OPEN MARKET.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 172, 23 July 1930, Page 10

OPEN MARKET.

SALE OF PRODUCE IN CiTY.

EXPERIMENT OF YEARS AGO.

HOUSEWIVES WOULD NOT BUY.

At; a recent meeting of a suburban local i body, one of the members advo-cated-'starting an open market for produce in:' Auckland, to enable the consumer to. buy direct from the producer and thus save middle men's costs. The idea is l.ot a new one, for over half a century ago the Auckland City Council tried the experiment, and met with failure. On part of the area which it was proposed to form into a civic square, the council erected a market building, with numerous small stalls, which it was intended to rent to small farmers on

market day. Those were the times when the small settlers at Onehunga, Howick, and Pah mure used to drive into town on market day with butter, eggs,' cheese, poultry and vegetables (and occasionally sucking pigs), which they hawked round the city.

The market proved-a failure for the reason" that the housewives of Auckland were not prepared to go long distances to make purchases and carry goods home. They preferred to buy from those who called at the house. Another cause of failure was that,many of the small farmers had their regular round of customers for market .day, and therefore did not need to take a stall in the market. The council next passed a regulation to prevent the hawking of produce from house to house until after noon on market day,'but this dick not have any good effect. For' a while the stalls were used as small shops. Then a portion of the structure was turned into a skating rink. In later.years each of the four wings was rented'by auctioneering firms, and finally, when the new city markets were built near the waterfront, tlie old building was pulled down.