170 THE HIGH COST OF LIVING 



ipal markets, has reduced the price of a number of 

 articles of food. On June 22, 1917, fresh eggs were 

 selling there at 36 cents a dozen, as compared with 

 48 cents in New York City. Ham was 30 cents a 

 pound, bacon 38 cents, and sirloin steak 25 to 32 

 cents. The reason why food is relatively so cheap 

 in Baltimore is that the principal products come 

 from within a hundred miles of the city. The mar- 

 kets are municipally owned and the rentals are re- 

 duced to a minimum, thus making it attractive for 

 the farmer to come to town and sell. The highest 

 price paid for a stall in the meat section is $48 a 

 year. Under the sheds the prices range from $24 

 to $36 per year, while street stalls cost only $22 a 

 year. Farmers who come in irregularly pay 25 

 cents a day. As compared with these rates, the 

 price for market space in New York is $1.50 per 

 square foot, which is a prohibitive price for the 

 farmer from the districts outside the city, while 

 the stall-holders pay from $1,500 to $3,000 a year. 



The superintendent of city markets in Baltimore 

 says that most markets fail because the farmers 

 have not been encouraged to come in and sell direct. 

 The markets are frequently controlled by profit- 

 making manipulators. The Baltimore markets are 

 more than self-supporting, although no attempt is 

 made to derive revenue from them for other than 

 market purposes. 



(4) The meat supply can never be controlled save 



