TRAMCARS FOR SALE.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 313, 7 November 1929, Page 3

TRAMCARS FOR SALE.

AMAZING SWINDLE. Swindlers in American towns may sell the city hall or a bridge across the Mississippi, but in Rio de Janeiro it is the tramcar business that furnishes the best example of the “ army game,” says a San Francisco exchange. Brazilians are always joking about the Portuguese immigrant who came to Rio de Janeiro and was persuaded to invest his money in buying a tramcar, with its cash register, which continually registered receipts and never disbursements. Be that as it may, if you will come to Rio and visit the sixteenth district police station, you will find a record of a tramcar sold in 1929.

Jose Petana da Silva, far from his native State of Minas Geraes (all jokes in Brazil are either about the Portuguese or the Mineiros—but this is no joke), on a visit to the Brazilian capital, found himself in the congested suburb of Villa Isabel. Tramcars with trailers, filled to capacity with rush-hour straphangers, came to a stop, unloaded, and were quickly loaded again. “ Amazing!” Jose said aloud.

“ Yes, it’s a thriving business,” a bystander told him. “ I happen to own some tramcars, and they make between 240 and 360 dollars a trip. They average about 30 trips a day, so that it’s a thriving business.” The Mineiro was enthused.

“ The only trouble,” continued the bystander, “ is that I have trams all over town, and it keeps me on the run to handle the business.” “If only the trams were not so expensive,” said Jose. “ Why, they’re dirt cheap for what they bring in. I’d be able to sell you one for as little as 1800 dollars.” “ That is too much.” “How about 1440 dollars?” “ All right.” “ It’s your tramway. Go adead and take charge of it.” Jose paid cash. He jumped in the car, sat down by the register, and watched the fares as they were rung up. When the conductor came around Jose considered it impertinent to be asked to pay to ride in his own car. In fact, he demanded the conductor’s money. The discussion lasted the entire journey. Only at the city’s terminal point was Jose convinced that his investment was too good to be true.