NO WORK FOR YEARS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22713, 28 October 1935, Page 12

NO WORK FOR YEARS

i COMMISSION HUNTERS , LONDON’S TRADE MENACE t \ ‘ ./ : ■v ; • V:.-.. . ■ Many well-informed,, people were surprised to learn .the hearing of a police court case in. London recently- that certain famous, restaurants were',in the habit of paying commission to people wh j brought in ■ fresh customers. , ■ Actually the custom is much:mote widespread than that. To-day, in the West End of London, there are hundreds of men and women who live—and live well —entirely on the commission they get from trades people. There is one young man, heir to one of th§ noblest titles in Great Britain, who is housed, dressed, fed, and shod without ever spending a penny of his own money. , . . He has a counterpart in .a much-photo-graphed debutante of 1934, who is even more lavishly treated by the various firms whose wares-she boosts. Motor car:firms, wine merchants, and tobacconists—all or most of them have someone on their books who. boasting of his or her wide circle of. friends in society, receives a monthly cheque ortpayment_ in ,kind for services rendered. From time to time principals' of firms affected have made concerted efforts to stamp-opt this’“commission racket,”: but so far -they have found it-impossible. ’ ' " DONE NO WORK FOR YEARS. One young man, who is in receipt , of a microscopic allowance from bis iiarents, has not done a stroke of work since be left the army nearly eight years ago. Yet he is always immaculately dressed, and may be seen lunching and dining in the most fashionable restaurants. His boast is that-his tailor’s bill, .if ever it were presented : to ;him.; would, be web over £2OOO. But it will never be- presented. . ■■ ■. . In the eight years he has been playing the part of a “ man about town,” or gone hunting or shooting, his perfectly-fitting clothes have attracted much attention. What more natural than that he should casually say: “Let’s have a spot of lunch in town one day, and I will introduce you to my tailor.” The appointment is. made. A colonel, or admiral, or big business magnate becomes a new customer to the tailor; a new patron at a restaurant, and the young man draws his commission. ~ Restaurant proprietors are frankly antagonistic to the system, but they argue that unless they pay they will lose good business. They know that their rivals would jump at the opportunity of wek coming the latest film star or celebrity to their tables, and would be quite willing to pav for the privilege. “WHAT IS IT WORTH?” ‘ They have nothing to say against the sportsman or sportswoman who tries to capitalise his or her temporary fame by demanding a fee for performing some service. That is quite legitimate, say the merchants and tradesmen concerned. But it seems likely that very soon a determined attempt will be made to kill the present pernicious system whereby some voung man or woman levels the straight threat, “I can bring so and so to your place or I can take them away. What it is worth to bring them? Hotels are offenders,' too. A young man who achieved some fame recently informed a News of the World representative that he had been offered free' accommodation for six months in a luxury suite on condition that he- would sign, a contract to appear in the dining room three times a week for lunch and' twice in the evenings during the time he stayed in the hotel. . A motor dealer was told that a certain firm proposed buying a small fleet of ears, and that the deal could be influenced in return for a certain sum of money. The dealer could not afford to miss the deal, and paid up. In the company’s books the payment _ was entered as “commission for_ ail introduction.' Actually it was a bribe. WILL NOT PROSECUTE. Quite recently a certain London wins and spirit firm paid a substantial sum to a man who had been visiting West End bars and hotel lounges and in a loud voice making deprecatory remarks about the firm’s products. ' “It is reasonably good.” he would say with a contemptuous sniff, “but I know much better.” For some time the company concerned considered the possibiljty of a prosecution, but ultimately decided that it would be cheaper to pay a little “ hush ” money than to incur the huge costs of legal process. ... From time to time the activities of several of the more persistent “commiseion hunters }> have been brought to the notice of the police, but nothing has happened. The people who pay the commissions will not prosecute. Tailors and wine merchants tell the police that the man or woman concerned is “a sort of outside agent,” and. that is. that.,