The New York herald., 1922-03-06

automobile manufacturers, are bend
ing their efforts to the same end.
These undertakings alone, covering
as they do the entire country, should
be sufficient to indicate the appalling
menace Of the situation.
In this and succeeding articles THE
! New York HERALD will set forth some
POINTS regarding the scope and clarac-
| ter of these commercial frauds.
| Two Glasses Of Trade Frauds.
! Commercial frauds divide themselves
discernably into two general classes:
First. The fraud that strikes di-
| rectly at the pocketbook of the gen.
eral public. and has for it's purpose
| the robbing of the individual.
Second. Fraudulent practices d.
| rected against business houses.
This article will deal with CONNER
cial frauds directed at the general pub
| ic.
This class of frauds lies broadly
within the confines of misrepresenta-
ton Of goods as to quality, service and
value.
/ The methods used in such swindles,
while hardly as blatant as some OF the
roaxes Of fifteen or twenty years ago.
are much more pernicious because OF
the stimulation of honesty and an in
estinlably moro deleterious effect upon
| the average citizens pocket.
/ A not uncommon type OF couple OF
decades ago may be illustrated by the
plight of the New England judge who
answered an advertisement, Offering a
/ sure way 20 cure horse of drooling.
upon receipt of So. 1t appears that
! the propensity OF the judges mare TO
/ orool had been the subject of consider
Table levity about the court house door,
in front OF which it was his custom to
bitch the afflicted animal while he held
court. Reading the advertisement, the
4 Judge sent his So along with aiacrity,
fcr which he received by return mail
4 printed slip bearing the following in
structions:
Teach your horse to spit.'
So fiagrant misuse OF advertising
mediums to-day would be throttled
quickly. Nevertheless, the crooks are
getting away to-day with swindles al
most as bald as that perpetrated upon
tho New England judge, but by much
more subtle methods and with results
whose figures in dollars run into mil
lions. The number Of such frauds
which get through the Gordon OF vigi-
lance thrown about modern business is
astonishing. The hopeful aspect of the
situation. however. is that the resent
ment of honest business is leading to a
gl eat Improvement, If not ultimate re-
6uction of commercial frauds directly
upon the public to negligible proper
tions.
Fake Fire sales Transparent.
The ordinary tricks OF fake fire sales,
bogus going out of business sales and
fake value comparisons, in which pre-
viously marked UP prices are 're-
duced." are rather too common and
apparent to be worthy of lengthy dis
cussion at this point Concerns usu-
ally do not make such pretension to
substantialness as to render them par
| ticularly deceiving.
On the other hand, there is hardly
a line OF legitimate commercial busi-
! ness that IS not infested more or less
with houses which Systematically fleece
/ the public through misrepresentation.
The automobile accessories business,
/ for instance. has its cut rate tires. its
gasoline economizers. its fake coopcra-
tive buying associations into which
gullible automobile owners are lured
upon the prospect Of getting better
/ ,ot tar rar rYftar1iac ord
Honest furriers are constantly pes
/ tered by dishonest competition. Con-
versely many a woman. laboring under
| the impression that she is arraycd in
seal, proudly disports herself in dyed
rabbit skin or unknowingiy is elevat-
! ing the pelt OF poor old Towser to the
elegance OF Siberian wolf.
Because gum takes a mahogany
stain unusually well. there is many a
home and Office with fine collection
OF gum furniture for which mahogany
prices were paid.
Without going into the field OF pat
ent medicines, which frequently i'm
| prove" the health OF ailing persons by
mild resort to drugs and stimulants.
the number of fake medicines" con-
tanning nothing more curative than
mental suggestion, and the methods
used in getting the public to buy them
could easily be made the subject OF a
separate article.
Such q list as this might be con-
tinued ad infnitum. but let us pick
out ond of the foregoing fields and
have look at the inside OF IL. The
first named, automobile accessories. is
a good one. The automobile owner to-
day could almost be called the aver
age citizen and moreover he repre-
sents a class with sufficient money in
tho aggregate to offer a tempting bait
to the swlndler.
Consider two items alone OF the au-
toinobie owners needs, gasoline and
tires. Ifc watches eagerly for any
opportunity to economize on these
items. The man who can devise a
real economy is in for lot OF money.
The swindler. recognizing this. Is ON
the job with scores OF limitations OF
economy.
For instance there has been within