive traffic generated by the
market operation out of the congested
district.
Aside from these factors. the brief
explains that the southwest site would
rGr i've int fn1 10 hA
other location proposed.
Market and Commission Men.
Considering the seller factor, the
brief declares that there is a close
relationship between the Farmers
| Market and the commission mer-
| chants and for economic reasons 1T
| would be IAN irrevocable mistake"
| to locate the Farmers Market at an
| interior point, as it would segregate
| this whole produce market from the
| commission houses, which receive
shipments in large volume over the
railroad and steamboat lines, and
when forced to move will locate at
! the terminals in order to save heavy
haulage and spoilage costs with which
| they have been burdened. There is
| ample space at the Water street ter.
minal. it is said, for the location
I VI luG LOIHIutSSIOH HtedI
| packing houses and other whole
sale dealers in perishable freight.
THE dealers occupying space in the
wholesale farmers market are com.
posed Of farmers who raise most of
their products and who from time TO
time buy products from the commits
sion merchants to round out their
stocks; selling agents for group-pro.
ducing farmers and husksters who go
through the countryside buying up
produce, poultry. butter and eggs. to
be offered for resale on the so-called
farmers line" declared the brief. IF
the real interest of the public is to
be conserved. this wholesale farmers
market should be located near the
other wholesale dealers in market sup.
plies or where the wholesale market
district by the intent of Congress and
by the force OF economic laws will be
ultimately co-ordinated."
Discussing the buyer factor, the
brief declared that the coordination
OF supply is the ali-important consid-
GRAFTON to the class of buyers who deal
with the wholesale market houses and
the farmers market.
The bulk of the foodstuRs distrib-
uted in Washington" IL said. "is sold
directly to the consumers through
real stores. The buyers for these
stores from all sections of the city
go TO the wholesale district in the
early hours of the morning--from 2
TO o'clock. They cover the COM
mission houses for produce grown
outside Of the trucking radius. both
in and out of the season, and they
cover the farmers line for produce
from nearby farms in season. The
separation Of the farmers market
carrying only produce in season from
the commission houses carrying a
complete assortment OF produce the
year round would mean that many
buyers OF market stores and pur-
ichasers of produce in volume would
not patrOniZe the farmers market
because they would not have time
TO visit different sections OF the city
daily TO purchase their market sup
plies"
/ o