New-York tribune., 1910-09-25
FURR|ERS FIGHT FRAUDS
Plan Action Against Misrepre-
sentation in Their Business.
WARN OFFENDING DEALERS
Penal Cole Provides Specifically
Against Insertion of False
Advertisements

Encouraged by the success which has az
tended the efforts OF Commissioners Driscol
I'm the fight for honest weights and meas
ures. the frrriers of New York have do
ternined to take action against misrepre-
sentation I'm their business. The first steps
In a. campaign to bring about the sale OF
fur- on their merits have been taken bJ
the Fur Merchants Credit Association
through its attorneys, RosenthaI Heer-
nance.
The misrepresentations of which the as
sociation, composed OF the leading dealers
in the city. complain are twofold- In some
instances. II is alleged. companies with
limited capital and restricted business as
sumo names calculated to lead the public
TO believe that the firm or company is a
branch Of ore OF the large fur institutions
of the world. The other prevailing evil
complained of by the association. through
it's president, Charles F. Porter. is the ad-
vertising or placing on display of cheap
furs under the name Of valuable skins
Thus, il is alleged. common hare skins
are called Australian mink and lynx,
while rabbit skins are dubbed white fox.
and other limitations are pslmed off IN the
same way under names which lead pur-
chasers to believe that they are buying
valuable furs.
In certain lines OF fur there IS a trade
custom whereby the furs are called py
certain names to which they are not really
entitled. but this custom has become SO
universal in the trade that they are usuaiiy
called BY these names. Thus, Baltic seal
and Greenland seal are not seals at all.
and skunk skins are sold under name
much less suggestive OF the peculiar ana
pungent odor which is associated with the
little striped animal.
Another thing against which the FUR mer-
chants plan 10 take action IS tne Ilch OF
advertising that "a lady ordered 10 the
South for her health. and having no fur
ther use for fur coat which cost SD
will sell II at a sacrifice" When the caller
in response to such an advertisement Is
rightly sized up. she is informed that the
coat is lust her size, but that IL Is in stor-
age
Fhs advertiser then goes 70 a friend ana
cats a coat made of fur clippings ana
worth little, and this is sold as a $40 coat
to the unsuspectng purchaser, who cls-
covers after two or three days wear thar
the fur garment is giving way in al dlrec-
+ions. such a practice is clearly a case
OF obtaining money under false pretences,
and as such Is easily punishable under the
law the merchants say.
The practice of misrepresentation IN ad-
vertising. hewsvsr. is not generally re-
gsrdsa as an offence against the criminal
law. The Penal Code of the state proVlass
specifically against that offence Sectloh
41 OF the code provides that any person
firm or corporation. or employe thereof
who in a newspaper, circular OF other pup
iicstion misrepresents goods is liable 20 a
in. Of not less than s. and not more thah
500 for each efence
RosenthaI & HseTmance have ALREADY
served notice on a number of dealers that
thew must change the advertisements that
are appearing in some newspapers and
trade Journals. TO make them conform 10
the truth. Unless the changes are maae
action will bs taken under the Penal Code
to force offending dealers 10 comply with
the law AS to misrepresentation by sales
men or by exhibits in store windows. the
fur merchants expect TO reach the practices
under the section of the code dealing with
obtaining money under false pretences