FORTUNE-TELLING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 146, 7 November 1912, Page 7

FORTUNE-TELLING.

THEIR CLIENTS AJvD EARNINGS.'; Auckland, November 4. The apparent iricrea.se in' tlie nWnber of fortune-tellers now flying their- trade in Auckland raises' Several ' questions of public interest. Besides the many wh'o' publicly announce th&tisfilVfe's as clairvoyants, psychometrists or crystal seers, there are numbers'following this ancient calling who trade upon the credulous public without such notificatidn. These individuals have their own regular circle of clients, and do not'eourt publicity or a possible police' prosecution.- The law on the subject of fortune-,telli'ng' iS>-mix-ed and complicated.' ' Briefly, it enacts that anyone who professes to foretell the future by palmistry or ;,any other means is liable to be punished as, the law directs. Many of those \vho practise the art of palmistry will .only read character from their client's'"'hand. : This apparently is not an ' olfince- a'gaMst the law. Crystal-gazers and Others who profess to see visions in a glass globe or. bowl of water cannot strictly he said to be forecasting the Another means by which the long arm of the law is evaded by fortune-tellers is by frequency changing their addresses. A regular system seems to be in v6gue amongst' some of them in Auckland of exchanging residences for the tine being.' Those in a position to speak ivitli authority express the opinion that tliere are-' not more palmists and fortune-tellers at present in Auckland than there are in other large cities of Ne\v Zealand. 'lnvestigations made by a Herald representative as to the type of person who frequents tfie haunts of these fortune-tellers' show-'that some of the higher class clairvoyants have a circle, of clients exclusively composed of ladies. Others seem to be consulted by people of all classes in-the community, including matrons as well as young girls. The fees charged TiaOjjfrally have an effect on the type of clients. It is supposed that women attend in larger numbers than men, but from' obse'rvation it is apparent thjat at least as' many, i e not more men than women are .anxious to learn something of their character and their future from thdse professed seers.. The fees charged varied from Is upwards, according 'to details -required, and the supposed occult- powers of the "medium." Estimates iiiade from : frequent attendances at "seances" ' and "public circles" indicate that on-'each night on which the. medium sits the receipts vary from £1 to £3, according to the rate of entrance fee. The clairvoyants who only see individuals separately usually charge from 2s fld to 7s Gd for their services. A fair estimate of the number of clients per day is half-a-dozen at the~ least. The fortune-teller will therefore make an income of anything from £5 to £8 a week for a few hours a day. All this comjs out of the pockets of a credulous public.