The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-22
WARD EXPLAINS WHY
 LICENSE IS CHARGED ID SELL PRODUCTS
Says $35 Per Car for Sales From Tracks Made Nee essary B cause of Pro-
 fessional Spectators

Why is license of ss5 charged to
 farmers who desire to sell their products
 by the carload?'
 This was the question asked the Presi-
 dent of the City Commission George B.
 Ward yesterday afternoon, and his an
 swer was that it was done to protect the
 wholesalers on Morris avenue from spec
 ulators.
 we charge license of s35,' said Com
 missioner Ward, lon farmers who bring
 in carload of farm products and try
 to sell it from the railroad tracks be-
 cause that is in direct competition with
 the wholesale merchants on Morris ave-
 nue who pay the city big license to do
 business
 The city of Birmingham has done
 lot in trying to help the farmer. but we have discovered that all our attempts
 mean only rendering further aid to spec ulators and professional peddlers. The little help given the farmers by the leg
 isiation we passed did not pay for the damage of others who took advantage
 of the kindness of the city commission.
 For instance. we passed an ordinance
 allowing the farmers to peddle without license on the streets of Birmingham hls products which he raises on his farm. Well, the average farmer can sell in two or three weeks all of his products and the result is that the remainder of the time professional pedders. posing as 1 farmers, simply buy their truck on Nor ris avenue and then sell it to the con- sumers without paying a license to the city, while others, such as marketmen, have to pay a heavy license to the city.
 LICENSE SCHEDULE .'The license of $35 annually charged persons who sell stuff from the freight
 cars on the tracks Is an old one and has been on the license schedule for the past five years. Undoubtedly it origi- nally came from a complaint of the Morris avenue wholesalers. and in my opinion their point is well taken, as often 1 spectators buy carloads of farm prod | ucts and 1t would be unfair to let them | do business without paying a license and charge a substantial license to the Nor | ris avenue men with whom they com | pete.
 | "The city commission Is heartily in fa- | vor of doing anything for the farmer 1 that it can consistently, but unfortunate | ly, there are persons who will take ad- vantage of everything we do, and so far 1 our efforts to help the farmers have only resulted in helping spectators and pro- I fessional peddlers."
 | The president of the city commission | was asked about the s35 license on selling truck from the railroad yards because several officials of the Alabama Farmers union. who were in the city yesterday, complained about this method of treat ing the Alabama farmer. who sought to compete with the Morris avenue whole salers.
 It was charged that the brokers on Nor ris- avenue would decide on what they
 would pay for watermelons by the car load and if the farmer did not agree to this quotation the watermelons were al- lowed to rot in the railroad yards. and therefore the farmers wanted the oppor- tunity of selling what thex owned to the public direct, but were stopped from do- ing this by the fact that the city demand ed a heavy license which took away whatever profit there might be in the transaction.
 It was charged that the influence of Morris avenue on the city commission was responsible for the heavy licenses which prevented more extensive traf- ] licking by the farmers within the cor pcrate limits of Birmingham.