TRAVELLING SWINDLERS.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2142, 18 March 1870, Page 2

TRAVELLING SWINDLERS.

Under this heading the following 13 con* tributod to the Bruce Herald ;—

I shall feel obliged if you will give me the opportunity, through the medium of your c dumns, of warning the settlers in the Taieri, Tokomairiro, and Clutha districts, against a set of swindling packmen who have recently arrived, and are now travelling about these or adjoining districts. Many of your readers will remember of a similar (if not thf same) gang going round some four years ago, and doing business by means of the cheap corn-sack dodge, See. A short account of the proceedings of the former gang will put your readers on their guard against the gentlemen at present on the ror.d. Your readers will therefore please to understand that these are not common packmen or hawkers. They are thorough gentlemen—commercial travellers—tip-top swells of the first water. The company that favored ns with a visit four years ago came • here from Melbourne, and had previously travelled over America in the same line of business. They arrived in Dunedin one after another by different steamers, until the company was complete, and took up their quarters in a large hotel. Next followed their stock in trade, consisting of bales of goods, which they brought to the hotel. Some of their number remained in Melbourne to send over goods as they required them. A party who saw the goods opened out tells me it consisted of the veriest shoddy and rubbish ; and it was in all probability manufactured at home to the order of the company, as such stuff could not be procured even at the lowest auction marts in the Colonies. During the time they were at the hotel they opened out their goods, and cut up the pieces of stuff into remnants of all lengths. (Your lady readers will thus understand the secret of the cheap remnants offered by these swells). They then procured buggies or other machines, and taking different routes, went forth to business. Arriving at a settler’s house with his stock of remnants, rubbish, and impudence, the salesman introduced himself as the representative of a large Melbourne firm, who were clearing out all their stock at ruinous prices, prior to a dissolutiou of partnership, &c., &c. The machine oqly contained a few cheap remnants, and other light goods, which he would sell at any price to get quit of them ; he would also show them patterns of calicoes and heavy goods, from which he would take their order, and the goods would be sent in a few days by a waggon. Then followed an inspection of the remnants, which seemed very cheap, and the patterns which were offered at astonishing low prices—calicoes for three farthings ; flannels, 2,jd ; French merinos, d. Of these goods the taleman bad only patterns, but large orders were booked, and would he delivered in due course. Having got such good bargains in anticipation, the customers also patronised what he had with him, and thinking to herself, “ This will make a frock for Jessie ; and this is a suit for wee Jamie ; and this a gown for herself ; and this a shirt for the good man,” the innocent good-wife is trapped into spending her money rather freely, and getting in exchange value in quantity of impudence and rubbish as afore ;ai I. But lest the good man should be opposed to any purchases being made, they were also ready to touch him on a weak point. Producing a well-made stout four-bushel cornsack, the man of business inquired what he was in the habit of paying for these. The answer being some Ids per dozen, the salesman, pitying him for being so imposed on in a Christian land, offers to supply him with a quantity’- at 4s 6d per dozen. Thinking it a safe investment, the honest settler gives bis order for a number of bales, which are to be delivered at his door within a week, without fail. Things proceed in such a satisfactory manner that a lot more of the rubbish is bought and paid for, and the farmer himself invests iu a shoddy suit. (By the way, this partly explains the hideous clothes that many of the country settlers come to town in.) Having thus duped one family, the swell _ salesman proceeds on bis way tq do likewise a£ the next settler’s house. Of course, the calicoes at three farthings, the flannel at the French merino at 4Jd, the cornsacks at 4s 61 per dozen, are never delivered, and never intended to be delivered. The whole thing is a swindle from beginning to end. In conclusion I would suggest that, should any swell travellers an swering to the above description call on your readeas, their best plan is to give information to the police, who will bo only doing thoir duty in warning such characters off the premises, and out of the Colony As the former gang is supposed to have “done” the greater part of the country districts throughout the Colony, and as it is doubtless the intention of the present company to “ do ” the same, I trust other newspapers will publish this description of them, so as to guard their readers against imposition.