London at the End of the Century:A Book of Gossip
a Beckett, Arthur William
1900
THE BAZAARS OF THE EARLY SEVENTIES.
And now, leaving out of consideration the series of home exhibitions that began with the Fisheries and ended with the Colonies, or the Militaries and Navalries of a few years since, I come to the consideration of a now half-forgotten specimen of the international sort that flourished early in the seventies. It was held in the galleries belonging to the Horticultural Society, and the gardens of that useful, but not (then) very prosperous institution were thrown in. The notion was to encourage foreigners to bring their goods duty free to England, and then, when they had got them here, to actually sell them at a great reduction. This transaction was very popular with the British public, but it was not regarded with so much favour by the British trader. The unfortunate proprietor of premises, say in Regent Street or , could not behold with unmixed satisfaction a foreigner under-selling him in what was really a gigantic bazaar. The foreigner could offer a French clock for twenty shillings | |
118 | -some 30 per cent. cheaper than the article as displayed in the London shops. The British trader had to pay for carriage, duty, house rent, and the rest of it. The foreign got his carriage paid and his rent for nothing, so could afford to be liberal. But his liberality was rather too much for the British retailer. A most useful body called the National Chamber of Trade took the matter up, called an indignation meeting at Willis's Rooms, and the International Exhibitions on the bazaar principle disappeared for ever-or nearly ever. |
