COMMISSION ONLY

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 June 1936, Page 14

COMMISSION ONLY

MAGISTRATE’S COMMENT. [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.! AUCKLAND. June 15. “A firm that employs an agent on terms like this, on commission only with no salary, is looking for trouble. Possibly an end will be put to this sort of thing by our present Government,” said Mr. W. R. McKean, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, when Leonard Arthur Powell, aged 20 years, a salesman (Mr. Bryce Hart), admitted 32 charges of obtaining small sums totalling £6 13/3 by falsely representing that he was employed by the Wellington Slot Machine Company. The accused had been employed by the company from October until the beginning of last December, when, because of the unsatisfactory way in which he* was conducting business, he was asked to return the machines in his possession, and to account for the money received, said Senior-Detective Hall. He had spent all the money at the races, and then went on falsely representing that he was employed by the firm, in the hope of getting money, which he intended to invest at the races. He had; travelled over the country, and althodgh 32 persons had complained. numerous others had been defrauded.

Mr. Hart said that his client had been in business on his own when only 16, employing about 20, salesmen at that time. His success had apparently contributed to his downfall. He was employed ,by this company on commission. and as he had to pay his owu expenses he would have had to be a super-salesman to be successful. His only previous conviction concerned an unpaid hotel bill for 14/-. The present matter would probably he a lesson to him.

The accused was admitted to probation for three years and ordered to make restitution. "You have had a very narrow escape from imprisonme.nt, and if you come before the Court again you will not have any consideration,” the Magistrate said.