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has sprung up from time immemorial, and although from a
strictly legal point of view it would appear that street traders
have no right to place barrows or stalls in any particular position
in the street, still their abolition would be a great hardship to the
poor of the Metropolis. It is true that the articles the stallholders
sell, whether food or otherwise, may not always be of
the highest class, but it is the business of Sanitary Authorities
to see that any food exposed for sale is at least sound and fit for
human consumption, and they have carried out this duty on the
whole very well. As this food is sold at a much cheaper rate
than can be obtained in some of the better class shops, this street
trading has proved of inestimable value, not only to the poor
of a district like Bermondsey, but to practically all London, and
it would he very regrettable if, owing to want of legal powers, it
were abolished.
The voluntary scheme which we have inaugurated has been
partly adapted from similar schemes which have been adopted
for some time by other Boroughs, especially the Boroughs of
Lambeth, Camberwell and Stepney. It possesses many
advantages, the principal one being that for a nominal sum the
streets occupied by the markets in Bermondsey have been kept
clean in a way that has never been done before, the result being
that the food sold is more free from contamination than at any
period since Dr. Brown has been Medical Officer.
The County Borough of West Ham, in the last Session of
Parliament, obtained powers (by a private Bill) to deal with
street trading, and this Council, in our opinion, should take steps
to obtain similar powers.
We recommend—
That the London County Council be asked to include in their
General Powers Bill provisions on similar lines to the powers
obtained by the West Ham Corporation, and that failing the County
Council agreeing to this request the necessary steps be taken for the
purpose of promoting a private bill for obtaining such powers.
[Adopted.
Resolved—That the recommendation of the Committee be
adopted."