Evening journal., 1915-03-02
Rural Members Combine TO
Pass Representative Evans
Bill Hitting Wilmington
STATUTE WOULD FIX
RENTAL OF SPACES

mempers, representing population /
nearly one-half that of the State. was
downed by 30 members from the
State outside Wilmington who rep
resent about as much population as
do the five Wilmington assemblymen. /
The issue involved was whether Will
mington should have home-rule pow
ers over the farmers and truckers
street markets, or whether the Legis-
lature should enact what the farmers
attending Wilmington markets desired
into a statute that will tie Whining
ton City Councils hands. The stat
ute takes away Wilmington's con-
troll over the street markets even TO
the extent that violations of the street
market statute could not be tried in
Municipal Court but would be heard
in General Sessions Court where far
mers have large representation on
the juries.
Representative Evans bill 10 take
to a great extent control of the street
markets from Wilmington City Coun-
ell and embody the market regula-
tiOns in statute was passed by the
House by a vote of 30 yeas to . nays.
The only members recorded for the
bill were Representatives Downward
Vaughan. Elliott and Speaker Grant
land, all of Wilmington, and Repre-
sentative Roach, of Wilmington, also
voted against the bill on the roll call
but later changed his vote to yes
/ to move TO reconsider it later.
After the bill was called up on mo-
tion of Mr.. Evans. the privilege of
/ the floor was granted TO Julian c.
/ Walker. a Wilmington lawyer. rep
resenting New Castle county farmers.
to explain the bill Mr.. Walker said
there was nothing in the bill that
takes away from the City Council of
Wilmington any of its rights It now
has, and he claimed II gives Council
additional rights over the markets.
Mr. Walker said the present bill
would permit farmers TO allow their
wagons TO remain at their spaces
in the street markets until 4 o'clock
in the afternoons of Wednesdays and
Saturdays, although they must cease
business at o'clock, while under the
/ present law they are supposed TO have
their wagons away from the street
spaces by o'clock. Mr.. Walker con-
tended that Council has been unable
to enforce the provision that the
wagons shall be away by o'clock
and he had advised farmers that they
did not have TO remove their wagons
by that time under the present law
Mr.. Walker stated that at present
the clerk of the market can rent
spaces in the markets to whom he
pleases. but that under section 3,
suitable blanks would have to be pre-
pared on or before April ] OF each
year, and that applicants would ill
out these blanks. He said Il would
give old occupants preference for the
spaces they had held for years and
where they had built up a trade. Mr.
Walker made an allegation that far
mers have been compelled to pay as
high as S25 to get spaces when the
regular fee was but S4.25. Mr.. Walk
er said another section provides that
public record must be kept of the
spaces in the markets and who holds
them. There is provision for q
fine of not more than $50 or impris.
onment for not more than 80 days, by
the General Sessions Court in case
Of convictions of violations of tn,
provisions of the bill.
Representative Evans stated that IN
his opinion this was one of the bes
bills that has been introduced IN thi,
session and that he thought If giver
referendum vote in Wilmington II
per cent of the people would vot,
for il. 81 know Council is opposed
to it but that counts for little" h,
said "They often seem to oppos,
each other, if you follow their doing
] in the newspapers"
Representative Rash submitted com
munications from Mayor Harrison
W. Howell and the City Council o
Wilmington opposing the bill as be
ing a blow at Wilmington's home
rule power
Councilman Oscar c. Draper, o
Wilmington, was given the privileg
of the floor and he called attention
TO the provision of the Evans bill
where it states in the first section tina
there shall be but two markets
farmers market and truckers mar
ket. Mr.. Draper claimed that thi
would cut out both the fish marke
and the New Jersey market, both q
which are very important TO the pee
pie of Wilmington. He said ther
had been no charge against the pres
ent clerk of the market relative {
improper allotment of spaces and as
serted that in the past the farmer
themselves had willingly paid th
clerk for the choice spaces in tn
markets. He said Council was OF
posed to the bill because IL would tax
away from that body much of its au
thority over the markets. He ais
explained that there is now a bill /
the House to give Council authorit
to enforce the law relative to farmer
having their wagons off the stree
at a specified time.
Representative Rash, of Wiiminl
ton, stated that the Evans bill woul
evidently cut out the fish market an
the Jersey market The latter
stated had much to do with the keel
] ing down of prices in the farmer
\ markets 1T looks like class lei
z islation of the worst kind for the IA
mers only and not for the people
Wilmington" concluded Mr.. Rash.
4 Representative Webster. of Brand
4 wine hundred, said he had been z
ing to the Wilmington markets Il
4 years and told of an instance of
space that he had been occupyiI
Il being rented 10 him and another m,
q at the same time. He harked ba,
4 TO practices in the Wilmington ia
mers' markets 80 years ago and sa
il was abuses against the farmers
4 that time that brought about enac
ment of the present law which so
s erns the markets. eve are willir