Moves to stop the ‘bankrupt’ auctions

November 1978

Parish hall committees in communities in and around Wexford are being urged not to facilitate visiting traders who sell bankrupt and salvaged stock at monster auctions.

The appeal comes from Wexford Chamber of Commerce who are to ask all the parish councils within fifteen miles of Wexford not to put their community halls at the disposal of these people.

Wexford hotels have already promised not to allow these auctions to take place on their premises, but the Chamber of Commerce feel that if the halls remain open to them, it could threaten jobs in local business.

The call comes after one of these auctions was held in Castlebridge Hall on Tuesday, five miles from Wexford. On the same day, Wexford traders reported a slackness in business, proving their point that the auctions are affecting trade in the town.

Chamber of Commerce President, Dave Ormonde, said they are strongly opposed to this ‘unfair trading’ which they thought they had put an end to when they got the support of the Wexford hotels.

Yet the problem had now returned because parish hall committees were renting their halls for these auctions. The gain for the parish councils was ‘only minimal’, he said, but it was having a serious effect on trade in Wexford.

‘Wexford traders provide a very good service to the people. They also give employment and pay high rates. But these auctions will do untold damage and harm to the trade.’

Mr Ormonde added that many Wexford traders live outside the town in parishes where there are community halls. These people had helped build these halls and in many cases are now involved in running them, so surely it was wrong to allow them to be used in such a way which would damage their business in Wexford.

‘Down through the years, these parish councils and local committees have got the full support of business people in Wexford and their employees. I now appeal to them to support us in this fight,’ Mr Ormonde added.