WGBH Journal; Farmers Market; Gray

Good afternoon and welcome to GBH Journal I'm Bill cavernous. A farmers market where fresh produce is sell directly to consumers. A discussion of some of the housing problems faced by the elderly. A monthly meeting of post card collectors and commentary from the airlines for features which will hear on today's Journal. One of the many joys of summer is the availability of fresh produce to and those city dwellers certainly benefit from the freshness of the grove the produce of that buy in stores. The taste of a just picked tomatoes usually escapes them simply because they have no direct access to farm or garden. How to get a real tomato to a city dweller. This question is being answered to some extent in Boston with the institution of neighborhood farmers markets in places where the growers are Proteus can sell merchandise directly to the city dwelling consumer. The first of these farmers markets will be held

in Dorchester tomorrow. Nude Walker prepared this report. A farmer's market is a form of direct marketing and basically in its simplest terms what it is as a way for growers. Be they rural farmers or urban gardeners a place for them to come and sell their produce directly to consumers and the advantages of this are I guess are are many fold one that allows the person the grows the produce the farmer or the gardener to bypass the middle person. And sell the produce price above wholesale yet below retail so that the farmer can make more on his or her produce and second of all it means that the consumers in most cases pay less for their produce and also get fresh nutritious vegetables and fruits for the money. The farmer's market is perhaps the oldest form of direct marketing in the world and it will be reintroduced to the Boston area tomorrow at Field's corner in Dorchester.

Their inner city shoppers will have a chance to buy fresh picked and unprocessed produce directly from the grower and the farmer interior and can sell large volumes without paying a middleman for transportation. Greg Watson of the Department of Agriculture's division of land use explains the benefits of the farmer's market. I don't think it's any surprise to anyone who lives in Massachusetts that we pay more for our food than anyone else in the 48 contiguous United States. The reason for this is that Massachusetts has to import 85 percent of its food most of it from the west coast over 40 percent from California some from Arizona New Mexico. So what I mean what that means is a transportation and handling costs are added to most of the food that we we receive. We'd like to make. Available to people especially low income citizens and then there in Boston we like to make available to them fresh nutritious produce at a lower cost so we can do this by again by direct marketing and the other purpose in stablish in these farmer's markets is to

help Massachusetts farmers who because of high costs taxes and a lot of other reasons find it very hard to survive in Massachusetts were losing farmers at the rate of about two hundred a year. The farmer's plight is severe in Massachusetts. Their land is often assessed at prices beyond the farmer's reach. And once that land falls out of agricultural use it rarely returns to cut their costs. Farmers have been receptive to the idea of selling directly to the consumer. Many are expected to travel from the Connecticut River Valley in order to participate in the Fields Corner Market. They will reintroduce quality to the inner city shopper because we depend so much on out-of-state produce in supermarkets. What usually happens is that we find that chemical additives in one form or another preservatives you've seen the cucumbers with the waxed over overlook and that's because they have to be transported across the country. What we're providing one in most cases are very reasonable prices prices that are low. They're less than

supermarket prices. And also the nutritional value and there's the the quality I think is probably the most important aspect of this and I think that when people come to the farmer's markets and and get a look and smell the taste of this produce they'll realize to the quality is the main thing that we're there we're stressing here the Fields Corner Market was organized by a local businessman and a group called the Dorchester Greenland's preserve. It is expected to contribute to neighborhood resurgence as well as public education concerning the food we eat. I think that the the social and cultural benefits to be derived from a farmer's market in many cases are overlooked in their ass important as I think of some of the economic benefits. I should point out that one of the other economic benefits because the fact that local merchants usually experience an increase in their business during the operation of a farmer's market basically because we've they find that there is a an extra flow of people. Another one of the benefits of a farmer's market is that there are some educational aspects of the market. We've been able to.

Require the services of a nutritionist who will prepare information for us hope and will be at many of the markets to answer questions about produce and vegetables in many cases it's surprising a New York market for instance there are a great many people who are unaware that some of the local produce that was grown we have never never seen it before and some of the farmers are explaining what the produce was how you cook it and they were exchanging recipes on the spot so there's that sort of interaction it's going on the Fields Corner Market will also be a festive occasion. What's going to be happening at Dorchester on July 8th is that they've gotten permission to close off a portion of Dorchester Avenue from 9:00 a.m. in the morning until 1:00 PM in the afternoon. There will be in addition to farmers selling their produce there will be sidewalk sales. Local merchants there will be entertainment provided by summer thing and we hope to to create a real festive festive atmosphere at these markets we like for it to be an event something that people enjoy coming to. So far markets have been scheduled for Dorchester Roxbury and the South Bend

