BEAUTY TREATMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23637, 22 October 1938, Page 27

BEAUTY TREATMENT

A BOOTMAKER’S VENTURE FALSE PRETENCES ALLEGED % MAGISTRATE RESERVES DECISION (Per United Press Association) AUCKLAND. Oct. 21. How an unemployed bootmaker allegedlv posed as a Viennese beauty expert known as Rene Valetta and distributed hundreds of circulars around Auckland offering a Viennese beauty treatment and preparation to the women of New Zealand in addition to a prize of up 1 £ 1000 for a name for the treatment, was revealed in a case before the Police Court to-day. Two charges of obtaining sums of 2s 6d from women by falsely representing that on the receipt of the money he would ' ward a secret beauty preparation were denied by Clifford Nelson Double, aged 37, for whom Mr Selwyn Clarke appeared. Detective Sergeant McHugh said the accused had 1000 circulars printed and started out on a scheme of offering to the ladies of New Zealand a special secre preparation which was credited to give a perfect skin "ree from all blemishes and a beautiful healthy body. The accused distributed most of the circulars in the 'Temuera district, as a result of which he received two replies containing postal notes for <2s 6d in each case. Article from Newsnaper “The only thing sent out in return was a written copy of an article cut out of a newspaper,” said Detective Sergeant McHugh. “ The women concerned expected more than that; in fact, they expected a preparation that would have the desired effect as indicated in the circular. What was sent out will not make anyone beautiful.” The magistrate (Mr C. R. Orr Walker): It is all right as long as it does not make them otherwise. Two women witnesses said that by the way the circulars read they expected to receive a pot of face cream or a bottle of lotion. A beauty preparation, they said, was usually a face cream or lotion. , The magistrate: The circular does not say what the preparation was to be. It might have been a milk bath. One witness said she received noting and counted her payment as a loss. She said she had no intention of complaining to the police. The other witness said that she supplied the name “ Bloom of Youth ” for the preparation and received a letter In reply. “ I take it that you wanted something to make yourself more beautiful than you are,” said the magistrate to the second witness, and, when she replied in the affirmative, he added: “That’s impossible.” Advice to Women

The magistrate referred to a letter sent to the witness, which read: “ Beauty—first and foremost, assume that you are beautiful and you will become it. Hold your head as though you were a princess and you will be taken for one. Talk as if you expected people to listen and they will. To apoear a beautiful woman you must use your will power. “My skin is like a baby’s—no spots or marks at all,” the letter continued. “ The secret of that is olive oil I massage olive oil into every inch of my body once every day. This oil has preserved my skin. That is why it is beautiful. If I did not take care I would be a fat lady in no time, and so night and morning I do five or six exercises based on a ballet technique. “Beauty Secrets’* "Diet,” the letter stated. “I eat very little meat and much salad, and I drink the juice of five oranges every day of my life. Another little beauty hint of my own is to rub in a little eau de Cologne. Finally, I have from eight to ten hours’ sleep always.” The letter concluded: “Beauty secrets of a famous Viennese dancer.” The magistrate: It is excellent advice. if that were all one expected. After all, beauty is only skin deep. Detective Slater produced a statement made by the accused that he clipped an article by a Viennese dancer out of an English newspaper about two years ago. At the time he had an idea of making an offer to the public of New Zealand, but he had no money to do so. It was only recently that he obtained enough to get circulars printed and he distributed about 700. Only two replies were addressed to the private postal box he engaged for the purpose.

There was no one else connected with the scheme, ti. statement added. When sufficient funds became available the accused intended sending the replies to a friend in Australia, who was to act as sole judge of th- naming competition. It was not his purpose to take the p -blic down, but he proposed to retain 8 per cent of the amounts received for himseH and to cover expenses. “ Rene Valett Salon ” Detective Slater produced a newspaper clipping headed “ Viennese Secrets,” from which the accused took his alleged preparation. Witness said that the accused had no beauty salon in Auckland, although the circular gave his address as “ Rene Valetta Salon of Beauty, P.O. Box 1504, Auckland.” It was in consequence of complaints made to the nolice that a watch was kept on the postal box. Mr Clarke submitted that it was a border-line case, and that the evidence did not disck e an offence of false pretence. The accused’s representations ware not proved false, he said The tenor of the whole circular tended to negative the limited meaning of the word preparation as far as it might refer to a pot of cream or a "ecioe of ingredients to be made up, because “ preparation ” was mentioned twice and “ treatment ” four times. Offer of £IOO9 Prize The magistrate suggested that the offer of a £IOOO prize was only to fill in the circular and that, if a c mrse of treatment had been stipu’ated, there could have been no doubt about the accused’s intent. Reference, however, was made to both treatment and preparation, and it was not established that the accused had any prep, ration he could forward in return for the pay ■en’’j received. The magistrate reserved his decision.