HAWKERS, or PEDDLERS, or PETTY CHAPMEN, persons who go from town to town, or door to door, selling goods, wares, or merchandise, or exercising their skill in craft. A considerable change has been made by recent legislation in regard to this class. Those peddlers exercising their calling entirely on foot have been separately dealt with from hawkers who employ one or more beasts of burden in their business. The foot peddlers are placed under the surveillance of the police, and are exempt from excise duty. Since Jan. 1. 1872, any person whatever who can satisfy the chief officer of police of the police district in which he resides, that he is of good character, is above seventeen years of age, and has resided during the previous month in the district, will receive, on due application, a certificate valid for a year, on payment of five Such certificate entitles the holder to exercise his calling in the particular police district only; but should he desire to extend his traffic to another police district, he can, by sat isfying the chief officer of that district of his good character, receive an indorsation on his certificate. rendering it valid for that particular district also, on payment of six pence. The police have power at any time to open and search the packs, etc., of any certificated peddler, with a view to prevent dishonesty and smuggling, etc., for which they have much opportunity. They have an appeal to the local justice of peace and
other courts against oppression by the police.
Hawkers or peddlers who use beasts of burden are in a different category. Any person may become such by merely taking out an annual or half-yearly license from the excise, and there is no limit of the locality, the license being valid all over the kingdom. These licenses are at the rate of £4 per annum for each beast of burden used in the trade. He is in no ease entitled to sell spirits, but lie may sell tea and coffee. He must not sell plated goods without taking out a plate license, nor must he sell by auction without an auctioneer's license. Any person hawking unprovided with a license, or who refuses to produce the license to any person who calls for it, is liable to severe pen alties. Commercial travelers, book agents. sellers of vegetables, fruit, fish, or victuals, also sellers in fairs or markets legally established, do not require either licenses or cer tificates, though it.must be sometimes difficult to define whether a seller comes within the category of hawker (04 and 'D5. Viet. c. 96, 29 and .80. Viet. C. 64).
The reason why the state imposes this tax on hawkers is, that they have great advantages over regular shopkeepers, as they pay no rent, and often interfere with the natural course of dealing at shops.