We have now to estimate the receipts of each of the above-mentioned
classes.
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Metal Wares._
I was told by several in this trade £ _s._ _d._
that there were 200 old metal sellers
in the streets, but, from the best information
at my command, not more
than 50 appear to be strictly _street_-sellers,
unconnected with shopkeeping.
Estimating a weekly receipt,
per individual, of 15_s._ (half being
profit), the yearly street outlay
among this body amounts to 1,950 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Metal-Trays, &c._
Calculating that 20 persons take in
the one or two nights’ sale 4_s._ a week
each, on second-hand trays (33 per
cent. being the rate of profit), the
street expenditure amounts yearly to 208 0 0
_Street-Sellers of other Second-hand Metal Articles,
as Italian and Flat Irons, &c._
There are, I am informed, 20 persons
selling Italian and flat irons regularly
throughout the year in the
streets of London; each takes upon
an average 6s. weekly, which gives
an annual expenditure of upwards of 312 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Linen, &c._
There are at present 30 men and
women who sell towelling and canvas
wrappers in the streets on Saturday
and Monday nights, each taking
in the sale of those articles 9_s._ per
week, thus giving an annual outlay
of 702 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand (burnt) Linen and
Calico._
The most intelligent man whom I
met with in this trade calculated that
there were 80 of these second-hand
street-folk plying their trade two
nights in the week; and that they
took 8_s._ each weekly, about half of it
being profit; thus the annual street
expenditure would be 1,664 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Curtains._
From the best data at my command
there are 30 individuals who are engaged
in the street-sale of second-hand
curtains, and reckoning the
weekly takings of each to be 5_s._, we
find the yearly sum spent in the streets
upon second-hand curtains amounts to 390 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Carpeting, Flannels,
Stocking-legs, &c._
I am informed that the same persons
selling curtains sell also second-hand
carpeting, &c.; their weekly average
takings appear to be about 6_s._ each
in the sale of the above articles, thus
we have a yearly outlay of 468 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Bed-ticking,
Sacking, Fringe, &c._
The street-sellers of curtains, carpeting,
&c., of whom there are 30,
are also the street-sellers of bed-ticking,
sacking, fringe, &c. Their weekly
takings for the sale of these articles
amount to 4_s._ each. Hence we find
that the sum spent yearly in the
streets upon the purchase of bed-ticking,
&c., amounts to 312 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Glass and
Crockery._
Calculating that each of the six
dealers takes 12_s._ weekly, with a
profit of 6_s._ or 7_s._, we find there is
annually expended in this department
of street-commerce 187 4 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Miscellaneous
Articles._
From the best data I have been
able to obtain, it appears that there
are five street-sellers engaged in the
sale of these second-hand articles of
amusement, and the receipts of the
whole are 10_l._ weekly, about half
being profit, thus giving a yearly expenditure
of 520 0 0
_Street-Sellers and Duffers of Second-hand Music._
A broker who was engaged in this
traffic estimated--and an intelligent
street-seller agreed in the computation--that,
take the year through, at least
25 individuals are regularly, but few
of them fully, occupied with this
traffic, and that their weekly takings
average 30_s._ each, or an aggregate
yearly amount of 1950_l._ The weekly
profits run from 10_s._ to 15_s._, and
sometimes the well-known dealers
clear 40_s._ or 50_s._ a week, while others
do not take 5_s._ 1,950 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Weapons._
In this traffic it may be estimated,
I am assured, that there are 20 men
engaged, each taking, as an average, 1_l._
a week. In some weeks a man may
take 5_l._; in the next month he may
sell no weapons at all. From 30 to
50 per cent. is the usual rate of profit,
and the yearly street outlay on these
second-hand offensive or defensive
weapons is 1,040 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Curiosities._
There are not now more than six
men who carry on this trade apart
from other commerce. Their average
takings are 15_s._ weekly each man,
about two-thirds being profit, or
yearly 234 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Telescopes and
Pocket-Glasses._
There are only six men at present
engaged in the sale of telescopes and
pocket-glasses, and their weekly
average takings are 30_s._ each, giving
a yearly expenditure in the streets of 468 0 0
_Street-Sellers of other Second-hand Miscellaneous
Articles._
If we reckon that there are 30
street-sellers carrying on a traffic in
second-hand miscellaneous articles,
and that each takes 10_s._ weekly, we
find the annual outlay in the streets
upon these articles amounts to 780 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Men’s Second-hand Clothes._
The street-sale of men’s second-hand
wearing apparel is carried on
principally by the Irish and others.
