Capital Ventured in Toilet Business

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 392, 28 June 1928, Page 15

Capital Ventured in Toilet Business

late city

fraud charge follows THREE MEN TIRE OF COUNTRY A fishmonger, an ex-service man, and a farm-hand, all tired of the country, and who yielded to the temptations of becoming employees of a city business man, were the principal witnesses in a case heard at the Police Court to-day. The fourth important figure was Errick Charmers, aged 47, who was charged on three counts with obtaining £"7O by falsely representing that he was the proprietor of a paying business of sufficient value to be security for the sums obtained. Stanley Arthur Hodges, the farmhand said he saw an advertisement Poking for a man with £7O capital who wished to engage in light work. He answered the advertisement, and later, met Charmers, who had two rooms in Hellaby’s Buildings. Charmers showed him one room, which contained hair oil, face cream and other toilet requisiu^'n arrangement was made for witness to enter into a bond of £7O, and then' go on the road delivering and collecting orders. , Charmers said that witness would receive £4 a week wages, and an extra 10s if the bond was £IOO. Witness paid over the £IOO, but after a day or two on the road, he decided that there was nothing in the business. When witness complained. Charmers replied that things were slack, but t h e business would pick up. The ex-serviceman said he, too, answered an advertisement. He paid over £IOO to Charmers, and was given employment filling small jars with face cream out of a bulk store. Robert Carrick said he had paid £6O into the business known to him as the Varsity Toilet Company, under an agreement which gave him 60 percent. of the profits. He was associated with the company for a month, and scarcely any business was done. All witness did at the office was to clean the room out and dust bottles. (Proceeding.)