THE BILL OF SALE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 194, 26 October 1871, Page 7

THE BILL OF SALE.

(From ite *" Gh-aphiv," )

Of all the social pests tbat human nature is heir to, the most afflicting, destructive, and devouring is the Bill of Sale ; for it battens upon the miseries of the unfortunate when they are at the last stage of their helplessness. Hundreds of families are at this moment drifting through a stormy sea of petty troubles to the inevitable whirlpool of its destructions. As naturally as the gnat flies into the candle, the man who, through sickness, loss of employment, extravagance, or other- cause, has fallen into a state of pecuniary dilapidation, flies to the money-lender, and with the same disastrous result — ruin. Perditus may waste his time and harass his feelings by futile attempts to gain assistance from the harpies that advertise in the daily papers; whose sole lust is after the flesh-pots of "inquiry fees," or" preliminary expenses " — hemaydrive away the wolf from the door by the aid of friendly help ; but in the end he generally finds himself at the threshold of the Bill of Sale man, who in nine cases out of ten, combines the duties of an auctioneer with his other philantoropical pursuits. Most frequently, too, the vis^; is mutually satisfactory. The lender is such an agreeable fellow, so quiet and chatty in his manner, receives the proposal without the faintest symptom of greediness, nay, with apparent indifference. His terms are high, it is true ; but there is risk attachable, and it will be so much better to owe one man a lump sum than be bothered to death by a dozen importunate creditors. So reasons Perditus. After signing a form of application, he pays a guinea as an inquiry fee, and is s'lortly afterwards waited on by ono of the satellites of the lender. His furniture, we will say, had two years previously cost him over three- hundred pounds, and he has determined to make tl.e modest demand of a hundred and fifty. He is somewhat worried at his wife's nervousness as his visitor takes out his pocket-book and deliberately conraences to note down the principal things in the house. Anxious to know how he is getting on, Perditus takes a sly peep m the book, but sees nothing more satisfactory than a number of hieroglyphical signs that symbolise the intrinsic value of his household goods. This ordeal gone through, there is another visit to the lender. By him he is blandly inf )rmed that he can be accommodated to the extent of seventy-five pounds, which, after a most persuasive appeal on bis part, is increased to ninety. Then he has to' made a written statement of any unsatisfied • judgments that may have • been raised by any Law-court against him, and a due confession of his account with his landlord. Upon these points the lender is so considerately jealous that be insists upon discharging them with his own hands.- Then follows an elaborate inventory, and closely upon this the preparation of the Bill of Sale. The cost of thess to the borrower is a matter, including stamps, of six pounds. Twenty per cent, is the [ smallest sum paid for the acconiuioda1 rion, and, at the first glance, this is reasonable enough. The ren*-, taxes, inventory, and agreement having been duly deducted, .we will suppose that he finds himself the possessor of thirty pounds to face home difficulties with. With a sigh of relief he pays off. his petty creditors — such a sigh as Theodore Hook might have breathed when he gave his wine merchant a bill at three month's, and muttered, " Thank Grood! he's paid." Then follows a temporary lull in his turbid affairs. He can look his neighbouring tradesmen in the face, for he owes them nothing; and the- baker, who but the other day nodded glumly at him. touches his hat with his accustomed smirk. The butcher's cart th.it passed his door ignominiously, again stays for orders, and " all goes merry as a marriage bell." But scarcely three weeks have elapsed before cold looks and frowning faces meet him on all sides. Perhaps the maid-of-all-work, in a fit of domestic indiguation, blurts out the

fact that she knows all about that dreadful skeleton her master and mistress have beeD hiding so carefullyin the cupboard. "He ■inquires and finds that it is the town's 'talk. Then he learns to his confusion, that the whole transaction has been registered and published iv every Trade Circular in the kingdom, and disseminated far and wide. This is the first nauseous draught of the cup of discomfort he" has been brewing. Then comes over him the shadow of the first instalment — so soon dve — so unprepared for. However, by hook or; by crook, the payment is made, and the landlord is satisfied ; for the bill of sale man interests himself so ' energetically upon this point that he insists on its fulfilment, and his retention, of the receipt. "Another lull, another heart-breaking period of suspenee, and the second dies nefastus approaches. This time the instalment is a rook too big for. biua to climb,' and with trembling steps he wends his way once more to the office of the lender to beg for time. What can have changed the whole demeanour of that respectable gentleman ?• He is not like the saina man ! — ihe suavity of his manner has yielded to coarse insolent brevity, that freezes the suppliant into a proper state of hopelessness, and he abruptly tells him that unless the amount T>e

paid to the hour " a man will be put in possession." In a few clays Perdifcus finds a disagreeable addition to his family circle in the shape of an oleaginous individual who smokes short pipes in Mrs. P.'s drawing-room, evinces an insatiable affection for bottled stout, and regales his entertainers with more or less interesting episodes of previous captions in which he has taker, a leading part. This is the man in possession, and his advent is the beginning of the end. The carpets are torn from the floors and buns; from the upper windows, hasty bills are posted "to the trade," placards care pasted over the front of the house. A vast tide of dirty ruffianism, overflows the premises. Then follows the abuse of all decent people, the vile insinuations of small- pox, fever, and a hundred other lying ruses that the knock-out fraternity indulge in the prosecution of their nefarious pursuits — and the sale is on. The last hope of Perditus now lies' in the balance that may be left after all is paid. But aks ! • when he compares notes with his friend the lender, he finds that he is indebted to that gentleman to the amount of some eleven pounds. For his effects have realised £100, the bill of expenses, in the way of advertising, printinn;, and auctioneers' fees, amounts to £25, and with the balance of £75 he has to pay back £86 ; the remnant of the £90 he borrowed plus the £24 interest, and minus the quarter's payment he had previously made. Thus, for the use of £S'l for six months he has to pay close upon £1-10, viz., £90 principal, £24* interest, and £25 expenses, besides wrecking the whole of his furniture in. dead loss of a forced sale. •

Such is the fate of numerous, nay thousands, who are anuually immolated at fche shrine of the Bill of S.tle. Hardly, a day pisses without some home being thus broken up. Widows and maiden ladies are peculiarly the victims of the system. Only the other day one wretched creature on a trial for the heinous oflVueeof child murder solemny declared that she had been driven to the act by sheer desperation at her persecution from the Bill of Sale man. The case we have cited above is a peculiarly mild one; there are instances where 200 per cent, in the way of expeases and fees is wrung from the unhappy victim before he is allowed to escape from the net of the extortioner. Again, the Bill of Sale is not only an injustice to the honest poor man, but is frequently made use of by rogues to defraud creditors. A mail goes iuto a stransie neighbourhood, and, on the strength of a furnished house, runs into, debt, gets a Bill of Sale on his effects, and defies his creditors.

For both these reasons — to protect fche fool and to stay the rogue — an alteration in the law is required.