NEW-CONFIDENCE TRICK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 82, 31 December 1907, Page 5

NEW-CONFIDENCE TRICK.

4 ATTEMITED IMPORT jON ON NEW ZEALANDEItS IN LONDON. A WARNING. " Ono thing you should say something about," said Mi H Birch, engineor of tho Wellington Gasvfoiks, in concluding an interview with that .gentleman (who lips just' returned froin\England), "is the manner in which New Zealandors may bo easily imposed upoii by clever rogues in London." " What do you' refer to?" ' asked tho reporter. -.'.'• "Well,, you: know as well as I," said Mr. Birch, " that_ it is'customary, for most Now Zealandors visiting London to.call at'the AgentrGeneral's omco and enter thoir names arid addresses in tho register there, so that their friends may know that they have arrived. In common with others, 1 mndo my address known.;. Two' days' la tor, I received a visit at my hotel (the Inns of Court Hotel, High Holbprn) from a bright,'; young man of very mco address, who approached mo quite familiarly:'.;'. How do'you do, Mr. Birch?— glad to see you in London. . How are thev all in Wellington Y. and all that sort of thing. Ho mentioned several wo!J-known ' j>eoplo here, and know: tho names of some of. the streets. Afterho, had chatted for a few minutes ho brought'tho conversation round to himself, and finally'mentioned that ho was pushed for £s—would Mr. Birch lend it to him? ...,'.,'• " I thought it was pretty cool," said Mr. Birch, " as ho was an utter stranger to me, so.l.told him, that,, as I knew very little about him, I, would mako inquiries, and he could callagaiii in a couplo of days. Needloss to say, 1 never saw him again. ' " . "The next day,l received a call from ayother person, who professod a knowledge of Wellington jand .'its people.' He did not waste tiino in letting mo know that ho was destituto —■'that'-ho wanted money to buybread •for! his 1 starving wife and •family.- I lent the fellow half-a-crown on tho chanco that his story wasgonuin-e, and told him that I'would mako iiiquirids into his case, and ho could call again.- Ho never came again. " Even then I did not suspect thorn altogether; but'staying in the same hotel was Mr. .Murdoch MlLean, of Auckland, to whom I told my experience. But the next move ivas fatal—thoy called on Mr. M'Lean, and talked Auckland instead of Wellington. Mr. M'Lean was primed for the occasion, and he led them them separately whether thoy'were not related to So-and-so, and did thoy- not attend such-and-such a school, and regularly tied .them up until they becomo discomfited and .fled.' ■ '\ . "I brought tho matter before Mr. Campboll, of tap Agent-General's Department, stating that, no doubt, a great number of visitors from New Zealand were taken in by these scamps, and said that if ho was prepared to tako action, I would give evidence. Ho said tho matter was a very difficult one, which would bo looked into." I'Vom tho J foregoing it would appear that there are persons, who havo probably never seen New 'Zealand, who havo takon pains to becomo acquainted with the names of peoplo and streets of tho different cities of tho Dominion,'and tako advantage of tho "holiday humour" of colonial trippers to toll u specious story with a " confidence trick " tag. It should bo tho duty of tho High Commissioner to makd strict inquiry into tho matter, and to mako. tho register of visitors a littlo moro difficult of access than seems to bo tho caso. It is riot likely that thoso who. havo been imposed upon would caro to admit it, and so tho fraud is permitted to go on. Tho hundreds of Now Zcalamlcrs who are contemplating leaving for London during tho next four months should givo a wido berth to tho " glad-to-see-you" gentleman who wants to borrow a "fiver."