Douglas Island news., 1906-11-07
The Deadly Knocker

It IS, too OILeuy Gue oAPoAi0nO0 SH would be investors in deserving min ing prospect that some one on the ground-some local resident--will often do his best or worst to "knock" the sale of his neighbours property, some times from pure cussedness, other times because he himself has proper ty that he wants to sell, and sillily knows no better way to recommend 1t than by decrying his neighbor's own- ings. One or two such male specimens can kill camp or hold back a really deserving mining locality.
 It is within the writer's personal ex- perience to be approached on his visit ing place that "needs nothing but capital" and confdentially told by leading local light that the property under consideration was "n. g." and that ''no one but damned fool would buy or bond it." meanwhile atfording the information that he had really fine proposition, just what was wanted, and might be induced to consider suit able offer therefor. This is not an un- common experience. Of course, the almost inevitable result is that the vis- itor leaves on the next boat-and some times has reminiscent remarks not wholly favorable to further inquiries concerning that particular locality.
 That this is the acme of folly goes without saying, but it is just what is being done over and over again in hundred deserving localities.
 Such people might with great benefit take leaf from the ledger of real es- tate mems policy. If stranger" visits Brownstown or Silyerville, and talks of buying lot, the local real estate deal CT to whom the stranger talks doesn't tell him that he has the only lot 1n town worth buying and the other fel- lows are only false alarms. He sensl- bly, credits the visitor with the posses sion of ordinary intelligence (which is usually safe] and contents himself with the effort to sell the lot in ques' tion, telling the truth (which is good enough, as most folks believe itl Should she visitor finally buy lot from another real estate agent in the same town, the first one talked to says, usually: "That is good lot, too; in- deed, next to the one l showed you, believe would recommend it for your purpose"
 Were he to start in telling the would be buyer that that lot was badly To- cated; that the property just there would depreciate, and that the whole was worthless, he would do no worse for the place of his habitation than the man who "knocks" the sale of mining prospect in his locality.
 "Then," it may be asked, "would you advise that m innocent purchaser be kept in ignorance of the situation? Is it not common honesty to let aninvest- or know the defects and shortcomings of property? Is it not the duty of a resident, acquainted with the facts, to so inform one uninformed?"
 If there be swindling or misrepresent- ation going on it is only right that the poor innocent promoter or mining en- gineer (who of course knows nothing) be told of bis folly, but, generally, it is not with any such high ideal of his du- ty to his fellow man that the "knocker" does his deadly work. He "knocks" be- cause his own narrow envy and little lust for Iucre blinds him to the injury he is doing his locality. He is not fooling the promoter nor mining engi- neer into believing what he says about his own property, but he is helping to throw suspicion upon any honest state- ment of others, for in nothing is confl- dence more easily destroyed than in anything relating to the purchase of 8 prospect.-The Mining Press.