New-York tribune., 1922-08-11
tcauslsued from page ans,

-s - -
anything when asked him what it,
would cest," ] put to joey.
/ "Well, he says that. but have TO
| tell you IFS dollar a week That's
part Of my job"
"Who keeps the money, Joey?"
"They bring 1t to him; that's all
! know"
Then the boy legan advising me on
my venture,
"What are You going to SELL
peaches Everybody's selling peaches" :"
/ told him ! thought of trying ba-
nanas-
"Wsli. it might be ali right, but I
| don't think So"
Then pointing to Suffolk Street
/ which ! observed was packed tight with
| carts, he said, "You see, it's a dull
street: There is room for pushcart
near the corner, Don't sell pineapples.
| The jewish people wouldn't buy them.
| l don't know what's the matter. but
they got some kind of grudge against
pinsapples."
| BY this time we were in the Kerr
studio.
Here, / brought you another Gus
toner" piped up Joey.
Inere We're about dozen peddler-
iecking old men, who were bounced
on and on seat in front of a camera
eox as their pictures were taken. 1t
was the work of second.
Thousands of Eager Ones
When It came my turn l asked,
How much will it cost?"
We'll, you look like poor man SO
| IN only charge you 80 cents, but some
charge 10 cents and some more" re
I ny hAtr Il. \
more he said when the applicant looked
| prosperous. On my way out of the
gallery observed a collarless sales
man, with shnumber of boxes filled with
dresses on chair, trying to dispose
OF one OF the gowns to woman about
to have her picture taken, $50 you
would look nice for the picture"
When returned for the prints,
three Of them about an inch square,
which am told could easily be made
for about cents, Kerr told me he
made more than e hundred day, and
that he made a large sum of money
out Of It. When I explained to him
that 1t isn't possible that hundred
peddlers were added to the already
large number ot pushcart men daily,
as that would soon bring the number
into the thousands, and that most Of
those photographed must spend their
money uselessly, he shrugged his
shoulders with the remark, well, they
come here and that's ell"
"But look, Mr.. Kerr, these men como
over here and have TO have their photo
taken before they know whether they
are going to get permit or not" I
| commented
"That'a none OF my business" re-
| piled tho photogra pher.
! 7 ra%vrrad IN 2una r-f,tcny IsroaT r.
| the pictures and he proceeded to fill
out long application, including all
| the details Of my life and relatives.
1t was about o'clock, and I asked Mr..
Israel If he couldn't let it go until the
next day.
'Ah, don't bother mel You can't come
in my market, do you heart" he
shouted, tearing up the application.
whats the difference if it's to-mor-
row." pleaded. II would like to have
stand on Suffolk Street"
"I said you couldn't have a stand in
my market; that's all! Get out of
hers!" he shouted.
u spent hard-esrned money or my
/ pictures" I objected. "You have no
right to make me take pictures and
| then not give me q place. Why do I
need pictures. anyway"
''You can't have stand; that's ALL"
| he waved me out of the office.
1 Ten-Dellar Deposit Asked
The next morning, Friday, I went
into the business of actual peddling,
permit or no permit. The street mar
ket district is dotted with so-called
pushcart stables, where the hucksters
| hire or store their wheelstands. One of
the best known is that at 1875 Suffolk
! Street, run by lively, stuhble- bearded
character simply known to his custom
ers as "Avrom,' the Hebraic for Abra-
ham.
"Ah, you're a new one, I see," he
said to me IN Yiddish when ! ap~
preached him for a cart You'll have
TO leave deposit Of s10.'
"But I'm poor man, Avrom; make
it easierl" l pleaded. "I'm an honest
man, you'll see. I'll bring your cart
back"
He let me have the cart at rental
Of 10 cents day and a deposit Of
81. Bring it back; you hear!" he
shouted to me as trundled the
squeaky cart out Of his dingy cellar
stable. "They now cost $40 new"
loaded up with bananas on Attor-
ney Street, the wholesale mart Of the
fruit peddlers, & stones throw from
the heart Of the pushcart district. They
| cees me SI'oV 1or Two punches, with
about 225 bananas on the two stalks.
Distributing the stock nicely over my
vehicle, moved up Rivington Street,
on the lookout for a good spot to
anchor, 'and with an eye on the prices
charged by other hucksters.
The street was solidly lined with
carts from Lewis TO Allen Street. a
distance Of about twenty blocks, within
which l counted 470 curbstone huck-
sters hawking everything of human in
Vention frrm toothpicks to monuments.
Women Crafty Buyers
observed that few carts were on
the move through the streets, so that
neaters were rare. I finally chose a
place on the north side of Riyinpton
Street. near Suffolk, put up sign
advertising my bananas at two for
three cents, the best market price at
the time. The women cog per cent Of
the buyers on the East Side are WON
en) paid no attention TO nv sign bnt
asked how much They would shake
their head at mention of the price.
pick up the bananas, feel them and
even pull little of the peel off to
assure themselves Of the quality. In
an hour sold about two dozen.
concluded that my prices must be
high and decided to sell for cent
a brisk business grew up with INV
new price, but another banana cart
| Q1oNo