The Wairarapa Daily Times. ESTABLISHED 1874. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1895. THE NAKED HOOK.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4992, 3 April 1895, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily Times. ESTABLISHED 1874. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1895. THE NAKED HOOK.

Two exceedingly eligible inyestmonts have been olteral to us this week; the first comes from Hamburg, the second from a point considerably nearer home. The first,for a modest outlay, offered us a dazzling chance of half a million of Marks, and it was couched in the most insinuating terms, The preamble commenced: " a friend of yours was kind enough to give me (an illustrious Hamburg banker) your address, and having no doubt that you will feel disposed to avail yourself of a chance of receiving a good prize, I beg to draw your attention to the celebrated great money lottery," It is very gratifying to find that we possess a friend at Hamburg, who is good enough to givo .jt. humble address in New Zealand to a Continental banker, and no doubt very many residents in this ?olonyi<avaißhemselves of the opportunities given them by their Hamburg friends to make little investments in that remote, but notable town. Our own experience is that Colonists are ready enough to send money to the ends of thoeattli on the remotest chance of its coming back in the shape of a prize,

The second investment brought under our notice, was a Company—not a Mastevton enterprise—with a considerable capital; but when we came to read the prospectus, we found that thore was not attached to it, the namo of a single Provisional Director. Shares were offered, without the guarantee of a single name which would carry weight with a prudent investor. Simply a naked hook was dangled before the public, and we were assured that the public were catching on freely. Had we to choose between the two investments we have described, we should undoubtedly prefer the former A pound spent in a Hamburg lottery, would be a pound lost, but there would be the solace of a dream of half-a-million of Marks, jjut a pound spent in the Company, would carry with ittho obligation tq pay, when called upon, many other poujids, and fhore would certainly be no half-million of Marks to dream about, Times are getting hard in New Zealand, so hard thai settlers should think twice before .biting at a naked hook.

It must, of late, have come home.to many of our readerß that this town swarms with dangerous and undesirable visitors, and thequestion arises what can be done to stay the plague, The police appear to be doing the'r duty, but the publio can assist the police by giving them' prompt and explicit information, respecting all doubtful persons whom they may see hanging about or coming, as they frequently do, on one pretext or another to house doors, begging, sellingor canvassing. Very many of these itinerant callers are harmless, but some arc absolutely members of criminal classes, and it is nut always easy to distinguish which is which, The better plan is to order such.peoplo straight off the premises, and if tbey resent this troatment to report them to the police. A short and pointed refusal is the best way of dealing with all such visitors, and it is a grave mistake to cither parley or chaffer with them.' A'littlo firmness on the part of the public would soon rid the town of very many undesirable vagrants.