UNFAIR COMPETITION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 81, 17 March 1933, Page 10

UNFAIR COMPETITION

BY ITINERANT TRADERS. AN ANOMALY IN THE LAW. “Unless wo take steps to stop this nuisance we shall be inundated with itinerant travellers,” said His Worship the Mayor of Hastings, Mr G. F. Roach, when referring at last evening’s meeting of the Hastings Borough Council to the competition of travelling auctioneers and salesmen. “It is not fair to our own business people,” His Worship added, “and I want it to be understood that I am not speaking for myself, for I am not now concerned.” Mr Roach went on to say that, the Government’s attention should De drawn to the fact that if a man travelled as an itinerant trader, he was required to pay a £5 license fee to the local authority in every town in which he traded. If, however, he paid £4O for an auctioneer’s license, he could travel about and conduct auctions anywhere. Recently a travelling auctioneer bad conducted au auction at Hastings, and then had gone on to make an initerant trader of himself by indulging in private selling. The Rotorua Borough Council bad obtained an initerant trader’s fee from the same man. It was to bo hoped that tbc council would follow up the matter, and see what it could do iti the way of prosecutions or otherwise. The meeting expressed its agreement with the views expressed by His Worship. and resolved to take the matter further with the authorities.