IS IT A FRAUD ?

NZ Truth, Issue 143, 14 March 1908, Page 5

IS IT A FRAUD ?

AND ANOTHER TANQUEREY

TAKE?

The Crayon and Enlarging Business Again.

The National Art Co.'s Concern.

No other, paper m Australia and New Zealand but "Truth" has had the temerity to expose the Tanqueiey photograph and enlargement swindle, and it was with afaazement that the other day "Truth" itself received from this scoundrelly swindling firm of Paris an offer to enlarge any portrait we desired to send along, and emphasising; as per usual, the gag that the purchase of ■the frame was optional, and l enlarging on the fact that the "artistic crayon portraits Were absolutely free. Of course, the fact of "Thith" being invited to do what it has continually warned the .public against doing, is only an act of impudent and infernal bluff on the part of the Tanquerey taike push, and so far as the swindling crew are concerned this is about the last warding this paper proposes to litter about them. Howeyer, and particularly with aj view of ascertaining how. lioriest a W&tlington branch of an Australian photograph enlarging concern is, this paper wishes to make a few casual observations concerning wliat is. called the National Art Co- , of 31 v Taranakistreet, the methods of which seem to be distinctly Tanquereyegque, and. therefore, all the more necessary, why some satisfactory explanation should be given. . Now, this National . Art Co. reproduces portraits m crayons, and trades off frames from 21s. CANVASSERS ARE EMPLOYED and gb Jroin door to door seeking orders, . The Coiripan'y>is a Melbourne concern, u the enlarging of the photos is done there and the 'crayoning is likewise perpetrated there, the reason that the work is not done m Wellington or any other part of New Zealand being that artists are . not available. As; stated, all this savors of the Tanquerey system, and the experience of one Wellington woman who entrusted a photograph . of herself for enlarging' and framing, as told to "Truth, "^dte ; repeated m these columns, together with the. explanation of the Company concerned.. The woman' m question, a married woman tod, was some months ago, sh,e avers, waited upon by an individual, who represented himself as being a canvasser for the National Art Co.' Rightly or wrongly, he . , wanted a photograph for enlargement. He declared that it would be enlarged and framed . absolutely free of cost, this benevolence being accounted for by the fact -that the Company wanted to boom the biz,, and the woman was asked m return to hang the framed enlargement m a conspicuous place so that her friends could see and admire it. .and Would, perforce-, rush off, helter skelter and give the Co. a go. Foolishly, the woman listened to the wiles of the canvasser. She parted with a photograph of herself, and, needless to remark, she has not received her free enlargement or her frame, but she can have the same on the payment of something like 355. Nor has-she yet Received her photograph back from the National- Art Co.,,, though repeated applications have ' been made for it. Each time she has been informed that it is m Melbourne ; that it has been written for, though it looks very much to. ''Truth" that if she came down handsome for the frame ■> her photograph 'would be quickly produced. Now, to get on to THE PROPER LAY OF THINGS, a couple of "'Truth" representatives paid this National Art joint a visit on Tuesday last, but though unable to see the manager, who is somewhere m Wanganui, and won'/t be back for a month, there was a very obliging young lady on the 1 premises, who meekly described herself as the office-girl. The allegations of the Wellington woman aforesaid were repeated and the young and amiable person who is office-girl picked her out at once' as being a lady, whose : persistence m demanding her uhoto- ! graph back had constituted herself a nuisance, and m no unmistakeable manner the young ofi^ce-girl indicated that she had absolutely no time for the Wellington woman aforesaid, Who had. invoked the aid of. Sergeant Rutledge ". m the first instance and "Truth" subsequently, m the endeavor to get her photo hack. In no unmeasured terms did the office-girl express, her unstinted contempt of a female . person who would part with a phonograph without a receipt from a canvasser, and further did the young and amiable person want ( to know if the. National Art Co. were such goats as to give. away, citayon enlargements and frames for nothing, and, further, the said young officegirl expressed her belief that the other female peisdn had received a receipt and had deliberately destrpved it,, and that .she had' verv little to do to go tp the .'.'Truth," where there would be a lot about the National Art C|o. which would not be true. Anyhow this . -much was explained, the enlargements ARE DONE FREE. '-' ' a la Tahquerefr, and before, photographs are returned a frame must be purchased, which system is so similar to the Tanouerey system that they could easily pass as twins. "Truth's" advice, is to touch neither. The charge for an enlargement, notwithstanding that the said enlargements are free, is anything from a guinea, whereas their real worth is anything below five shillings. As for ths frames, apv picture framer m Wellington would like to receive what the National Art Company ask for. They'd be able to retire as independent cents m a few years. The National Art Co. mie-ht^ be genuine, and again it might not, but' "Truth" would advise those waited upon by canvassers hot to run any risk, and to kick the canvasser off the door-mat. . ,