THE ANTI-HAWKERS' LEAGUE EMPLOYS HAWKERS!

NZ Truth, Issue 1209, 31 January 1929, Page 1

THE ANTI-HAWKERS' LEAGUE EMPLOYS HAWKERS !

OSTENSIBLY, the League's object is , to exterminate" the door-t.q-d.qor I hawker pest. For this professed purpose the ihaugurators conceived the bright idea of canvassing the public and "enrolling" such citizens who are not kindly disposed towards itinerant traders. -- ' .'._ „ Books of' "certificate of enrolment" forms have been printed, and are; being. circulated by the League's own door-to-door representatives — hawkers themselves! At first glance 'these certificates seem to be something m the nature of a rather sluggish jokp. Reading on, however, m conjunction with the readymade elucidations made by the glibNo Joke In It tongued representative, one gathers that, far from being a joke, the League's campaign against the hawking fraternity is a bitterly serious business. '.. ■ It is a business as serious and as purely commercial 'as that which takes the vendor bf any new-fangled household commodity to every doorway, for to become a member of .the -. AntiHawkers' League and the proud possessor of an "enrolment certificate," a householder must, part up with two shillings.' In the case of the hawker of goods the purchaser usually gets something, however trashy, m return for his florin, whereas iri a cash transaction with the

ITINERANT CANVASSERS, BEWARE!

Men Selling Notice Plates Worth Nothing, and Enrolling Members of An Organization Aimed At Warning-off Other Hawkers Selling Articles of Some Value IMPERTINENT MONEY-MAKING SCHEME

There seerris td be. a tidal-wave of trickery sweeping over the Dominion and for variety and originality New Zealand^ get-rich-quicksters ar& equal to the World's best or worst. The latest and easily the most impudent hocus-pocus sham to come to light is "The Anti-Hawk-ers'League." , '■]■■' For inventiveness and sheer, unbleached audacity, the "founders" of the Anti-Hawkers' League deserve the blue ribbon. As a cool-headed attempt to. enact a proverb, the Anti-Hawkers' League could come under the heading, "set a Thief To Catch a Thief" or "Diamonds cut Diamonds". .

Anti-Hawkers' League, all one h_is'to show is a certificate, a replica of .which is shown on this page. . Having, at. a cost of two shillings, , been admitted into the noble body which heralds the perdit.on of all peddlers, the new member can see for himself how with what really drastic measures the League pro- , tects his mansion and;, meat-safe from unwelcome visitors,. The "certificate" reads:— I . . . .' desire to become a member of the Anti-Hawkers' League of New Zealand, whereby .iti is agreed as ''follows.. -^r"agree';ToVpa'y ; ' the sum of tw*o shiliirigs (2/-) enrolriient fee.. ;.. ,l . I further agree to hire a Notice Plate to be supplied by, the League at a yearly hire of two shillings (2/-), the first such .payment to be due and payable on delivery of tlie plate Post Office Box L • ' ——— -l and thereafter by :\ yearly payments of the said hire. The League shall supply the said Notice Plate and affix the same wherever required by the member, and shall advertise at intervals 1 warning Hawkers and Canvassers from calling on members of the . League,' and shall; if required so -to ' do, undertake the prosecution m the name of the member, of any Hawker or Canvasser contravening the ing of the League. ' .■ The said Notice Plate shall be" and remain the property of the League and may be removed at the expiration of (12) twelve months. ' The "certificate" does not indicate that the League is registered, arid beyond the words, "Executive for N.Z., Box 1098,- Wellington," appearing m the right-hand top corner, there is no address of any official headquarters or controlling body attached to the enterprise. .■■■■. ... , !

So much for the .first two shillings' [lege, of saying where the notice is to be worth. ' placed, but as the plate, which is made When the much-referred to of metal, measures only five by two "Plate" arrives- on the scene the and a-half inches, and as most hawkmember fishes out another florin ers are afflicted with eyesight which piece for .the privilege of having never sees anything short of a.fourhis gate-post decorated with the foot hoarding conveying the warning, notice which is intended to strike the "beware of the dog," the' position terror into the hearts of all door- of a pocket-edition "No Hawkers" to-door bagmen. ■'-- sign is a matter of little imjiort. The member can exercise the privi- , For his diligence m raking m idle

silver pieces from the unsuspecting public, a. "salesman" gets Bel. commission , on the "enrolment" two shillings, and 6d. ditto out of ihe second payment or "hirage" fee for the diminutive "No Hawkers" notice plate.

The League is gradually spreading its wings over the Dominion.

Traversing a neighborhood, which avus known to have been "done" by certain of the Anti-Hawker .crusaders, a "Truth" representative .'gleaned some idea of how the impudent scheme is put over. y

With the aid of a directory list, the : an.ti -haw'ker .;-jawkexi ...f ollp^VS; „up :., his, knock at the door with a genial "Good morning, Mrs. Easymark." ••■•

Introducing the subject of hawker nuisances, the go-getter, produces his book of 100 duplicated "certificate" forms, and' represents the business as a "petition for the purpose of checkmating the large army of hawkers and

Prosecution Bait

canvassers which invades every neighborhood. The main bait on the "enrolment certificate" is the clause stating i that the League "shall, if required,' so to do, undertaket'.ie prosecution m the name of the member, of any hawker- or canvasser contravening * the warning of the League." Of course, the cunnirigly couchedinfcrence' is tHat thea'so-called "warnings" of the League -'.are on a similar basis to* the regulations laid down by such legitimate bodies as the Acclimatization Society or the Automobile Association, the restrictions qf which bodies are interwoven with /-.' statutory legislation and by-laws. As a matter of. fact, the League's "No Hawkers" notice is.no more effective than a privately, erected. "No Trespassers" board. And to , bring criminal prosecution of a licensed hawker for "contravening" such notice — provided there had been no evidence

of threats, abuse, assault,, or other disorderly conduct towards the occupier of the property— would be considered a joke, while a civil claim might, with luck, be rewarded with a farthing damages! As the League "certificate" states that the- proceedings would be taken "m the name of' the member," the benefits, of membership . ■ are merely so much eye-wash. .It is quite apparent • that to keep within the law the League's representatives should themselves be m possession of .hawkers' licences, and when it is considered that there are scores, of really genuine ... and honest travelling Gulling Public traders, peddling legitimate and useful articles, the activities of the AntiHawkers' League constitute a barej faced hoax whereby the ranks of the unwanted, and worst class of hawker are -reinforced. It is a shameless and Cartful dodge' [to gull the public, a deliberate instance of the pot calling the- kettle black, and a disreputable effort to take the bread out of the mouths of dozens of honest triers, to put . if into those of a; few grafting- schemers. Householders -who own dogs are adHlsed to "sool" the animals on to AntiHawkers' 'League hawkers, and those who haven't should call the nearest policeman. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin