CANADIAN SWINDLE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7983, 12 March 1906, Page 7

CANADIAN SWINDLE.

Agents of the Imperial and Canadian Governments in America have lately been investigating the complaint of a large number of hands on Atlantic cattle-ships, that they were induced tnsign on by false pretences. The J cattle hands declare that during the season men were brought from all parts of Canado, were induced to pay varying sums as contract fees, AND WERE ENTIRELY DECEIVED aa to the nature of the work they were expected to do. They were inclined to blamn the shipping companies, but the companies had no difficulty in showing that the cattle shippers wore responsible and if the offenders can be oau'ght, they will not be spared, neither in Canada nor in the United States. Certain agents, it seems, have been advertising widely in Canada, , OFFERING FREE TRIPS TO ENGLAND and Europe with good wages for little work. Those who accepted the offer were met at Toronto, according to the affidavits, and were there told that they would be sent across on some big liner from Boston, with only a few minutes' work daily watering cattle, and that they would be paid good wages and given a return trip free. Contracts were tendered but ten or fifteen dollars WERE EXACTED AS A CONSIDERATION, the amount varying with each man's ability to pay. At Montreal the men would again be met and a proposal made to ship them via Portland, with easier work on further payment of three dollars. When the men reached Portland they found that the wages specified in their contraots were a shilling per month, »and that the work was very difficult, but most of them were penniless, and were compelled to make the trip and trust to luok for their return to America. DHIS PRETTY SCHEME WAS in operation for several months, and literally thousands of men were induced to go to Portland. Some of them wer« able to return home, some even succeeded in obtaining a refund from the swindling agents, but most of tbem, being poor men, had to take sbip with the catle.