302 



TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



Very little, I admit, but it certainly relates an amusing 



incident arising out of it and thus adorns a tale. I 

 have, as I write, the photo of the man without a name 

 before me, and when I remember the number of peo- 

 ple he ' 6 put in " I am amused, especially as many of 

 them often sailed pretty close to the wind themselves. 



I am afraid that this is not alone applicable to 

 the days I have alluded to. I think it has descended 

 to our own times. I am every day hearing of a case 

 in which many people in this fair isle have recently 

 been gulled by a clever adventurer, who by some 

 occult means — or was it palmistry ? — got admitted 

 into the best society in Trinidad. 



The question may well be asked why was this 

 sound project, a project which at one time payed a 

 dividend of 14%, ever allowed to pass into the hands 

 of a company, the majority of whom are foreigners ? 

 — I use the term as apart from Trinidadians — or still 

 further ; why did not the Government take it over ? 

 I am unable to answer either question except that so 

 far as some monied individuals were concerned they, 

 perhaps, thought that 14% interest was too small a 

 sum for their money ; they preferred going about 

 through the town seeking whom they could devour, 

 in the shape of impecunious goverment officials or 

 other unfortunates, who for the time being become 

 embarrased and from whom they were able to extract 

 80 or 100% at little outlay or expense to themselves, 

 not even paying rent for an office in which to transact 

 their business, or a clerk to do their work, the loan 

 being, in the first instance, negotiated in the street 



