OPEN MARKETS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1055, 20 August 1930, Page 8

OPEN MARKETS

Sir, — I am sure there are a large number of people in Auckland who would be delighted to have the privilege- of buying goods, especially foodstuffs, such as fruit and even groceries, in an open market of the type to be found in many of the large towns and cities of England. Many people have lived in market towns, and I know “that being unable to go to the market” is one of the things in their usual routine of shopping that they miss very much. When I was iif* England recently, 1 paid visits to a number of market towns, and visited the markets at Leeds, Bradford. Burnley, Derby, Leicester, and also visited Petticoat Lane, Edgeware Road and other streets in London where similar trading was being carried on. While visiting these places I bought fruit and other things that I would not have gone into shops to buy. Money is spent in this manner that otherwise would not be spent. Going to the market is quite an event in England, i always found a certain amount of pleasure and interest in visiting them I would stop and gaze in admiration at the splendid displays of fruit and fish in the Market Hall in Leeds, while in the open market there were many stalls, a few patent medicine vendors and cure-alls, any one of whom was prepared to entertain the audience present for half an hour at a time. 1 wonder what the citizens of Leeds would have to say if the corporation decided to cut the market out Leicester would feel it had lost its principal attraction if its market was done away with, for there are many people who visit market towns from outside districts who would not do so

were the market closed. Business in the town shops is always brisker or market days. “Pard’ess” says: “Shops and warehouses are unnecessary!” I do not agree with him. It is the shops and warehouses that are responsible for towns being towns and cities being cities,* and they are necessary for the progress of such settlements. Neither do I favour using the main streets, for I consider it to be unfair competition with those shops selling the same class of goods close by and which are paying heavy rents. No doubt it is very interesting to go among the stalls in the streets as they are in Toulon, France, but I don’t think we have any streets which are suitable for such uses. To make a market pay in Auckland there must first be a well-chosen site, central and with sufficient level ground around on which to put the stalls. Where have we such a place? The wholesale market would be unsuitable, being too far out of the way. The old retail market was in a good position, but il was altogether out of date and there was no room around it then on which tc bold an open market. F. FIELDING Point Chevalier.