Merchants Complain

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20331, 14 June 1934, Page 8

Merchants Complain

Hawking Firewood

Their Trade Seriously

Affected.

at the activities pf itinerant

vendors of wood was expressed yesterday by city coal and firewood merchants, who suggested that there should be some restriction on this form of hawking. It was stated that inferior wood was often sold and that the coalyards were suffering. Mr H. J. Quarrell, secretary to the North Canterbury Coal Merchants’ Association, representative of most of the retailers in the district, said yesterday that the association had been caused much concern by the activities of wood hawkers in the city. “ Householders do not seem to realise that the}- are not getting fair treatment from some of these hawkers,” he remarked. “ One case which the association recently dealt with showed that where a cord of wood bad been ordered from a hawker, between half and three-quarters of a cord was delivered.” The association, he continued, had not considered taking steps to have the hawkers’ activities stopped, but thought that the regulations permitting them to trade should be tightened up. Hawkers, it was contended, should not be allowed to do business on Saturday afternoons, when the coalyards were closed. The opposite view was taken by an officer of a city unemployment relief organisation. who said that in most cases wood hawkers were honest and were justified in selling their wares as cheaply as possible to get business. It was an easy matter for householders to safeguard themselves against deception by hawkers. “ Many of these men, formerly unemployed, are making good livings selling wood,” he continued “It would not be fair to restrict them, especially as they are helping to reduce the cost of firing.”

The City Council regulation governing the subject defines a hawker as a person who takes goods from door to door seeking immediate sales. A hawker requires a permit. which is granted on a satisfactory* report from the police. Under this definition wc-od sellers are not hawkers, as they work from samples, undertaking to make delivery later. No permit is required for canvassing.