New-York tribune., 1922-09-18
City Peddlers
To Ask Cut i'm
ST. W Weekly Fee
East Side Vendors Believe
Cost Should Be Re-
drlced Because Inspectors
Have Been Decreased
Market Study Desired
Formal Request for Low
cred Tax Will Be
Made to Commissioner

East Side pushcart peddlers have de-
cided to make a formal request upon
Commissioner of Markets O'Malley for
a reduction Of the 81 weekly fee which
they are now paying for their stand
space. Solomon Euffrin, counsel for
the Manhattan vendors, said yesterday
that @ letter would be sent to the
Commissioner early this week outlin-
ing the grounds for the request and
the necessity for 1t.
NOW that the personnel for the con-
Duct Of the street markets has been
cut In half by the Board Of Estimate
and Apportionment," Mr.. Suffrin ar
gued, land the cost reduced proper
tionately, the peddler thinks, and
rightly so, that his tax should be
shaved down. The supervisor always
has complained that his greatest ex-
pense lay in the many laborers, street
cleaners and other workers which he
said he had to hire to keep the streets
in good and sanitary condition. The
Board Of Estimate thinks, however
that these duties can be handled Just
as we'll by the Department Of Street
Cleaning, and even the Mayor has 80
expressed himself. With this expense
eliminated the 81 week 10 an exorbi-
tant exaction.
Want Study of Markets
"The venders believe and assert that
if study were made of the cost Of
street market administration and q
fee fixed upon an economical basis
the tax could be set as low as $40 a
year. Until such study Is provided
for, however, and q thorough test
reas enable adjustment. They think
that the annual fee of $52 should be
reduced at. least by half.
Let me point out" continued Mr..
Suffrin, "that $50 year represents a
large amount of money to the push
cart man. In many cases it amounts
to five months rental for his home for
his family. 1t is the goal for which
he has been striving. If he has been
dissatisfied with the present conduct
of the markets it Is because of the in
roads made upon his pocket by the
large fee and other exacting demands
uHOer Ine present system. lie pays
the garbage man from 80 cents to 81
a week to remove his refuse, and fire.
quently he has to pay rental to the
storekeeper in front Of whose place
he has his stand, although the officials
contend that this practice has been
wiped out.
Would Produce Surplus
"The maintenance of the 81 weekly
fee would produce large surplus over
expenses, which, of course, is not the
purpose, as | understand it, Of the
Department of Markets. Commissioner
O'Malley has frequently said that it
was not the intention to make money
out OF the street markets, but to keep
down the price of foodstuffs for the
inhabitants of the poorer sections Of
the city. He can help this object very
materially by reducing the cost OF the
tax to the peddler."
There wero intimations, also, that
the venders of Brooklyn would make q
similar move. There, however, q more
belllgerent attitude was assumed, the
leader of the peddlers in this borough,
Nathan Finkelstein, adding that if
something is not done soon in this di-
rection an appeal would be made to
the Governor for a commission to
study the situation and fix a reasonable
fee. Under the present law it is within
the jurisdiction of the Markets Com
missioner to fix the fee, but not to ex-
ceed 81 q week.