but other communities like Cambridge Summerville Austin and Brighton are interested too. Any community with a vacant lot can organize a market. In many cases they're just open lots of parking lots church parking lots vacant lots that we found around the city. And what we've done is invited farmers or growers to dry right into a lot and in many cases it's they just open up the backs of their trucks flap down and pull out their produce and sell directly from their truck so and in some cases even much simpler than a market we weave in sometimes forgo elaborate setups and make it as simple and as easy and as direct as possible. The markets are not only for rural farmers. Anybody with a window sill tomato plant can sell their surplus. The only stipulation for selling and farmer's market is that your produce is Massachusetts grown. So we're encouraging community gardens individual backyard gardeners. If they do have surplus to bring it down to the farmers market because there are we welcome them along with the rural farmers.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the farmer's market can call Greg Watson at the Department of Agriculture division of land use for GBH Journal. This is new walker. Let's let's be personal that's something I believe in very much because I am definitely an older person in fact I'm 74 and I am just as interested in life now as I was when I was younger. In fact I think I'm I don't think I've ever felt more energy than I do

right at this time. And also I feel that I believe in the developmental developmental aspect of living because I don't feel I've arrived when I was young. I thought by the time I was 74 I would have arrived. You know I could sort of put a period and say My life has been good and here it is. Period. But now I don't feel that way because I'm just as interested in what's going to come in what's going to happen to the rest of my life as I have been in what has happened up to this point. Lois Harris is a member of the Boston chapter of the Gray Panthers The Panthers are committed to the rights of elderly people in our society and they combine the energy of members both old and young to implement change. The group is involved in many activities one is the Life program living is for the elderly which encourages nursing home residents to take more control over their lives. Housing is a major concern for the Panthers. Harris focused on

this issue as it affects the elderly in an interview with reporter Martin come on her. There are a number of issues that surround the problem of housing particularly housing for people that are growing older in the United States. What does the concept segregated housing mean or why is that an issue that the Panthers have become involved in so far. Most of the houses are available particularly for persons of somewhat limited means is in segregated housing that is public housing now largely has housing for elderly separate separate. And I think the question of security zones and so forth is considered but but I think that more and more persons are beginning to say older persons are beginning to say I'd like to be with other persons of other ages and I think that if the more we can give persons like this a chance who want to live a persons of other ages a chance to do it this is an alternative that that is

desirable. So you think that the possibilities of intergenerational living should be expanded. I definitely think they should be. What about. Some older people that are forced to relocate because they can't afford to pay the rent or because their building has been purchased for future condominium conversion or because they can't pay the taxes on their home a home means a lot to a person I think a home is something more than just the building in which you live. It's the corner grocery store. More in the past than it is now. The butter suppression from whom you get your newspaper and with whom you exchanged comments about the weather. It's it's probably your church or or your center your synagogue and and because you can no longer afford to pay what the rent is asked. Particularly if the building is remodeled and becomes a showplace as a

community. This is fine for the person whose coming in is fine perhaps for the appearance of the neighborhood but what does it do to the community if it does. The community is deprived of these older persons who still have something to give to the community and it's a sort of a shabby way to treat those who want to remain. I understand that the great Panthers in Boston are trying to start a new program called the shared living project. And that sort of ties in with some the things we've been talking about a year ago February. We found out that there were some funds available through the Older Americans Act for groups interested in exploring alternative lifestyles. So we thought we have nothing to lose and we got together and old people and young people together worked out a proposal and we were delighted and surprised to find out that we we and the Back

Bay 18 concern committee that sponsored it jointly with us were given a grant of money for the first four years expiration. And we were right in the midst of that now have a house on Marlboro street that is licensed as a as a rooming house and it's being considered we're trying to get funds together and we're trying to offer this as possible as the first. Proposed congregate living site in the Back Bay and I believe that we can take of building over and help the residents make it a kind of a place that will be very attractive for the Back Bay. And we have hopes that eventually

this building can be run by the residents themselves. Do you think this is an example of the Panthers implementing their philosophy. I do think it is. Now it may sound deceptively simple. What we're doing now is not. It's taken the work of architects young young and old people skilled in finance. It's taken a lot of willingness to approach foundations and so forth. But but it's and it's a struggle but it's a struggle that I think is very worthwhile. All too many of us have experienced long distance travel to the seat of postcards and the most

obvious postcard to become a symbol of vicariously experiencing other people to adventures. For some however postcard collecting constitutes a serious hobby to base a postcard collectors club was founded in 1949 and has 600 members once a month. The club meets in Boston that provides its members with an opportunity to buy or sell or trade their collections. Even Dukat attended one of these monthly meetings and has this report. On the second Sunday of every month people from all over New England gather in one of the back rooms of the YMCA in Boston. What's the occasion. The meeting of the Bay State postcard Collectors Club and it's the act of trading several club members or dealt a ologists as they call themselves talked about the appeal of their past time first Vincentio Brian director of the club. Well I think it's a form of American style Sure. There was a golden age of cards from around 1900 to World War

