SELLING GUITARS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 676, 30 May 1929, Page 11

SELLING GUITARS

FREE LESSONS PROMISED TO CHILDREN CANVASSER IN COURT The selling methods and “sales talk” of Lou King, canvasser for the National Academy of Music, were freely ventilated when he was charged at the Police Court this morning with obtaining 5s from Lily Elizabeth Keen by false pretence. THE charge stated that King had obtained the money by falsely representing that Mrs. Keen’s two little girls had been selected as two of 14 children from the district who were to receive free tuition in music. Mr. R. A. Singer appeared for King and entered a plea of not guilty. “This charge has been brought as a result of complaints about defendant canvassing to sell mandolinguitars,” remarked Chief-Detective Hammond. “King was selling the instruments at £1 down and five shillings a week. He went to Mrs. Keen saying that he was front the National Academy of Music, or whatever it is,” continued the chief-detective. “He told her that her children, had been selected for free tuition and she signed an agreement to pay 5s a week until £5 5s was paid. She handed over 5s deposit. When her husband came home he said that he could not kceji up the payments and wanted to return the instrument. The firm would not take it back and shortly afterward a solicitor’s letter arrived demanding payment of the instalment and threatening action. The canvasser would not accept the instrument when Mr. Keen offered it to him.” Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M.: He should have thrown it at him. SIGNED AGREEMENT According to Mrs. Keen she had seen King first when he called at her house in Te Papapa on May 10. He had known witness’s name and informed her that life was selecting 14 children for free music tuition. On the purchase of a mandolin-guitar the children were to be taught free for four months. After some conversation the man had entered the house and played a tune. Witness was pleased with the instrument and also that her children had been of the 14 selected, so she had signed an agreement to pay 4s a week for the purchase of the mandolin. She was told that the children could go in to the headquarters of the academy in the Dilworth Building on the following day if they wished, and have their first lesson. The agreement stated that In the event of there being any default in the instalments the outstanding balance would immediately be due and payable. “When my husband came home,” continued Mrs. Keen, ‘he said that the instrument was not worth the money. Mr. King called the next day for the next instalment on it, and my husband saw him. He refused to take the instrument back and shortly afterward we received a solicitor’s letter threatening that steps would be taken to recover the £5 owing.” The Magistrate: Where is the false pretence ? The chief-detective considered that the woman had been trapped into signing the agreement by the canvasser telling her that her children had been specially selected. Mr. Singer regretted that he was not musical himself and could play neither the mandolin nor anything else. The Magistrate: You have a fine chance to learn for £5 ss. Harry Keen, husband of the previous witness, was of the opinion that his children were no brighter than any others, and for that reason he was surprised when his wife told him that they had been selected by the academy. “When King came for the next instalment, I asked him to come along to the police station, but I lost sight of him on the way,” added witness. MUSIC IN HIS EYES “Look at the music in his eyes,” was the remark said by Mabel Borrie to have been used about her little boy when King had come into her shop. He had told her that the academy wished to give poor people as good an opportunity to educate their children musically as the rich. Witness was of the opinion that she was throwing away the chance of a lifetime if she did not sign. Charles Osborne said that he had been forced to call King a liar when the man had called at his shop. He had said that witness’s children had been selected for free musical tuition.. “My youngest child is 34,” re..marked witness

Isabella Reardon had been told the same story, acording to her evidence. She had been told that her children were among the 14 selected to visit the academy for free lessons. The canvasser had assured her that her children would be taught to play the piano and, if they could not learn in 20 weeks, they would be kept on until they could.

An Onehunga music dealer valued the mandolin-guitar at about £2 2s. According to Constable Wilkes, of Onehunga, he also had been visited during King’s working of the Onehunga district. The man had not known that witness was a constable, and had told him that 12 of the 14 children required for tuition had been selected. He had suggested that witness’s little girl should be included, but the. idea did not appeal to witness.

In consequence of complaints received from people who had bought one of the academy’s instruments, said Constable Johnston, also of Onehunga, he had asked King to call at the Onehunga Police Station, and he had duly arrived accompanied by Mr. Silver, manager of the firm. After some show of reluctance, mainly on the part of Silver, King had given a statement in which he had said that he had told Mrs. Keen that he was selecting 14 children for the academv, and would like to include hers. When accompanying Mr. Keen to the police station he had thought that he should report the affair to his manager, and that w-as the reason for his disappearance. “We have had scores of these complaints, ’ added the constable. In the opinion of Mr. Singer the prosecution had failed to establish that there was any false representation. The suggestion was that the falsitj- lay in King saying that the children had been chosen for tuition but there was nothing to show that that was not the case. In fact, there was everything to show that they had been chosen, because Mrs. Keen had been given a card of which she

had made no use, authorising her to send her children to the academy for lessons. Mr. Singer also suggested that the women witnesses had been coached. The magistrate said that he could see the point counsel was making. He would adjourn the case until tomorrow in order to consider whether there had been any such false representation as had been referred to.