ITINERANT TRADER

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 266, 5 August 1932, Page 10

ITINERANT TRADER

Alleged Unfair Business PROTEST BY DRAPERS Request'to By-law Committee “These people come into the city for a day, a week, or a month, take a place on a snap rental, and having skimmed the cream off the business, get away. Without doubt they are a disturbing factor to the permanent, legitimate trader,” said Mr. A. J. George, when entering a protest against the itinerant trader before the By-laws Committee of the City Council yesterday afternoon. Mr. George was one of a deputation of leading drapers, representing the New Zealand Drapers’ Federation, which was introduced to the committee by Councillor T, Forsyth. Others present were Messrs. A. P. Smith, D. . S. Patrick, H. Smitn, and H. Vivian, i Councillor Forsyth stated that the ■ deputation was concerned with ■ the practices of Itinerant traders who, ’ picking the season, cut the prices, and did a trade that was hardly fair i or legitimate business, and was not at . all fair to those business people who paid rents and rates all the year round L and who found it difficult to meet this ■ form of competition. The City Coun- , cil had the power to check that sort of , thing, and that had been done in other , parts of the country, notably at Wa- > nganul, where a certain fee was imi posed as a guarantee that such trail- ; ers would stay in the town at least six : months. As it was, these men came i along for a few weeks only, rushed > sales, and then cleared out, which was ■ scarcely a fair thing for residents and ratepayers. Cutting Prices. , Councillor Huggins, In explanation, said there was a statute prohibiting • trade of this kind. The usual pracI tice in the past was to buy up cheap ' lines in the city and run them out in country towns. Wellington had not ’ been subjected to this form of trad- . ing to any extent until recently. Now ■ there was evidence that these people ; had been selling at prices against j which the ordinary trader could not , compete. Mr. H. Vivian said that the itinerant trader was affecting business. He came into towns, secured an empty shop for about £4 a week, for which . in ordinary times he would have to pay > £l2; ho reaped a harvest for a month i and then moved on. He had, as a rule, no assistants, and very little over- > head to meet. J Mr. A. George also related how these traders secured liquidated ■ stocks,, got into premises at a low ren- “ tai and sold such goods at wholesale ! prices at auction or private sale. Without any doubt they were a dis--1 turbing factor, as their prices were , often ridiculous. “This matter has for many years been before the N.Z. Drapers’ Federation and many remits had been considered at the conferences,” said Mr. D. S. Patrick. “In some country towns aci tion has been taken by the local body ■ to prevent such sales unless the trad- > ers stayed six months in the towns. It is very unfair to legitimate traders for those people to get in with job lines. I know that they do gull the public, • and we do feel that in a place like i Wellington in these difficult times, • with rates still as high as ever, that i the time has arrived when we should : be given some protection against the i itinerant trader.” Bringing Matter to Head. The chairman (Councillor Huggins) • said he was pleased the deputation ! had come to the committee, as it would i probably bring the matter to a head. The council had power to pass a by- , law against such practices. “It is a i serious matter, which deserves seriI ous consideration,” said Mr. Huggins. ■ “You have my sympathy. If the • council can stop illegitimate trading ’■ it should do so.