The sun., 1907-10-19

WspQ0ods. co0c]rn sfyhn9 WeSW 'eu
cvssaisstiow n brsir bvokers' end wh,ch
n yrsmlsy On smpwym~r, sssccy saver.
Using 4. rlsce kvcd w~r Vim wort Win
thsis tvssNs irsscsd NJ their hands IN jchs.
spresred Yesterday t~fos~ Ccmu,smsos~r
N tsc~n~ss Bossvt IN snswer N complsint
msde W Jsmss T.. Crawford sssisss The
concegu's meshod ~ do,ns bsssiness The
hesrsrs lasted sii day and vac noe con-
sided
Crawford, wss wss formerly . lawyer
~ 0laaeow. sccs,aad. sIlssss chat from
M own sspersesce and the superlences
sf otbess whom be Knows the npthcd
NJ the ccncssn b " ccIlccs from Oh april
csnts fos smpsoyment -. IN return for
whscb n sends for ooe yeas small pamphlet
Issucd monthly entitled Bspsoods Opppv-
nnsies This contains q Iist Of some ~
the places waiting for brains which the
copccrn has 20 M. N is further alleged IN
the complaint that HspRoods insists upon
this payment Of % befcre doing anything
With any application for employment and
that this constitutes o violation Of the
employment agency law. which rays that
not more than per cent. OF the frst years
salary can be charged by such an agency.
Hapgoods charges per cont. Of tho first
years salary when II lands Q Job for any
one.
The concern was Incorporated Ave years
ago. IL 10 said that HapSoods Oppor-
tunaies now 10 sent TO up ward OF 5000
persons. II. }. Hapgood 10 the president
Of the concern. IL has offices in all OF the
principal cities Of this country and in Glas-
cow and London ss Eapeoods Limited.
The principal Office 10 at BIS Broadway.
number OF witnesses testified before
the Commissioner yesterday as to the IS
subscription fee being demanded OF ap-
plicants before anything was done for
them no matter hat brains they seemed
to have. L. n. Parker. a former employee
of Hapgoods. testified that the officers OF
the concern had instructed the employees
to refuse all applicants unless they forked
over s. for Opportunities and that 80 far
as he knew the brain brokers never had
placed any brains unless the owner Of
them had subscribed first in this manner.
II a man refused TO pay for the magazine
the card filed out for him went on the
-dead file."
In great deal OF the concerns literature
stress is laid upon the number OF places
looking for brain workers. Lawyer Brad
bury, counsel for the concern. apparently
tried hard To get Mr. Parker to testify
that there were more brain places than
brain workers in the land. but the witness
said that. so far AZ he knew, there never
was a time when the number OF places
open was as large as the number OF appli-
cants. There were some untitled places.
he said. One of those he recollected called
for an expert accountant" at SO a week.
Crawford, in relating his experiences.
said that he had noticed last May an ad
vertisement calling for a man to act as an
assistant to the president of several large
concerns in the Pittsburg district who
could attend to stock issues and negotiate
with banks" The salary was to DO from
5000 to 5000. Mr.. Crawford, who was
then in Newfoundland. cabled the con-
Germ that such a job would just suit him
and got an application blank back calling
for IS as subscription for the magazine.
which he sent. Later. after he had given
up the IS. he got letter stamped with the
name of II. j. Hapgood.
Il have lust been looking over the papers
in your case" this went on to say. and
note that your age is given as 80. l trust
that in the correspondence leading up to
your subscription it was made perfectly
clear TO you that the tendency OF the large
business houses which We serve is to employ
younger men. Frequently. however the
experience which comes with years is sought
and in these cases we can place a man OF
your age. We write this so that you may
not subscribe under any misappreheDsion.'
Crawford said that he came to New
York and was unable to find that the con-
cern was doing anything for him and then
demanded the return Of the S. subscription.
This was refused. He said that he had
received only a few copies OF ~Oppor-
tunities."
IL turued out at the hearing that the
brain brokers have two copyrighted books
is -Hspgoods Manual" and the other Hap
goods idea" H. J. Hapgood and Nj. b.
Wiley, secretary OF the company, are the
compilers Of these volumes, which were
produced by the counsel Tor the concern
and put in the record at the request OF
Lawyer Hrschberg. Crawford's counsel.
who contended that the books would show
that the IS subscription TO the magazine
was merely a scheme for obtaining IS
more than the legal fee. In the preface
of -Hapgoods Idea" is this:
The contents Of this book are too valuable
to the organization to be made public. Each
man will be held personally responsible
for the COPY furnished him. and under no
liberation is It to be allowed to leave
his possession.
The book purports TO give in narrative
form the model xay of landing q subscriber.
After giving an idea Of how TO get a man
looking for good job interested by telling
him Of the many opportunities that exist
for Just such brains ~ his the narrator
goes on to show the correct way OF getting
a subscription thus
AZ this point took one Of the pink applica-
ton blanks, and after writing my name on
the first page handed It to him opened up
fiat 40 that the drst thing he saw was not
the contract but a blank space for him TO
MI In. which usually appeals to man.
Later on in the story Of what took place
one bright morning when the real agent Of
the brain brokers approached a man with
brains there 10 this incident:
At this point Mr.. Jones offered his first OBJ
lection. saying. The proposition seems to be
. pretty good one. but ! do not IKE the idea
OF paying for something before ] get IL.
1T is true" Mr.. Jones. replied. that you
have to pay our subscription fee before we
begin efforts in your behalf. The very fact,
however. that we make no proht until we
place you makes IL for our interest to use
every effort to find the sort OF opportunity you
desire. Another point to be remembered
In hat ~ we did MT oh ar 10 this fee we would