New-York tribune., 1922-08-14
By M. Jay Racusin

The last thing Avrom, the kindly
stubble-bearded proprietor of the push.
cart stable at 125 Suffolk Street said
to me, when I turned in my stand TO,
the last time and complained of nv
treatment by the market supervisors
was, Hear me; trouble is just like
sickness it's catching, and in the pedd.
Ter business it's--what do they call 1t;
yes, it's regular epidemic"
With this in mind I have presumed
to draw certain conclusions on the
oasls OF my weeks investigation of the
street market situation Oh the East
Side as I saw it from behind one Of
the venders' own carts.
There are undoubtedly 1000 TO G 0oO
hawkers maintaining curb stands
throughout the street market districts
without regular permits, but with TIE
apparent approval of the local super.
visors.
Peddlers Call 1t "Greft."
Many OF these give up 25 cents dav
TO the supervisor or his assistant, with
out obtaining any receipt or any kind
Of writing to indicate that the money
had been paid over. The quarter is the
smallest sum accepted from these So
called f1oaters. What arrangements
others have probably vary. At the
least $1,000 to $1,000 day is taken
from these men and women for which
there is absolutely no accounting, so
far as the peddler is concerned. He
calls it "greft."
Then there is the practice complained
Of by many venders of being threatened
with forced change Of location in q
Reorganization of the street market
I'm the end they put more money in
their pockets" explained one of the
hucksters. The threats were frequent,
said my informant, and if "troubles are
catching" as Avrom remarked, it can
only be wondered how much more "they
are out in their pockets"
Picture Matter "Queer" Also
There are also the queer doings about
pictures. The first thing an applicant
is told upon requesting permit is, ego
get your picture taken.'' and he is gen
orally directed to q certain photograph
gallery and actually led to it as I was
to the .Rivington Street place of Simon
Israel. The photographer charges rs
cents or so cents for three little thumb
nail prints, which l am told cost actu-
ally about five cents to make.
In one place alone, that of David
Kerr, 151 Rivington Street, the pro-
prietor told mo he had more than a
hundred of these day, totalling from
that only the smallest proportion of
those who had their pictures taken
could obtain pushcart stands. The su-
pervisor must be aware of this and
must realize that it works great
hardship upon the class Of people who
are forced to resort to the pushcart for
meager living. Nevertheless the sys-
tenn is relentless and a lucrative bust
ness is practiced that is undoubtedly
profitable to many persons, but not to
the unfortunate street vender.
I quote Edwin J. O'Malley, Commis-
sioner of Markets, for the number of
permltleSs puShcart men. He told me
also that about 5000 numbered permits
had been issued for permanent wheel
stands, but that if all those had them
that should have them there would
have been from 10000 to 10000 permits
issued.
81 Supervise the Markets
The 5000 who have permits are
taxed a fixed sum of 81 week, which is
collected by the local supervisor or his
assistant. There are fifty-four such
supervisors who are appointed and dis
charged at the discretion Of the Market
Commissioner. So that, according to
Commissioner O'Malley, there is at
least $4,000 collected yearly from the
East Side curb venders under direction
of the markets head. Charles H. Levy,
an attorney, pleading before Justice
Cropsey in behalf of one Of the ped
dlers, asserted recently .hat the actual
amount collected was between 100000
and 100000. Justice Cropsey remarked
that it "made nice plum for some
body"
eve are trying to catch the foaters
(Contjpued on paue Tse)