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Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4579, 27 June 1923, Page 3

$ Confidence men are operating vig'orously in Melbourne just now. The latest of the species is a one-eyed rogue who is having a most' successful run. Most, of his tricks are worked in a similar way. The following is one of the most recent of them. He called at the residence of a man who runs two cars for hire, and, posing as an old friend of the car driver ( (who was absent) told his, wife that he wished to pay a deposit of three pounds for the hire of a car for the following day. He tendered a cheque for five pounds,, receiving in return a receipt for three pounds and two pounds in cash from the unsuspecting woman. The man was seen no more, and in several days the return of the cheque bearing the stamp “no account” fully convinced Ahem that they had been “had.” Despite the publicity given to this man, and the fact that, all the de*tecrives here know him and are. on his tracks, fresh cases of fraud committed by him are being continuously reported.

As illustrating the. advantage of breeding , chickens as early in the season as possible, Mr G. Webb explained to a Levin “Chronicle” representative that not only does the chicken usually possess a better, constitution, but will lay earlier. For instance, birds hatched in July will lay at five months,, in September at seven months, whilst November chickens will not lay before nine months old. Four hundred thousand pounds were subscribed within 15 minutes to the new loan floated by the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works for the extension of water supply, sewerage, and redemption of maturing loans. Ovej- 90 per cent, of this sum was subscribed by three wealthy Melbourne brokerage firms. The conditions of the loan—ten years at 5.% per cent. —made a strong appeal to some financiers,, and it was arranged that the applicants should form a queue at the entrance of the building. Representatives of the three chief subscribers took their stand at 4.30 a.r>. It is said that, in order to be early off the mark,, they occupied rooms at an adjacent hotel. When the doors were opened at nine o’clock some forty persons were in the queue By a quarter past nine the whole sum required had been subscribed.