TIME-PAYMENT

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 33, 2 November 1928, Page 10

TIME-PAYMENT

SYSTEM CONDEMNED BY DETECTIVE CAUSES ENDLESS TROUBLE TO POLICE Dominion Special Service. . Auckland, November 1. A spirited condemnation of the hire purchase trading system was made in the Magistrate’s Court this morning by Chief-Detective Hammond. Raymond Cecil Harding, a musician, aged 25, pleadel guilty to stealing a bicycle valued at £lO 19s. 6d. from a firm of city merchants. “Harding bought the machine, paying 4s. down," said Mr. Hammond. “Tie sold it to a dealer for £l, and that was the last that was heard of it.” Harding explained that his wife was in bad health, and that he had been forced to sell the machine to buy medicine for her.

Mr. Hunt, S.M.: That may or may not be true; you have been in trouble before, so I shall remand you until tomorrow, so that inquiries can be made. “It takes an army of police to look after goods bought on the hire purchase system,” complained Chief-Detec-tive Hammond. “People buy goods on n small deposit and after holding them for a while, they consider them their own property. Probably they are shifting from the town, they sell the goods, and the police are called to trace the lost articles by the vendors. The system is undermining the credit of the country and legitimate trade is suffering. Some of these firms will send a bicycle to Stewart. Island for 3s. 9d., and the result is endless trouble.” To illustrate his point, the detective referred to an instance of which no had personal knowledge. A young family arriving from England furnished a home under the hire purchase system. 'They were overtaken by ill-for-tune and the husband, finding work on a boat, left for England, leaving bis wife and child stranded in New Zealand with the furniture. The woman had sold the furniture'to a friend for £4O, and left for Home. Hearing of this, the original vendors of the furniture seized it from the unfortunate purchaser. Mr. Hunt: The furniture should be sold under a bond or guarantee, so that it should not be re-sold until paid for. Mr. Hammond: Even that would not protect the private individual who buys all unsuspecting. You cannot label the furniture.