TURF FRAUDS EXPOSED.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1365, 6 October 1883, Page 2

TURF FRAUDS EXPOSED.

BY "THE HERALD" DETECTIVE, (From The Sydney Herald, Sept. 6th, 1883) Feavd No, 2, " Australasia,” Before I proceed to introduce the 11 Herald " readers to the gentleman who trades on their pockets and their credulity under tire above alias, I will just note one queer little fact in connection with the character of the majority of the sweep adventurers, My research into their past career has proved conclusively to me that, with few ex. ceptions, each of the bogus sweep proprietors has only turned to that profession for a livelihood when on account of something shady in his precious character he is precluded from trading openly, or is, us a natural result of his questionable antecedents, unable or unwilling to obtain respectable employment It thus amounts to this, that in Victoria a man who would not be trusted in a legitimate business transaction with one solitary guinea has only to assume an alias, invent an address, and advertise extensively a sweep on the Melbourne Cup, to be at once entrusted with a thousand pounds of hard-earned money by individuals who, in every other respect, are computed sane, and who would probably be the first to resent the imputation of imbecility. Now for Mr “Australasia,” a gentleman who, as his namo partly indicates, is cosmopolitan in his tastes and roving in his tlinposition—the sort of citizeu who wlitm sought in Sydney, deems it available to sojourn in Sandhurst; or when enquired for in Melbourne looks up his clients in Hobart. I made the acquaintance of the gentleman whom I am now advertising gratuitously some three years back in another colony, at which period he was unknown to fame as a sweep-holder. Towards the end of 1881 a slight misunderstanding between the police authorities and our friend as regards the contents of some pamphlets which the local magistrates did not consider altogether the choicest works in the world for a family library resulted in “ Australia’s ” temporarily changing the scene of operations.

Accordingly, in February, 1882, he came to Victoria, and we find him in that month advertising in this colony a similar class of work to the one he was punished for vending elsewhere.

Business probably was satisfactory for a few months, as until October, 1882, he did not join the ranks of the “ sweeps.” The Champion Race of 1883 Was the first event on which “Australasia” projected a sweep, and the idea was “ £3OOO for >ss. My 1883 series of consultations. An even four shares for £1 ; or twenty-one shares for £5.” This consultation was advertised in almost every paper in the colonies, as being run on commercial principles and in due course was announced “ Close full.”

“ £2OOO on ths Sydney Cup : The second of my 1883 series,” was the gist of “ Australia’s ” next advertisement, and with respect to this sweep he now advertises as follows :—

“ Australasia’s last consultation (that oh the Sydney Cup) closed with 7000 shares, subscribed in the short space of two months.”

I will just hint here, for the information of those gentlemen who run their bogus sweeps in Melbourne that I have especial facilities for ascertaining as nearly as possible the exact number of letters they received daily. It matters little what machinery I have imported into this to effect my purpose, but with some slight assistance from “those who know,” for which I am obliged. lam enabled to form, a very fair estimate of the extent of business—bogus and otherwise—that the various sweep promoters are doing, and “ Australasia's ” daily average of letters received up to the date of the Sydney Cup was very small. Ho may possibly have received £2O over and above what his advertising must have cost him, certainly no more. Cf course that amount was all profit; but still it is noticeable that it is a trifle short of £1750, the sum that 7000 shares at as e».ch would amount to.

After the imaginary process of drawing his sweep on the Sydney Cup had been “brought off,” the subject of this little, sketch, for reasons known only to himself, arranged for a Sydney address, and altered his advertisements containing his Melbourne address as follows ;— Address—

"Australasia,” Care of H. J. Franklin, Printer and Publisher, 40 Hunt-street, Sydney. N.B.—Forthe convenience of Melbourne subscribers, a letter box has been opened at Franklin’s book warehouse, 111 a Bourkestreet east. The“Nota bene” portion of this announcement was shortly afterwards withdrawn.

“Australasia’s” advertisements, which are now to be read in almost every paper throughout Australasia, are tempting models of composition, and if this accomplished gentleman had concentrated his attention in drawing up mining or other prospectuses, he would probably have succeeded equally well in a more legitimate Hue than the one he is now pushing.

