PAWNED HEIRLOOMS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17079, 7 July 1926, Page 7

PAWNED HEIRLOOMS.

PREDICAMENT OF IMMIGRANTS. TWO DIVERGENT OPINIONS. (Spectal to the He.rald.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. To come 'out to New Zealand full of hope and ambition, and to find a few months after their arrival that the state) of the family exchequer demands the pawning of the family heirlooms, has been tlie unfortunate experience, of many immigrants from the Homeland. “i’es, they’re coming here every day,” one city pawnbroker said to-day to'a Star reporter, when asked if immigrants were numerous amongst- his clientele. “How many call on you in a single day?” “Well, the number vanes, but we usually get- three or four." "How do you know they are immigrants?” “Well, of course, we could toll by their voices if by nothing else,-hut- we always ask them'whore they come from, and certain other questions to .satisfy ourselves that the stuff they pledge has uot been stolen.” “They tell some sad stoiie.s?” lie was asked. “Yes. some of them, of course. Others just pledge their stuff and go, but many of them condemn the country, and make no secret of the fact that they made a. mistake in corning out- here.” “What do they pawn?” “Well, many things; watches and chains, and pins and numerous other trinkets.” “They never forget to come hack for them.” “No, they usually come back. Perhaps they leave the pledged article here for a month, but it is usually more like four months.’”

“Immigrants pawning their heirlooms !” said another pawnbroker, when lie was told of the statement, of one of his confreres. “Why, those that come. to me have nothing to pawn. That'a been my experience of them.” He declared that during the last 12 months lie had had two immigrants in Ids shop, and both came in looking for work. “From what I’ve seen I have gathered that these people have very little with them when they leave Home, and everything that they do bring out with them they must pawn at Wellington, for they’ve got nothing when they get here. Take the ordinary man in the street, anyway. lie’s got very little worth pawning. « There was a time when every man had a gold watch and chain, and a. decent ring, but not so today. There has been a great change. People don’t go in for jewellery like they did a few years ago. We can se.ll the wrist stuff, there is a big demand for that, and also for diamond rings, but there lias been a falling off in other lines,” “Yotii don’t believe that one city pawnbroker lias neon receiving pledges from ns many as four immigrants a, day?” “No, 1 certainly do not. That’s not right. As I .sav, they’ve got nothing to pawn. All they have is perhaps a gun metal watch and a cheap ring.”