Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-02
new VENDING rule
HERE ATTACKED AS
BEING TOO LIBERAL
Most of District Thrown Open
to PeddIerS for Half
Hour Periods.
COMPETITION Is HELD
UNFAIR TO MERCHANTS
Established Business Houses Con-
slider Placing Pushcarts in Use
to Meet Situation.


The taxicab war which has sent a
host of gaudy-colored cabs scooting
about Washington under cut rates of
fare will pale into insignificance in the
light of what can and may be done
under the new street vending regulation
recently adopted by the District Com
missioners permitting itinerant peddlers
to sell their wares for q half hour at
one time in most of the District area.
This warning was sounded today by
no less authority than Ringgold Hart.
former assistant corporation counsel Of
the District, who drafted the more
stringent street vending regula Jon
which was replaced recently by the new
and more lenient ordinance.
Mr.. Hart, now acting as counsel for
q number Of established local mer-
chants, today told The Star that the
new regulation. permitting street vend-
ers to sell their wares on the public
highways for a half hour at time
in one location would throw the Dis
trict virtually wide open" to such oper-
ations By sales organizations which need
have no local retail establishment. and
thereby pay no rent or taxes by which
the local government would benefit.
Brewing Two Years.
Debate and contention over the street
vending regulation has been brewing for
about two years and threatens to break
into public limelight since some local
merchants, having retail establishments,
are known to be seriously contenlplat-
ing meeting out-of-town competition,
which employs intinerant peddlers, with
medicine of their own prescription
Local merchants of the established
character, whom / represent, do not
want this situation to develop" Mr..
Hart declared, but if the new regula-
ton is permitted to stand it throws
virtually the whole town open to sales
by itinerant peddlers for wide scale
OF wares, and local merchants may be
compelled to resort to the same sort
of selling in order to meet competition"
MIR. Hart said certain organizations
here, now paying high rent or high
taxes for their retail establishments,
were on the verge of adopting this plan
unless relief is granted from such "un-
fair competition"
Further, it was pointed out. even If
the local established merchants did not
supplement their regular merchandise
ing with push-cart vendors, the town
still WOULD be left wide open to any
number Of out-of-town street vending
organizations, which could clutter up
the streets with their push carts.
"Leniency' Is Attacked.
Mr.. Hart, in attacking the "leniency''
Of the new regulation, declared that 1t
Ia possible, and not at all improbable,
that, unless a more rigid regulation
is put into I Gree street vendors
would seize upon the opportunity to
place their push carts in streets before
many of the most fashionable residences
IN Washington, park there for half
hour. then move to another location
equally prominent, stay there for half
hour, and then return to the first loca-
ton
Such vendors, Mr.. Hart said, could
sell most anything, from shoeStrings
bananas. collar buttons, silk stockings,
knives monkey -wrenches and whatnot,
all from push carts parked in front of
palatial homes, even in the most re-
stricted bonton sections Of washington
Such a situation, the former cor
poration counsel said, would be de-
piorabie. at would be worse than the
current taXicab war"
The whole situation could be avoided
he said. by adopting more stringent
pushcarG vendors out Of business, would
restrict their operations to a degree
that would not clutter up the streets of
Washington with their carts and at the
same time would end unfair competi-
ton with local merchants who support
the District Government with their
taxes.
Old Regulation Favored.
Under the old regulation, which local
merchants ask be again placed r. force
itineranJ peddlers were permitted to
sell in certain areas and also were al
lowed TO stop long enough in most other
places to make q sale when approached
by customer.
The Merchants & Manufacturers AS
ISOLATION during the past two years
protested to District officials that this
regulation was being hagrantly violated
Police were sent out 10 enforce this
law and violators had 70 post 50 col
lateral. When violations are reported
to have continued, the collateral was
raised to $40 and protests Of 'persecu-
tign" came from one street-vending ice
cream concern, not having a permanent
local retail establishment.
The new regulation was the result,
prohibiting such street vendors to park
their carts on certain circles and on
boulevard highways, but allowing them
to park for half hour at a time on
ell other streets.