EVILS OF THE HIREPURCHASE SYSTEM

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 260, 2 November 1928, Page 7

EVILS OF THE HIREPURCHASE SYSTEM

BAD FOR THE COUNTRY [ Special " Chron’.tlc ” 'service J AUCKLAND, Nov. 1. A spirited condemnation of the hire-purchase trading • system was made in the police court this morning by Chief-Detective Hammond. Raymond Cecil Harding, a musician aged 25, pleaded guilty to stealing a bicycle va ued at £l9 19s 6d from a firm of city merchants. “Harding bought the machine, paying 4s down,” said Chief-Detective Hammond. ‘ ‘ He sold it to a dealer for £1 and that was the last that was heard of it.” Harding explained that his wife was in bad health, and he had been forccid to sell the machine to buy medicine for her. Mr Hunt, S.M.: That may or may not be true. You have been in trouble before. I shall remand you until tomorrow, so that inquiries can be made. “It takes an army of police to look after the goods bought on the hirepurchase system.” complained ChiefDetective Hammond. “Poop c buy goods on a small deposit, and after holding them for a while consider them their own property. Probably they are shifting from the town, and then they sell the goods and the police are called to trace the lost articles. The system is undermining the credit of the country, and legitimate trade is suffering. Some of these firms will send a bicycle to Stewart Island for 3s 9<l and the result is endless trouble.” To il ustratc his point the detective referred to an instance of which he had personal knowledge. A young family arriving from England, fur nished a home under the hire-purchase system. They were overtaken by illfortune and the husband, finding work on a boat, left for Eng’and, leaving his wife and child stranded in New Zealand with the furniture. The woman sold the furniture to a friend for £4O and left for Home. Hearing of this, the original vendors of the furniture seized it from the unfortunate purchaser.

Mr Hunt: The furniture should he so’d under a bond or guarantee so that it should not be re-sold until paid for. The Chief-Detective: Even that would not protect the private individual who buys unsuspecting. You cannot label furniture.