1 and at that time we we had the finest cad ever produced in both in Germany England and in this country. It is a hobby that has grown measurably in the last 10 years. I think it's partly because of the great interest in collecting that we find all over the country now. Old furniture old books old paintings anything old people want to acquire. Also I think partly it's because of the inflation people feel that their money is far better invested in how material whether it be gold bullion silver bullion on a more artistic forms whether it be choice paintings choice books to us old postcards. Bob Brown a quite different Rhode Island finds postcards in aid in historical research which he conducts is a hobby that I collect a card that I can

use. As resource material and collecting data for local history and genealogical research. Pictures with people that are identified that might be on a postcard sometimes were postcards of family reunions which were printed commercially. One card that I have that's interesting shows Brigham Young and twenty one of his wives and I just picked it up for almost nothing somewhere. And then I went on and I researched the family background of all the wives that appeared on the post. It was quite interesting. You'll find that most of the people who ended up in Utah had no England rights behind them. One particular woman was a Huntington Samuel Huntington was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. And she ended up on one of them Young's wives.

The prices on postcards vary tremendously. Vincentio Brian explains some of the things you can buy for 5 cents and 10 cents and many cards are in the 25 50 and dollar range but the ratrace items they can go up too many dollars for instance I mentioned some of the some of those buy very special law such as milk can bring 30 40 50 or more dollars depending on the subject. One post from one post. The categories of postcards represented were infinite. Eugene fortune a dealer from Rhode Island had one particularly interesting box of cards one in women because some people goes for one is some people goes for the ladies and postcards. Yeah he said a rare category. No it's not really a rare category is just that certain categories of people because you know people pick out certain categories because they like what's on the card. Is it a big seller when it usually is you know she has some pretty girls I know postcards from

girls and everything else and dress in the old costumes you know little hatchet I mean like that which is the old fashion type and that's what they go in men mostly mostly men. Yeah yeah. The ladies don't touch him too. They buy particular everything. Yes. Thank you. See there's so many different kinds of categories and those alphabets when they get the days of the week and there's all kinds of greeting overseas and somewhere for special days such as St. Patrick's Day at Washington's Birthday. Memorial Day as there was a series of ships and lighthouses military automobiles transportation of all types leaving Haitian children.

Some people like trolleys railroad stations airplanes motels hotels et cetera. This is. The news with. Red Sox fever and 90 degree temperatures of big simultaneously as baseball comes up to its mid season pause for the All-Star game Tuesday at midpoint the Red Sox lead their league by 10 games with a almost unprecedented record of 55 games one to 24 lost percentage in boxcar dialect of 696 their fanatical routers or conventions as they had been rained out twice in the past week. It would be past 700.

Under threat of contempt a court the Commons Union ended their illegal strike after one day that left the area without public transportation on the hottest day of the year. The work stoppage was aimed at pressuring the legislature against passage of a bill to bring the MBT a workers more in line with the pay of other public employees. It appears to have the opposite effect to drop the bill now would be to admit yielding to union power after the legislation had been fully publicised by the strike to an angry public. The bill would make two changes in fixing Commons pay. It would eliminate their quarterly wage adjustment to the cost of living. A special advantage not enjoyed by other public employees that confers a unique immunity to information and requirement of the arbitrator of wage negotiations take into account ability of the MBT communities to meet a pay a ward of their property taxes. Back of this is an historic leverage the Carmine's Union has had with the legislature going

back to the state's take over of the MBT a system they've been allowed an effective veto on the selection of arbitrator which over the years has raised their wage level above that of other public employees. A big factor in the big MBT a deficit on the cities and towns. And finally untenable in the current anti tax climate. The legislature has also been under bombardment of demonstration by the union of state employees for its failure to pass a budget so leaving employees without pay due the first of the month. The legislative hang up has been over a failure of the two houses to agree on language for an anti-abortion amendment to hang on the budget. The governor announced his intention to veto legislation that denies use of Medicaid funds for abortions to attach the anti abortion rider to the budget is a tactic a tactic to frustrate a veto. A piece of magic conglomerate news today Hoden Mifflin Company Boston

publishers announced agreement with the Western Pacific industries to buy back the three hundred twenty seven thousand shares of the publishing company's stock that the west coast can coast conglomerate had acquired. The news in April of the incursion of the industrial complex in the local book publishing had brought a public protest by Holton Mifflin authors after yesterday's stock divestiture. Chairman Howard Newman of Western Pacific said his company had had no intention of interfering with hope Mithun operations but he respected the author's concerns. Government reports today show unemployment reduced substantially from six point one percent in May to 5.7 percent in June but inflation in June has kept on the May's high rate wholesale prices up seven tenths of a percent in June. This dampening administration hopes for a slowdown in inflation. Federal Reserve Board reports of increasing

