ITINERANT HAWKER.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 8, 29 January 1915, Page 1

ITINERANT HAWKER.

When the Town Board's by-laws are being finally revised we hope provision will be made for exacting due toll or license fees from the various itinerant hawkers who visit the district. The local business men, whether they canvass fur business or not, have usually a fair burden of rates and other taxation to pay, and it is manifestly unfair to the tradespeople when a travelling hawker can come along and compete in certain leading lines of business without paying anything by way of rent or ta.ves or spending in the clistiict a fair proportion of the cash obtaiued. The local tradesman has to pay wages, patroniso other businesses, assist the progress and development of his town, contribute to charitable and uncharitable objects, and very often has a good stako invested in the locality. The cheap-jack hawker has nothing at stake, not even the reputation of his goods ; and if he sells a lot of second rate goods which do not turn out satisfactory people try to congple themselves with the fact were cheap, and it does not nelissarily hurt the business of the itinerant hawker. But the business man has to supply a reasonable article so as to retain his custom. Quite apart from the <|ueß- - of quality of goods, however, the right to sell in a district escaping all forms of local taxation is too marked an advantage over the tradesmen renting premises, etc. It is therefore desirable that a license fee should be fixed and all hawkers taxed for a fair sum. A fee of £1 or £2 a year for a license to hawk in the town district would be a useful contribution to the Board's funds, besides making the itinerant trader pay for the privilege of competing against local business people.