Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-02-17

Es $1,000
ers will miss the government short
hours and big pay and must be alb
sorbed into other occupations, perhaps
already o~vercrowded. All of these
things are disturbing from an eco
nomic standpoint, but they are for the
common good.
The right thing for the farmer, la
borer, business man and all other
classes is to adjust themselves to con-
ditions as rapidly as possible, to save
when possible, to avoid unnecessary
debt, avoid speculation and practice
thrift. 1t may mean harder work,
longer hours and sacrifices, but it may
be necessary.
The bucket shop explosions recorded
in the daily papers is causing many
individuals to realize that they have
lost a lot of money. The truth is they
lost it when they began to play the
bucket shop game and have just found
it out. The bucket shop is an imita-
tion of a real legitimate stock ex-
change-just an imitation, and usu-
ally, a dishonest one which feeces it's
victims, who as a rule do not squeal
because they do not want to be ex-
posed.
Next to the bucket shoppers are the
host of stock-selling agents who have
been flooding the country with stock
certificates, and carrying off the
money of farmers and others. A lot of
them are crooks and some of them get
up to so per cent commission, it is
said.
There is a legitimate investment
field, but these fellows are not work
ing in it. Some of them may go to the
penitentiary, but so long as there are
sheep to be f1eeced there will be fleec-
ers. The bucket shops are bootleg
gers in stocks instead of whiskey, and
the appetite for speculation is as keen
as for whiskey. Victims are lying
about waiting a call, and the spurious
stock dealers know it. There is al
ways an inviting field for sharps.
1t is unsafe any longer to buy of
any peddler stranger or to admit
strangers to the home. In recent
years a big lot of fakirs armed with
what appear to be good credentials
Casually forged), have made collec-
lions for hospitals or philanthropic So
%cieties, secured magazine subscrip-
tions, etc, as they travelled from house
to house and have kept every cent they
received for themselves. Housewives
say these persistent solicitors, usually
a man, but sometimes a woman, will
push their way into the door the mo-
ment it is opened even a few inches.
A lot of them are crooks of the first
water, and it is impossible to distin-
guish by personal appearance between
the crooks and the other kind. This
situation is getting worse with unem-
ployment, because some honest people
may be compelled to try peddling or
! soliciting and they must suffer with
l the guilty. 1t is safe to refuse deal
ings with every stranger.
: The magazine subscription game
was popular two or three years ago
when young men made big collections
in South Jersey, ostensibly to help
I them finish their college education.
They gathered in hundreds of dollars
I and neither the publishers nor sub
| scribers ever heard of them again. A
safe rule is: PAY o money to strang-
} ers.' Do not give strangers a check
as they may doctor it before it reaches
the bank. Do not sign a subscription
l paper unless you know the solicitor to
, be honest; do not guess at it. Thou
sands of people have signed innocent
l appearing subscriptions which were
: doctored after their subscriptions
: were obtained and later they turned
out to be notes in bank.
5 There are a lot of advertising fakirs
out also. They will pull in advertisers
, as we'll as publishers. 1t is well to
give them the go by. Less than a year
ago a syndicate of beats collected
large sums in New York and New Jer-
sey country sections with a novelty
which was very attractive and was to
be distributed through banks. Mer-
chants paid big money for advertising
space on the novelty and paid in ad-
vance; that is the last they ever heard
of the slick strangers.
Just plain every week advertising,
given direct to publishers of news
papers is the safe kind. The syndi-
Gates who get up special editions for
publishers usually beat advertisers
and as a rule the publisher gets bitten
worst of all.
Imposters use the names of banks,
prominent men, churches, lodges, to
obtain subscriptions or advance col
lections, and the numerous schemes
which have been and are now af1oat
to get money from the innocent are in
the language of the old time vendue
bill, Too tedious to mention"