HIRE-PURCHASE

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1928, Page 2

HIRE-PURCHASE

TR A DING SYST EM CONDEMNED

AUCKLAND. Nov. 1. Spirited , c mideinnation of the iiirepurchase trading system was made in the Police Court this morning by C’b ief-Detect ive Hammond. Raymond CVrii Harding, a .musician, aged 25. pleaded guilty to stealing a bicycle valued at L'lo lb's fid from a firm of ciiv i non Tut nts. ■“Harding hough! the machine, paying Is down.” said Mr Hammond. ••Jit* su'd ii io a dealer for C! and tli.il was the last th\l was 'heard of

Harding explained that his wile was in bad heal ill and that lie had been forced (o sell tin 4 machine to buy medicine lor her. Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M. : That may or muv not be true. You have boon in trouble before, so ! sinil remand you until to-morrow so that enquiries can the made. “It takes an army of police to look alter goods bought on tin- hiro-nur-ebase system.” complained Chiei-De-tective Hammond. “People buy goods on a small deposit- and alter holding them for a while consider them their own property. Probably they are shifting from the town. They sell the goods and. the police are called on to trace the lost articles b v the vendors. The system is undermining the credit of tile country and legitimate trade is suffering. Some of those firms will send a Ibieycle to Stewart Island for 3s 9d, and the result is endless trouble.” To illustrate his point, the detective referred to an instance of which ho

had personal knowledge. A young family arriving front England furnished a home under the hire-purchase system. They were overtaken by ilif< rtune and the husband finding work on a boat left for England leaving his wife and child stranded in New Zealand with the lurniture. Ihe woman had sold the lurniture to a !• icud for £-10 and left for Home. Hearing of this the original vendors ol ilio furniture seized it Irom the

unfortunate purchaser. Mr Hunt: The furniture should be sold under a bond or guarantee so that it should not be re-sold until

paid for. Mr Hammond: Even that would not protect the private individual who buys unsuspectingly. \ou cannot label till' furniture.