STREET HAWKERS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2162, 30 May 1914, Page 6

STREET HAWKERS

REPORT I!V city inspector. The folio-,vin;; report by Mr, .T. Devle; (city hisjHy. ior) 0.11 the subject of hawkers anct tjioir licenses was suhr.iiUod 10 the By-laws Cmnmitteo of the City. Council last month, a;n4 fa embodied by Mi'. Doyle in. his aiihttdi report:"-- ' "Forty-four fcuvkois' licenses were issued dMriiis iko year to 23 Bomfey men, .18 Enirlislnneri, 7 Greeks, and i : Assyrian. ' The Bombay wen wet© all engaged, in the fruit business, but wmo. of tfem have left the- city or taken up' other atioits., an® t'he .poStiittn M>\y ■ is tljatf thpro aw 13 fruit stands in the; city, S of tliesio ate used by 1,3 ]3o;nbay. men, 3 % Greeks, and 2 by Englisr.rncn. Street stands are provideil for/ by Sections 007, 9&8, ami !)•)!),.-of the by-law, aiid in 'selecting the positions for these stands I try to keep thorn as .far as possible. fro-to fruit' shops, atid iu places where there is the least likelihood of obstruction, '•Shopkeepers few* alw-frys' complained of iho unfair com:petition ol lie street hawker. tint under the existing by-latv 1 have jw rigid to refuse an application for a'license' afld a stswl if the applicant produces a certificate from two respectable ■ persons to the • effect that life is of koi!3 character. In every cASe before a licowse is issued these ser* iificates ate f'.iyniehod and are shown on the application forms. With regard to the habits of the Bemhay ifletii 'the inspectors haw instructions to pay Special attention, to their houses ajfld the reports show that they have lir.t'c. or no furniture., they generally sleep on the ilonr or on ftispfcy fruit br.ses, they are Mined to crowd into one roosts and store their , lfuit. tin the others; thfty am futie-t, inoffensive pcor>!e, Twit their- ignorance of the Eiisf'Sh laiisunso makes it verv difficult for ihe inspectors to enforce the sanitary regtthuions, and" uviiwnlly the conditions ii'iJer wliif;i they live renders them u'iidesiratea oititens.

■"'I do n#k think it would Ire wise to abolish tlM.stands, because airy jidftnsed lowlier could ilivn si and in Cubs -Swot, for oxaAiple. ill front n fruit fhop, as long as lie was- scrying customer!-, withrut comimiHint! 3, breach of fto hvlaw. If tiio foe tor a sfeiwl (gcfjtkn 9§7) \rero charged, In addition to the li'wnso lco £1 per annum, it would at least reduce the number of _ applicants, t>r, as tt» alternative, tiio city solicitor might bo asltcd ifl advise as to- whether tl.vo council lifts P'Wor to wiias an area of tite city witMn" wlr-di lisuvluni; might be p.roWVited; in ar.v case, an iimcTidmont of the. law vrcnl.l bo accessary."