ALLEGED BOGUS AUCTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 71, 24 March 1915, Page 7

ALLEGED BOGUS AUCTIONS.

CHARGE OF CONSPIRACY. CHEATING THE PUBLIC. SYDNEY, March IG. At the Central Criminal Court to-day, before the Chief Justice, Sir Wm. Cullen, and a jury. Louis Phillips, Henry Wool! Joshua Phillips, Isaac Solomon, Wm. Blank, Louis Samuels, and Sydney Robertson were charged with having conspired amongst themselves with one Ritchie to defraud Henry Harold Dunn, Elizabeth Anderson, Ca.bts, Watson, Duncan, and others. They pleaded not guiltyMr. White said the method by which accused had defrauded the public \ya_s the holding of bogus or mock auction sales, at which various articles of jewellery and other goods were sold as I being of a particular kind and possessing ' a special value, which caused them to be sold at prices very much above their I value. The bidding to a large extent' ! was a mockery. It was carried on by a large number of men who were called "buttoners" and "buffers," whose prac-' tice was to bid against one another and against the public, so as td run the j price up. The buffers and buttoners often had goods knocked down Eb them,! but they left them behind in the auc-1 tion Toom. Robertson appeared to be the person in occupation, and was the chief man of the party. This business was carried on at 430, George Street, | Sydney, and the sales went on nearly I every" business day from 10 until 5 I o'clock. Louis Phillips, Woolf and Solo-, I mon filled the role of auctioneers at in-1 ! tervals. Samuels and Joshua Phillips 1 were two of the buttoners, and Blank i , was the man who parcelled up the pur-1 chased goods. Some of the articles put up at auction were described by ihe anc- j , tioneer as being of ihe "best Sheffield I | plate," and were thus represented a3 possessing a value they did nof; possess. I llt had been the practice to "hold up I | watches which were described ag Being" of the "Elgin" make, whereas the case | i only was "Elgin," while the works were' 'of a character much below the value represented. The buttoners made a prac- j tice of being on the premises Fefore the auction sales commenced, and they remained after the sales were over.

The evidence tendered was largely in the direction of showing what the real value of certain articles disposed of in the auction mart was. Experts from manufacturing and wholesale houses were called with this end in view.

Mr. Abigail and Mr. Watt each contended, on behalf of their clients, that there was no case to go to a jury.

After lengthy argument, his Honor held that there was a case for jury.