New-York tribune., 1907-05-13

IN order, and the company a stub for fling
session of The Tribune. Its ease of operation
and the loopholes through which an agent can
escape when cornered have made this particular
sWlndle profitable and safe. one thing which
VIII help stop the swndle will be to compel all
ticket brokers TO use the kind of order adopted
by the reputable agents OF the city. the form of
which would leave the evidence Of the swindle
il the hands of the purchaser and make the
steamship companies responsible for the honor
ing of the order.
With remedy so close al hand as merely to
make mandatory the adoption of a properly
safeguarded system of orders on the steamship
companies, why are these hardships which have
been cited? Why friends and relatives
made homeless and forced TO beg and starve at
the ports 10 which they go to embark? Why is
this evil great2 Ticket agents in this city
say that three-quarters of the tickets they sell
are prepaid for relatives in Europe Then the
opportunity for this great fraud exists in three
quarters of their business. The cause OF this
fraud to large extent is found in the fact that
instead Of selling valid tickets issued by steam
ship companies the brokers sell their own per-
sonal orders. which need not be honored over
the steamship lines and which are binding on
no one.
issue has four parts-the purchaser gets a re-
ceipt and an order to send 10 the passenger the
he
snip COMPANY on the face Of all Of these ap-
pear number. the name and address OF the
hnr' the class amount paid and name OF agent
and other necessary information
FORM OF BOGUS ORDER
And what appears the personal order OF
the broker? As appears in the photograph OF one
on this page actually issued it Is a slip Of paper
bearing instructions, in half dozen languages.
not to leave home until told to start: a number.
. he ?
ana the port Of sailing and arrival The amount
OF money paid. the name OF the purchaser. the
name Of the agent and the name Of the steam |
ship line are left off entirely. The name of the |
agent to whom the ticket is to be presented
abroad does not appear, nor the place where the :
ticket IS issued. In a few instances the broker /
stamps his name on The order
Now what happens with such a bogus ordero |
The steamship lines will not honor IL for no |
money has been sent 10 them This ticket is |
often bought ON the nstalment plan and al !
though these brokers not only require a security !
for the balance due and in addition charge 2 !
per cent Interest on that balance and charge /
from ~ to $40 more for tickets instalment. (
they usually hold the real ticket until the whole
amount is paid although they give the man his /
bogus order and tell him 10 send it TO his family /
The result is the family arrives the porr M /
Is told the ticket is no good, and thew must ,
either go back home wait for more none. !
Then the ticket must be sent back to this conn
Try before any action can be begun OF relief |
given
At the present time this evil cannot he reached. |
'7t'''i''
21o foreigners replied asking for help get their
money back
FRAUD SLOW OF DETECTION
In The first place, the fraud cannot be proved !
until the bogus ticket has been received on the !
other side and passage refused 1t is very
difficult TO prove that the ticket has not been !
lost in the mails. These agents also have a !
great power over the immigrants and intimi- /
date them, telling them they are violating tne ,
than,
cOmpla aiming. Consequently. when one loses his
money through them he is too poor to hire a
lawyer, and does not know where To go as his
ADVISERS nave the money and are deceiviug and |
intlmidating him.
The Legal Aid Society the District ATTORNEY.
foreign consulates and others who protect the
immigrants are hampered by the inadeaua-v of
the lhe law. 10 meet the constitutional objection
ana to bring relief. Assembly bill No COS was
introduced by Assembyman Wells 1t prohibits
brokers from advertising as authorized agents of
steamship lines when they are not such and COM
pels all brokers TO sell valid tickets over the line
indicated on the face of the ticket &nd signed
by the agent OF the company thus bIujin% ~
company to carry the purchaser 1t also pro-
hibis false and misleading statements and
specifies what the face of the ticket mnst CO.
tain In other words the purchaser must have
a guarantee that he is not getting a worthless
piece of paper. but that he is getting ticket
which the steamship companies are bound TO
honor. and not the mere personal order of a
broker having no claim the company Fur
ther'more. the provisions of the bill are limited
to prepaid orders sold in this state as the
fraud in outgoing tickets be detected here
before great hardship Is done
WHENCE OPPOSITION COMES.
II would seem that bill having for it's object
the prevention OF fraud which causes sucb
misery and hardship would not meet with on
position. But these small brokers do not. as n
rule, send the savings intrusted to them abroad
directly and they do not purchase steamship
tickets OF the companies. Instead they often
use some highly respectable banking houses as |
Intermediates, paying them a commission, and
these banking houses do not want any restric- |
uons on the business These banking houses
are honest. but the ones opposing the bill en-
courage bogus brokers. Any man can open |
private bank. and asking the big bankers |
for their deposit books. and without inquiry as
TO his responsibility of standing the banking
houses will mail them TO him. On that part
OF the deposit slip, which goes back to the
big banker is this reputable bankers
name, which is used advertisement and
guarantee by the fraudulent broker But on the
receipt given 70 the depositoy out Of the same
blank book. which is furnished by the reputable
banker his name does not appear.
Elf1A ms ,se