DEBT COLLECTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12609, 25 June 1904, Page 5 (Supplement)

DEBT COLLECTING.

SOME QUESTIONABLE- METHODS : A firm which does a large business through the post on th« instalment system of payment recently hit upon rather a novel method of extracting money from its debtors (says CasseU's Saturday Journal). .-,*■; *

Reluctant,,! for several reasons, to go to law, it appointed a number of agents in suburban districts where defaulters'; lived, thinking that if these individuals were dunned by one of their neighbours they would speedily be shamed into paying up. And* it was ■; not mistaken."i In twelve months it recovered considerably more than it could have done by resorting to the law* This is : by no means the only novel method of collecting lebts. A money-lender who attended a ctrtaia church, being unable to obtain repayment of a loan which he had made to the pastor, got himself appointed sidesman, and, after going round with the plate, on Sunday, actually helped himself to some of the collection while he was ; taking it to the vestry! pßy this despicable proceeding he soon, bad his pound of flesh. ' / ■ Some women* money-lenders are .no * less unscrupulous. Otoe, who does a highly profitable business in a certain poor neighbourhood, employs both men and money to " bash'' her debtors; :'\ First the defaulters get a hint to pay up in the form of a good thrashing, and if this is k not ~ effectual sterner measures promptly follow. ; In one case a man was ; in, hospital for two months after her hirelings had waylaid himThis arrangement is perfectly well known, not only to her customers,"' but also to the police ;*yet it is impossible to bring her to book, because nobody will give evidence against her. Detectives once tried every art to get a case against the miserable usurer, even offering to find work at a distance for men who would come forward as witnesses, so that they should ; not suffer by so doing. It was all in vain, however; Another female Shylock adopts all manner of methods of making her victims pay. She does a large business, with the wives of working men, lending them small sums at ah interest of twopence or threepence in the shilling per week, and when her debtors are unable to pay her she will sometimes "take out" a debt in goods. Here is an actual instance.' • . A woman whose- husband will not trust hei with .any monev borrowed 5s from the female usurer. Unable to, pay it back in hard cash, the foolish housewife wiped it out in a fortnight by means of 7s 6d worth of bread, groceries, etc., from the co-opera-■f jva stores ■ •' "■■'* | ''" "*'- ■ * ' k ■■ For these articles the unsuspecting fausband paid. „1