In the up-country papers he seldom goes in for less than a whole column for displaying his sweep prospectuses, the subject matter of which he varies in the different journals probably to suit the tastes and pockets of the inhabitants of the particular district in which the paper is published. For example, I notice that “at his Sydney office the books of the club, Ac., Ac., are open for the inspection of visitors, whom he invites to drop in to have a look round at the list of the winning individuals, names and addresses in past successful consultations;” but, strange to say, this invitation only appeared in the papers published in the most distant portions of Victoria and in New Zealand. The following extracts from “ Australasia’s ” New Zealand advertisements give a fair idea of his method of doing business

“ A list of the winners on the Sydney Cup may be inspected in the books at the offices.” “One of the many reasons for the great success of “Australasia’s" consultation consists in this : That the investment of a single crown gives you a chance of winning £lOOO, that a pound gives four chances, and that five pounds secure twenty-one chances ; and then the lesser prizes may be carried by the other tickets. In order to procure a single share in any other large sweep, one pound has to be paid. “ Why is it that so many never invest a penny in sweeps'! Is it that they have any real objection to them ? No; on the contrary, it is because they are not acquainted with the method of them. For their information then, it may be explained that, there being 12,000 shares, if all are not disposed of up to the day of drawing (which is unlikely) the prizes will be divided in proportion to the number of shares taken up. Tims, should 9000 only instead of 12,000 he allotted, the winner of the first prize would receive £750 instead of £lOOO, and so on.

“ The method of drawing these sweeps is thus described by an imaginary reporter - “The process of drawing is very simple. The committee are chosen from among the subscribers by ballot and invited to meet on a certain evening. Thirty subscribers being present, a chairman is elected and then two scrutineers. The butt (or counterpart, with number) of each ticket allotted being rolled

Up, is placed in a barrel, to th"- full complement of shares taken up. Then, on plain marbles, the names of the horses are written. These are put In n smaller barrel on the table in front of the chairman. A volunteer is called for to turn the larger barrel, the number called out and entered in a book ahd passed to the scrutineers. Then a horse is drawn out of the smaller barrel, and the number and the horse go together; and so on till the whole of the horses are d-aWll. Thus everything is conducted with tire utmost fairness and satisfaction, J “Thewhole method IHay be regatiled lit ] simply a system of banking on a commission I of 10 per cent, to covet expense of advert!*- I ing, oilrt'esponder.ee; etc,” Admitting that " Australasia " fills hit Cup consultation—and if this little caution is disregarded, I must swv there is every probability of his doftig so, £3OOO will be the gross amount tSeeived, 10 per cent on that, amount* to £3OO. Of that sum ho gives away 3 par cent to those who take £0 wm’th of tickets—but I will leave that out Of the calculation altogether— out of wliioh he ha* to pay advertising, printing, and postage, I find, after a protracted enquiry; that Australasia’s ” advertisements are appearing in ;3 different papers, exclusive of Melbourne and Sydney, and having been inserted since April last (six months to the Cup), the lowest possible estimate of the cost of this would ba £3 per paper, total £2lO. 81* month- advertising in the Sydney and Meh bourne papers would cost him certainly notjs lets than £lOO. Printing 1 will put down alj £3O, which brings the grand total of his expenditure up to £340, Therefore, reasoning logically, if • Australasia’ succeeds in filling his Melbourne Cup sweep he must lose £4O by the transaction, putting entirely upon one side the value he sets upon six months of his whole time and attention. 1 have not the slightest hesitation in characterising “ Australasia’s” as another swindle, and unfortunately in respect it is a more gross, contemptibllw imposition than “Orient’s” for I have ascertained that a large percentage of the investors in “ Australasia’s ” sweep consists of women-factory girls, barmaids, &c., married women—who are unable to spare a pound, but can just manage to scrape together an occasional five shillings, which they entiust to “ Australasia ” ana which ha robs them of.

I am precluded, by pressure on available/ space, from giving as full a notice of “ Aus- \ tralasia’s ” career as he deserves, as I, in ' the public interest, would like; so I must content myself with observing that I have succeeded in tracing him as far back as 1861. Before visiting Melbourne he has resided in different parts of India, Burmah, Java, and in Hong Koug, which place he left under a cloud.

Those who after this, invest their ttiufiey With “Australasia” will, like those who trust in “Orient” with it, lose their cash, and will richly deserve their loss. Having disposed of “Australasia” my next sketch T fancy will be a trifle more sensational, dealing, as I shall, with an individual well known in Melbourne, whose disguises and aliases for two monthe kept me off the scent. However, I fancy that I have hunted him down now, and will give the Herald readers on Saturday a few of the facts I have ascertained. \

[To be continued in out* weatfj )