Evening star., 1937-04-18

secretary mailed the check as in
structed.
Score: Solicitor run, l hit, NO
errors. Promoter run, l hit, nc
errors
A few weeks later the solicitor boldly
walked into the Office of this firm and
presented to the bookkeeper the con-
tract signed by the president, who,
strangely enough" was out of the
city. The bookkeeper, who had the
authority to meet such accounts,
promptly gave the solicitor s25 from
the cash drawer, for which he received
a receipt, but when he looked for the
signed contract after the solicitor had
gone, he could not locate it. How
ever, he was not annoyed, as he had
the receipt.
Score: Solicitor-2 runs, 2 hits. no
errors. Promoter run, / hit, no
errors.
This game would possibly have had
to be called on account Of darkness
had not the writer dropped in to in
terview the president Of this firm, who
Immediately sought discrepancies in
his recent benefactions and discovered
many, although we only relate the
above because Of it's boldness. The
others are water over the dam" he
says, but from now on he has taken
the veil" This is the term used by
the solicitor applying to one who has
suddenly discovered he has been hood
winked. His name is removed from
the list of angels" at once.
Most solicitors have one glarinR
weakness. They like to look upon the
wine when it is red. And therein lies
their undoing at some time or an
other.
A CERTAIN Washington builder
recently signed a contract for an
advertisement in q builders directory
and code book, claimed to have been
Endorsed by the different inspectors
in the District Building.
One afternoon, some time later, an
ardent disciple Of the great god Bac-
chus barged into his ofice, and plac-
ing the signed contract on his desk
demanded payment, incoherently stat
ing that Inspector So and So had sent
him up. Well, this was too much for
the builder, who, grabbing his phone,
called the inspector, who said he knew
nothing whatsoever about the matter,
and furthermore had never indorsed
the publication in the first place The
solicitor had by this time ned as best
he could, but the builder frankly ad-
mitted, had he been approached in q
gentlemanly manner, he perhaps
would have given his check, as he had
actually forgotten having paid for this
particular advertisement. Going back
over his records, he discovered five
checks for donations to different
charities which had been smashed
(racketeers' word for cashe6 in a
clearing house" He says he will
af1idavit each one of these checks and
more than likely recover his money,
which he will give personally" to a
worthy charity. He, too, has taken
the VEIL" and woe betide any solicitor
who dares invade his sanctum with a
"phoney" proposition.
These are just two of many such
cases where the advertiser has been
hoodwinked, and although some may
term it laxness on his part, the fact
remains that there is hardly a busi-
ness that has not at one time or other
been a victim Of this fraud. The only
firms that are immune are those which
have hard and fast rule to pay only
upon publication.
But even these firms fall prey to
another scheme which is far more
daring.
To launch this bit Of deception sue
cessfully requires the service of q
printer who will not delve too deeply
into the business of his client.
THE promoter, when having his
advertising contracts printed for
an association from which he has
secured permission to publish . pro-
gram for q forthcoming event, will
request his printer to leave space
of about half an inch between the
name of the association, which will
appear at the top of the contract,
and the wording of the contract, which
usually reads, you are hereby author
lied to publish our advertisement in
your program, for which we agree to
pay" etc.
Then follows the same old routine,
high-pressured telephone solicitation,
signing of contracts, and eventually
the publishing Of the program.
His Clients" having paid for their
adverti aments-maybe twice. maybe