SHYLOCK'S POUND OF FLESH.

NZ Truth, Issue 128, 30 November 1907, Page 6

SHYLOCK'S POUND OF FLESH.

The Curse of Usury.

Money lending is a thriving industry: Sn Christchurch, and the flinty-heart-ed individuals who live on interest do a pretty fair thing, especially when /they sell a man up long before his p.n. expires because he fails to make food ■an instalment. The average usurer gives the person no chance at all. In goes the bailiff, and once that undesirable josser is over the doormat he takes a precious lot of getting out. And he costs money while he is there, too. Forced sales of furniture or stock, or implements generally have the effect of ruining the debtor-owner ; most ridiculous prices are realised, but the usurer doesn't care a damn so long as the sale results m the amount due to him being raked m. Cases of this sort are tolerably frequent, worse iuck, and one that may he mentioned is that of Mr J. Wilson, butcher, of New Brighton, who had the bad luck to get into the toils over some borrowed money recently. He went, to H. Curlett, who lives m Salis-bury-street, Christchurch. This old geezer doesn't run an office, but gets lawyers jDongaH and Upham to do tois woric. Wilson borrowed £C 2 *xom Curlett, giving him a bill of sale over his household effects. Monthly instalments were to be paid, and when one fell m arrear, Curlett. m his most amiable manner, said that he would settle Wilson quick and lively, and talked of bailiffs. There was one m Wilson's house within an hour. Curlett wouldn't pive him any chance at all. There .was a conference next day, when the old hunks was inexorable. Eventually} however, he granted

A RESPITE OF THREE WEEKS m order that the debtor might realise—but he must have further security. It's all security with these blokes. There was £300 worth of furniture, etc., m that house, and .Curlett had only lent £62.\ Well, additional security was given, and the owner got Charles Clark to ftuctton the caboose. As a matter of course, articles went at bedrock prices, a long way below their real ,value, and the whole box and dice only realised £100 odd. There were a great many charges on this, including sixpence interest for the three additional weeks which had been conceded— for a certain security. These charges mounted up to ;such an extent that all Mr Wilson got out, of the hundred quid was something over a fiver. Five quid to start afresh m the world with/* Well, it is certainly better than noithing ! But had grasping Curlett driven the man a show, and . not put kite- bailiff m, the man wouldn's have been ruined. This old grabber has •been lending oof for a long time now, and has made so much money out of, other people's miseries that Ihe can afford to treat the povertystricken with contempt. Thes^e Shy•locks don't seem to possess a heart at all, and the vindictiveness they display is #beyond all understanding. There is no milk of human kindness nbout the Christchurch usurer ; theirs is, a sour lacteal fluid with all the good-ness skimmed off it— the port of stuff you give to pigs.