OPEN TYPES OF PUBLIC MARKETS. 17 



women's clubs, labor organizations, and similar agencies. The co- 

 operation of the press should also be obtained. The economics of the 

 market enterprise should be frankly discussed with grocers' organi- 

 zations, chambers of commerce, and boards of trade in an effort to 

 show that the establishment of the market will be beneficial to all 

 classes of the community. 



If the market is to be established under municipal auspices, it will 

 be necessary that an appropriate ordinance be adopted unless one 

 exists on the statute books. The agencies seeking to bring about the 

 establishment of a market should obtain adequate legal assistance in 

 the drafting of an ordinance to meet local conditions and needs. 1 



If the market is to be under private operation it will probably be 

 necessary or desirable to form a corporation. Competent legal advice 

 should be obtained. 



OPERATION OF A MARKET. 



The importance of intelligent management of a market has been 

 indicated. The mistake should not be made of obtaining the services 

 of a mere caretaker. The success or failure of a market will depend 

 as much on whether an efficient or an inefficient manager is placed in 

 charge as on any other factor. An effort should be made to employ as 

 manager a man familiar with the merchandising of food products, 

 who understands and is in sympathy with the functions of a public 

 market, and who can be depended upon to do all in his power to make 

 the enterprise a success. 



A certain amount of bookkeeping will be necessary even on the 

 smallest market of the simplest type. A system of tickets, receipts, 

 and stubs can be devised, however, which will greatly simplify such 

 work. The names and addresses of producers who rent reserved 

 space, together with the numbers of their stalls, should be kept on file 

 in the manager's office. 



On some of the larger municipal markets a staff of assistants has 

 been developed under the supervision of the market management 

 through which is collected each day information in regard to pre- 

 vailing prices and quantities of the several products on the market 

 and other market data. This information is incorporated into a 

 daily bulletin which is mailed for a small subscripton price to farm- 

 ers, dealers, and other interested parties. It is also made available to 

 the local press. 



1 A full suggestive ordinance from which provisions may be selected to meet the needs 

 of most municipalities has been published by the United States Department of Agriculture 

 as Service and Regulatory Announcement (Markets) 69. A copy will be sent on appli- 

 cation to the Bureau of Markets and Crop Estimates, Washington, D. C. 