From the best information I can
gather, there appear to be upwards
of 1200 old clothes men buying
left-off apparel in the metropolis,
one-third of whom are Irish. There
are, however, not more than 100 of
these who sell in the streets the
articles they collect; the average-takings
of each of the sellers are
about 20_s._ weekly, their trading
being chiefly on the Saturday nights
and Sunday mornings. Their profits
are from 50 to 60 per cent. Estimating
the number of sellers at 100,
and their weekly takings at 20_s._ each,
we have an annual expenditure of 5,200 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Boots and Shoes._
There are at present about 30 individuals
engaged in the street-sale
of second-hand boots and shoes of all
kinds; some take as much as 30_s._
weekly, while others do not take
more than half that amount; their
profits being about 50 per cent.
Reckoning that the weekly average
takings are 20_s._ each, we have a
yearly expenditure on second-hand
boots and shoes of 1,560 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Hats._
Throughout the year there are
not more than 15 men constantly
“working” this branch of street-traffic.
The average weekly gains
of each are about 10_s._, and in
order to clear that sum they must
take 20_s._ Hence the gross gains of
the class will be 390_l._ per annum,
while the sum yearly expended in the
streets upon second-hand hats will
amount altogether to 780 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Women’s Second-hand Apparel._
The number of persons engaged in
the street-sale of women’s second-hand
apparel is about 50, each of
whom take, upon an average, 15_s._ per
week; one-half of this is clear gain.
Thus we find the annual outlay in
the streets upon women’s second-hand
apparel is no less than 1,950 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Bonnets._
There are at present 30 persons
(nearly one-half of whom are milliners,
and the others street-sellers) who sell
second-hand straw and other bonnets;
some of these are placed in an umbrella
turned upside down, while
others are spread upon a wrapper on
the stones. The average takings of
this class of street-sellers are about
12_s._ each per week, and their clear gains
not more than one-half, thus giving a
yearly expenditure of 936 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Furs._
During five months of the year there
are as many as 8 or 12 persons who
sell furs in the street-markets on
Saturday nights, Sunday mornings,
and Monday nights. The weekly
average takings of each is about 12_s._,
nearly three-fourths of which is clear
profit. Reckoning that 10 individuals
are engaged 20 weeks during the year,
and that each of these takes weekly
12_s._, we find the sum annually
expended in the streets on furs
amounts to 120 0 0
_Street-Sellers of Second-hand Articles in Smithfield-market._
I am informed, by those who are in
a position to know, that there are sold
on an average every year in Smithfield-market
about 624 sets of harness,
at 14_s._ per set; 1560 collars, at 2_s._
each; 686 pads, at 1_s._ each; 1560
saddles, at 5_s._ each; 936 bits, at 6_d._
each; 520 pair of wheels, at 10_s._ per
pair; 624 pair of springs, at 8_s._ 4_d._
per pair; 832 pair of trestles, at
2_s._ 6_d._ per pair; 520 boards, at 4_s._
each; 1820 barrows, at 25_s._ each;
312 trucks, at 50_s._ each; 208 trays,
at 1_s._ 3_d._ each; 1040 small carts, at
63_s._ each; 156 goat-carriages, at 20_s._
each; 520 shooting-galleries, at 14_s._
each; 312 guns for shooting-galleries,
at 10_s._ each; 1040 drums for costers,
at 3_s._ each; 2080 measures, at 3_d._
each; 2080 pair of large scales, at
5_s._ per pair; 2080 pair of hand-scales,
at 5_d._ per pair; 30 roasted
chestnut-apparatus, at 20_s._ each; 100
ginger-beer trucks, at 30_s._ each; 20
eel-kettles, at 5_s._ each; 100 potato-cans,
at 17_s._ each; 10 pea-soup cans,
at 5_s._ each; 40 elderwine vessels, at
8_s._ each; giving a yearly expenditure
of 10,242 3 8
-----------------
TOTAL SUM OF MONEY ANNUALLY
TAKEN BY THE STREET-SELLERS OF
SECOND-HAND ARTICLES 33,461 1 4