COMMERCIAL MORALITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19608, 9 April 1927, Page 12

COMMERCIAL MORALITY.

AN OFFICIAL STRICTURE. THE CITY REMAINS CALM. " BUSINESS AS USUAL." SAD NEWS FOR SHARPERS. There will be joy in the Far South over the strictures passed by the official assignee upon the commercial morality of Auckland. ' True, he explained that the remark was not intended to have sweeping application and modified his last words, but, nevertheless, the Far South will decide that ths cat is out of the bag at last, that Auckland, through the mouth of one of its own officials, has owned up to being a rather slippery customer in business.

For quite a time Aucklanders visiting the Far South have been told, more in sorrow than in anger, that this city's word is not as gocd as its bond, in other words, that a verbal order which is the pride of a town like Dunedin is not safe in Auckland, and that "no traveller will take a verbal order from an Auckland shop." It is a painful thing to find out that we are a bad lot, but there it is—in the opinion of the Far.South. Then let us not forget tho pleasantry of a Minister of the Crown to the effect that Dunedin is worth 25s in the £< Christchurch 19s, Wellington 17s 6d, and Auckland 10s. That is the sort of thing to rejoice the heart of a manufacturer of the South whose traveller, in his innocence, has let his firm in for a bad debt of 16s 9d with a potential Auckland bankrupt. The Nation's Critics. One has doubt about the meaning of the scale quoted, just as one has doubt about every sweeping criticism based upon particular case 3. Sweeping criticism is a very old recreation, as old as Hver complaint and jaundice, but nowadays it gets a wider publicity than ever before. Week after week we hear from someone or other—without an accompanying report as to his condition of health —that some big body of the people has gone to the dogs. First it is the flappers who, in the opinion of some individual, have become scandalous. Then it is the whole female section of the nation because skirts are shrrt and some woman has been seen in public sporting tartan garters. Next day we are given to understand that -there is something very far wrong with the whole race of children because some mite told a lie. Again, w,e are invited to take the view that all boys are bad boys and that the future of the race is undermined. How often does a self-created judge of the people divide them into two classes, the saints and the sinners? The average man and woman become a little weary of it, but are not really annoyed. They make allowances for temperamental utterances. "Draw Your Own Inference." That is the best kind of attitude to adopt in the present instance, but it does not debar one from taking the cheery line. One businessman whose opinion was sought yesterday pretended to be very serious. The fair commercial fame of Auckland, he said, had never been sullied until the city took the lead in New Zealand and the population rapidly increased. Much of the new population, he asserted, was gained at the expense of the other towns, particularly those in the South Island.

"Draw your own inference," he said, "if it is a fact that since the northward drift began the downward drift m Auckland's commercial morality has commenced." Then he talked about investment stocks, and the last bowling match and the state of the weather and dairy control and while he did so one observed that work was going on in his office at many large ledgers which seemed to proclaim the fact that normal credit business in this province seemed systematic and safe.

There are all sorts of ideas about commercial morality. Some imagine that all trade with the proletariat (blessed word) implies commercial immorality. Others who are pleased to be able to report that one fool, or "woolly lamb," is born every minute, follow the teaching that nothing matters unless one is caught. What concerns the average man is sharp practise or fraud under another name. Is this the sort of thing that is to be charged generally against Auckland businessmen? A Good Conscience. Regarding commercial conduct from the lowest plane, is it to be supposed that the majority of business men are not aware of the fact that the only sound and safe and permanent business is thai based upon fair and just dealing ? And apart from the trading community, is it to be supposed that ourselves and our neighbours and £he folk we meet and the average man in the street who buy from the traders have not inherited the good conscience of our forebears ? Is it to be supposed that' the great majority of the people are not honest foi honesty's sake, that they would not rather suffer any privation than delifcer ately do a dishonest deed ? Of course many are extravagant, but how many people are extravagant at another's risk'

Auckland's bankruptcies and cases of commercial fraud are not abnormal. Thero has been a boom time. The city has expanded remarkably. It has had a magnetic effect upon those of speculative instincts , throughout the Dominion. It is inevitable under such conditions thai-cases of sharp practice in business should receive prominence. But the city is sound at heart. Because it is so, business houses have often given credit in normal manner, to untrustworthy people. Unless one looks into averages very carefully thero is no shadow of right to make sweeping assertions. Even then it is well first to find out if one's nerves are right, or if the diet of the previous clay has been wisely selected.