consumer credit indicate American buying in anticipation of higher prices. Farmer's market is opening tomorrow in fields Kona dachas the first of three to be operated weekly within the city sponsored by the State Department of Agriculture in cooperation of many consumer groups. The other markets will be in Roxbury and self then and later 14 more in suburbs. Farmers for a fee of two dollars can park their trucks for fresh vegetables within the five acre lot and Fields Corner sanity to sell direct to consumers. This is expect a deal to farmers more than wholesale prices and consumers a better price than in the supermarkets and fresher produce. This Dorchester market will be open Saturdays 3:51 until September next Friday the market and Roxbury will open on a parking lot on Sherman Avenue to operate 9 to 1 Fridays to October. The south end market will open two weeks from today July 21 at Columbus Avenue in Holyoke street to operate from

three o'clock to seven Fridays until September. These markets will give local farmers an outlet for produce grown in smaller volume than the supermarkets will bother with and will give consumers a chance to produce at produce whose freshness is their essential quality. Green corn lettuce berries string beans a chance to market is sepals at peak season enables a family to offer a bargain prices for a price inflation is most extreme at fruit and vegetable counters for example a package of eight spears of asparagus was marked 95 cents at a Cambridge market yesterday. Strawberries a dollar and 35 cents a quart box. Green beans. 59 cents a pound. Direct marketing to the consumer is one answer says agriculture commissioner winter a prototype of the farmer's markets here is the new green market in New York City that is prob spectacularly successful in its first two seasons. It's brought farmers in from miles around to short circuit the middle man commission agents

and sell to offer prices at once profitable of firemen a bargain to the consumer. New York City customers have learned what a fresh tomato looks and feels and tastes like before it's been processed. What green corn tastes like today is perfect. And fresh eggs the day after they're laid most of the New York most of the New Yorker magazine of July 3rd that's my last week is given to an account of this green market in New York with another summit meeting scheduled in Bonn July 15. United States trade negotiator Robert Strauss announced this week that European Economic Community negotiators barring American farm exports is unacceptable. The trade negotiators at Geneva haven't enough authority strives to call ahead to make decisions on trade and tariff protection for their farmers has been a traditional policy of European governments basic to their domestic politics. A full third of

American farm sales depends on exports. Strauss points out he called a news conference to demand concessions from the Geneva negotiators. Quite evidently lay the groundwork for President Carter's position at the Bonn meeting. United Nations Secretary-General Waldheim calls the Bonn effort to harmonize economic policies crucial to the whole world. He saw no cause for optimism in the world economy. The decline of the dollar continues to be a chief factor in foreign trade and a chief factor in the big American trade deficit. The cheaper dollar makes imports cost more to the Japanese and Germans this is a problem in maintaining their exports to this country affecting TV sets railroad equipment machine tools instruments bicycles Commerce Department reports however that American mixed economic expansion has caused an increase of more than a third in the imports of machinery and manufactured goods over a year ago. Thirty seven billions of these imports as more than double that of imported

oil in the first half here or oil imports were less in the first half year in the first half. Then in the first half of last year down from 17 and 610 billions last year to 15 and 19 billion accounted for by the opening of Alaska oil. By all conservation and industry and by public resistance to inflated oil prices. Alaska oil has brought a glut of oil on the West Coast and raised pressure for export ing the surplus which is forbidden by Congress legislation on the Alaskan oil pipeline. But less than a year after the pipeline started diverting delivering oil to west coast tankers the surplus for use in California is reported. Five hundred barrels 500000 barrels a day. That must be shipped expensively through the Panama Canal. To reach Eastern market development of North Sea oil is reported a factor in reducing the rate of inflation in Britain. Washington has protested to Moscow the salvia

charges against the two American correspondents whose trial arraignment was set for today but postponed in what looked like a threat retaliation in the six Soviet correspondence in this country were called in for re accreditation this week a process that had been used in 15 years. Vice President Mondale completed his mission to the Middle East to register with Egypt and Israel. The administration is concerned to see negotiations resume. So that was encouraged to produce to propose a basis for negotiation. But again rejected it but talks will be held in London later this month. A federal district court judge Joseph Toro gave his judgment on Chelsea's library book case this week. The school committee he ruled had no right to remove from the high school library an anthology that contained a poem the school committee chairman disapproved of. Sexual words in the poem may shock but it communicates the judge ruled the issue was the right to read. To borrow a book from a library school committee must show a

substantial government interest in the action and hold a public hearing on it. And so we completed a GBH journal with thanks to producer much I heard from engineer Michael Gerson. I don't get to have a fine time at writing.