NEWSVENDORS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19080, 16 August 1927, Page 6

NEWSVENDORS.

POSTERS AND SEATS. COUNCIL FAVOURS RESTRICTION. One of the clauses in the By-laws Committee's report to the City Council last evening read as follows: —"The committee has had under consideration the question of reducing the number of . posters displayed by several newspaper companies in the City, having arranged with those concerned to display only one placard at each of the various newsvending positions, and has in 6ne ease re ced the number of positions from thirty-six to twenty-five." Cr. G. Manning said he was strongly opposed to the proposal, to take away from the vendors the boxes on which they sat. The Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer) said, the statement was correct, yet incorrect. (Laughter.) Tie said the news-' paper proprietors were using the streets as shops without paying any rates.- In : some, streets there were three or four boxes, some of which were used to store the papers. Jf this went on people 1 would not be able to walk on the footpaths soon. "Every ease will be dealt with on its merits," said Cr. D. G.. Sullivan. The Mayor said; the.Council could notpass a allowing every old man who chose to bring a box into the- [ streets to sit on it.- (Laughter.) Ifelderly newsvendors assured the Council they needed a box, they would be allowed one, but he was in favour of re-' ducing the number of boxes to the low-: est possible limits. Cr. A. E. Herbert suggested that vendors utilise stools instead of boxes for. seats. Cr. Clyde Carr asked whether thcyf could consistently allow people to stand on boxes at election time, if they were, going to stop others from sitting on' them at present. "There is nothing annoying, arbitrary, or challenging about the arrange-' 1 ment," said Cr. Sullivan. , The Council's power would be used with good sense.

Boys Entering Hotels. Cr. E. M. Macfarlane said many boys ■were compelled by home circumstances to sell newspapers, but lie had seen some of them coming out of hotels eat--ing counter lunch. He was against their going into hotels. To his knowledge two boys under the age were sell- '. ing newspapers in the streets. Cr. J. W. Eoberts said it would lead; to free lights if tho Council insisted on there being only one poster where both evening newspapers were being sold. Cr. E. E. McCombs agreed with Cr. Macfarlane.- She had- made complaint on'one occasion. Societies interested in the welfare of children in the town had been responsible for the Council passing the by-lav.- which prohibited boys under 14 years from selling'newspapers in the streets. "These, law-abiding newspapers," she averred, "continue to send children under the age limit out into th„ streets." She. had seen a child of nine selling news- : papers. The clause was tho outcome.of a con-, fcrenee with the newspaper representaxives, said the Mayor. The latter had assured the Council that they did not consider it desirrfble for children to go into hotels. Shopkeepers in the City sometimes sent their own children out into the streets to sell newspapers. The arrangement for one board in each place had been by agreement with the proprietors. The whole proposal was in the direction of giving the Council control of the streets. Cr. E. H. Andrews said if some of: the boys were over the age they were considerably dwarfed. "In the centre of the City some of them make a perfect nuisance of themselves," he said. He suggested that in view of the newspaper proprietors' assurance, the City Council's inspectors and police have their attention drawn to the. matter, with a view to insisting on the observance of the by-law. The clause was adopted with this addition.