HAWKERS AND PEDLARS.

Taihape Daily Times, 24 June 1919, Page 5

HAWKERS AND PEDLARS.

To the Editor. others, I was greatly sup. prised at the action of the Taihape Tradesmen's Association in requesting the Borough Council to penalise casual trading within the Borough. It is not surprising that the request should have been 'Supported as it was hy the Coun ell, as such action could only he ex peeted from a body composed of ‘ business men.” Cr. Fookes, in explaining the attitude of the Association, ob- | jeefed to. traders taking a shop, cutf ti)n.g prices and lelaving after a few days. He contended that this class of trading was not fair to those who paid rates and taxes in the town, and 'advocated the imposition of a license fee Every fair-minded person must agree that the class of txiading objected to is miore beneficial than harmful, as it is apparent that such traders carry on their business with no special advantages in comparison with those of permanent casual trader takes a shop in town,

lie has to pay the same amount of

freight to get his goods here, and he •has to pay higher rental for his shop. If married, he has pay house rent, or board and Hedging if single. By paying rent for the shop he pays the rates and taxes of the owner, if he pays house-.renl, he pays the rates and taxes of the houseowner; and if he pays hoard and lodging, assists the boardinghouse keeper to pay rates and taxes. In addition, he would have taxes of his own —to- pay. As his goods cost him ns much the goods of a permanent trader, as he pays the same amount of freight and as he pays indirectly as much in rates and taxes as any permanent trader, why penalise him because he is giatisfied with a smaller profit? The

public benfits by being able to purchase goods at a lower price, and the casual 'trader -shonfld, therefore, b T c encouraged. If Cr. Eookes and the

Mayor consider that by cutting prices, casual traders make big profits, and

by acting np to that belief by advocating a penJalty for casual traders, they are supporting exploitation by permanent traders who have combined .for. the purpose of keeping prices up. If a casual trader can make a profit by taking a shop in town. and under-selling the permanent traders, the squealing for protection by the permanents is due only to their desire to be allowed to continue to exploit the people for the extra profit represented by the difference between the casual’s prices and the permanent’s prices. Is the Council representative of only the business

section of the community? Does it not jsjpo represent the interests of the workers and the public generally I If

it has any regard. Tor the general welfare of the..people it would not assist in maintaining high prices for commodities by penalising casnial traders and thus forcing the latter to recoup themselves by charging the penalty to their .customers, and thus adding to the cost of r t ;Foohes} or any other business ( men, wish to sell goods at present prices let them do so; but it should not be the function of la public body to prevent any trader whatever from [selling at lower prices.

If the business men object to casual traders taking money out of the town they did not set a very good example when they guaranteed la largo sum of money to a lot of Yankee dollar-hun-ters before they knew whether the

latter could "produce the goods/’ and they set a still worse example by catering into a second, guarantee. Casual trailers of fhc Chautauqua class do not benefit the public, but the business people gave them a guarantee instead 'of suggesting a penalty. The

reason: Chautauqua did not compete against anyone of them in any line of business; but the Yanks took away

(a lot of dollars without going to much expense on their own account. The casual trader undersells the permanent; hence the impudent attempt

to induce a public body to penalise the trader -who benefits the people by selling his goods at a reasonable price. Thanking you in anticipation, I am, etc., NO RESTRICTION