LUXURIOUS LEATHAM.

NZ Truth, Issue 144, 21 March 1908, Page 6

LUXURIOUS LEATHAM.

How Others Worked His Debts Off.

. The circumstance that it is ridicuJous to pay" your own debts if you can get anybody else to do it for you has a peculiar application to a .Christchurch case, where two ha-rd-workintr, carters were victimised by a clever person named' Charles Leathf am. It appears that on Bth October last languid - Leatham went to a ■trusting individual named Alexander Reid, and started him on a job cf earning 20,000 bricks from the Exhibition buildings for "the Canterbury Saleyaards " . Company. Commencing on October 10. Reid carted 15,150 of the things that Pharoah used to make out of clay and straw, and had £1 11s Gd to draw from the Saleyards .- Company. ,On October 14, lazy leatham told Reid that McNellar. secretary of the Co.. wanted an extra . carter, and Reid spoke to his friend,- Charles Rountree, who carted the building , material with great enthusiasm until-he had removed 19,800 bricks, and ,had £5 18s lOd to his credit -en the hooks of the casual company. Oi/ October 15, m consecruence of information received, as the police witnesses have it, Reid went to tlie secretary's office and told McKellar, .jun,, not to pay any cash to lamb-shearer Leatham, as Hhe brick-lumpers suspected he wanted to draw money for his own nurposes on their honest toil. Reid re.ceived an assurance at the office, that '■ it would be all right, and- the victim-T iised twain continued on a cashless job. Subsequently they were TOLD BY A BOWELLESS COMPANY. • • " 'that they had better look to lurid •Leatham for their coin, that remark-, able individual being m debt to J-he company for rent, which was paid by the labor and sweat and 'horse main- ' tenance of the simple Christchurch larriers. Reid and Rountree subsequently sued the callous company and long-biting. Leatham for £8 Bs, balance due for specific service performed, hut Magistrate Bishop was obliged to give judgment against" them. . His aggravated Worship remarked at the time that although, m good • faith and equity, he had power to > decide m favor of Reid and Rountree, he didn't care to exercise it ; at the same time he looked severely at the cormorant company's representatives and observed that he didn't think much of the morality of their defence. They knew that lordly Leatham was m the .company's debt for rent, and they should have told Rieid and Rountree of the circumstances, instead, of misleading them as they had done, and inducing them to eivc their labor and work off a dead horse for Lea+ham. In fch;e opinion oil ' "Truth" this is a scandalous case that requires closer .'investigation. It seems to this indignant newspaper v to cpme perilously near , misrepresentation, and misrepresentation is co closely allied . to ' fraud as to he hardly distinguishable from it wilh a strong pair, of glasses. Iti is difficult deternine, without exhaustive reflection, whom to -blnme most, the calamitous company that used two hard- working carriers to pay oft tlie debt of lor'lumme Teatlin.ro. or idovely I ep.tham himself, who entred P?ntoV: the deception to get out of the ■bl'tiffclies of tlie calculating company. *« &\> • -.thing to live Uixurious-

ly like Leatham if you can find people who are simple enough to pay your rent regularly for you.'