“A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT."

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1896, 4 December 1923, Page 5

“A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT."

APPLICATION REFUSED. At last night’s Council meeting-, an interesting little discussion followed on an application from a local gardener to sell fruit from a stand in Rora Street. Asked to interpret the law on the position, the town clerk said that the Council had not the power to prevent anyone from hawking fruit from house to house, but had discretionary powers in dealing with any application to sell perishable goods in a street such as Rora Street. Cr McHutchison was inclined to think it would be establishing a dangerous precedent to grant the application. Cr Walker: He’s only going to sell strawberries. A Councillor (sotto voce) : The price of fruit is absolutely outrageous in this town. Cr Broadfoot did not think it would be quite fair to allow the applicant to “pitch his tent” in front of some Rora Street shopkeeper. He would move that the application be not granted. This was seconded by Cr Boddie. Cr Morton: He’s a ratepayer and grows all his vegetables locally. Cr Broadfoot reminded the meeting that a similar application from a Hindu hawker had been refused. Whatever else he might he, the Hindu was a British subject, and probably would have caused his rivals to lower their prices.

There was nothing further, and the motion, on being put to the meeting, was carried on the voices.