1278 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
October  0,  192.'! 
PUBLISHER’S  DESK 
All  letters  to  Publisher’s  Desk  depart¬ 
ment  must  be  signed  with  writer’s  full 
name  and  address  given.  Many  inquiries 
are  answered  by  mail  instead  of  printing 
inquiry  and  answer,  hence  unsigned  let¬ 
ters  receive  no  consideration. 
Do  you  know  anything  about  the  offer 
made  by  brokers  for  the  dividend  script 
of  the  Manhattan  Railway  Company?  It 
looks  a  bit  unusual  to  me?  I  understand 
that  a  few  farmers  in  my  vicinity  have 
fallen  for  it.  H.  F. 
Pennsylvania. 
The  Manhattan  Railway,  the  old 
elevated  railroad  in  New  York  City,  was 
leased  some  years  back  to  the  Interboro 
Company  which  runs  the  subway.  The 
rental  was  a  guarantee  of  7  per  cent  on 
the  elevated  stock.  Last  year  the  Inter¬ 
boro  defaulted  on  the  rent,  and  a  new 
agreement  was  made.  The  defaulted 
rental  on  dividend  was  paid  in  script 
amounting  to  5\i  per  cent  or  $5.25  per 
$100  share.  This  is  payable  November 
1,  1923.  The  brokers  are  simply  offering 
to  buy  this  script  now  a  few  weeks  in 
advance!  at  $5,  taking  25  cents  profit  on 
a  share.  This  is  not  important  in  small 
holdings  but  in  larger  blocks  it  is  worth 
while. 
On  February  12,  1923,  I  sent  to  a  firm 
for  a  stocking  knitter  which  was  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  sent  to  me  at  once  and  I  was 
to  work  for  them  for  five  years,  and  a 
contract  and  guarantee  was  sent  me 
signed  by  the  party  of  the  first  part  and 
by  me  the  party  of  the  second  part.  This 
'firm’s  name  is  the  Tryon  Knitting 
'Stores,  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  I  sent  $69.50 
to  them  for  the  knitter,  full  payment  on 
February  14.  I  received  an  acknowledg¬ 
ment  of  my  money  and  they  told  me  T 
would  get  my  machine  in  a  few  days.  I 
waited  until  March  1,  and  then  I  wrote 
to  Edward  Tryon.  president,  and  re¬ 
ceived  an  answer  that  he  had  sent  for 
the  agent  and  said  I  would  get  it  very 
soon.  I  waited  another  four  weeks  and 
got  no  word  or  machine.  Then  I  told 
them  either  to  send  the  machine  or  to 
send  my  money  back,  which  they  did  not 
do.  On  May  7  I  got  the  machine,  but 
I  could  not  use  it  and  have  not  been 
able  even  to  turn  the  handle  as  it  was 
out  of  order  when  sent  to  me.  I  have 
written  letters  but  to  no  avail  and  a 
few  days  ago  received  a  letter  that  it 
was  my  fault  if  I  couldn’t  use  it.  I 
have  had  expert  tool  makers  look  at  my 
knitter  and  they  say  it  is  the  company’s 
fault  as  it  is  not  built  right.  Would 
you  advise  me  to  send  the  machine  back 
and  demand  my  money  or  what  shall  I 
do?  The  machine  was  supposed  to  have 
a  stocking  started  on  it  and  in  good  con¬ 
dition  ;  it  did  have  one  started  but  the 
stitches  were  dropped  in  it.  A.  j.  M. 
Rhode  Island. 
We  have  carried  on  quite  a  lengthy 
correspondence  with  Tryon  Stores,  Low¬ 
ell,  Mass.,  in  behalf  of  this  woman.  The 
contention  of  Mr.  Tryon  is  that  the  ma¬ 
chine  is  very  superior  to  the  other  home 
knitting  machines  advertised  and  that 
the  failure  of  the  purchaser  to  get  re¬ 
sults  is  all  her  own  fault  and  insists 
that  she  should  make  the  journey  to 
Lowell,  something  less  than  100  miles, 
to  receive  instructions  in  operating  the 
machine.  This  case  is  quite  similar  to 
the  reports  received  from  people  who 
have  purchased  other  makes  of  machines. 
The  net  result  is  Mrs.  A.  ,T.  M.  has  ex¬ 
pended  $69.50,  relying  on  the  claims  of 
the  advertiser,  for  a  machine  which  she 
is  unable  to  operate.  Perhaps  some  wo¬ 
men  are  able  to  knit  stockings  with  this 
type  of  machine.  We  have  reports  from 
a  few  readers  who  after  considerable 
perseverance  have  been  able  to  operate 
them  successfully  but  the  preponderance 
of  the  testimony  has  been  adverse.  A 
farm  paper  in  the  Central  West  has  re¬ 
ported  a  large  number  of  complaints 
from  its  readers  regarding  these  ma¬ 
chines  and  we  learn  that  a  number  of 
other  publications  will  this  year  refuse 
the  advertising  of  them  because  of  com¬ 
plaints  from  readers.  None  of  the  manu¬ 
facturers  are  willing  to  sell  the  knitters 
on  a  “guarantee  of  satisfaction  or  money 
back.”  This  we  consider  significant.  The 
prospect  of  being  able  to  earn  money  at 
home,  knitting  stockings,  is  what  sells 
the  machines,  but  when  the  woman  can¬ 
not  operate  it  not  only  does  this  pros¬ 
pect  fade  away,  but  her  investment  is 
lost. 
August  9  a  man  stopped  at  our  home 
and  told  my  husband  that  he  was  out 
testing  eyes,  and  that  he  had  our  names 
on  his  list.  He  seemed  so  fair  that  we 
consented  to  have  a  test.  First  he  tested 
my  husband  and  passed  him  in  good  con¬ 
dition.  Then  I  took  the  chair.  lie  tested 
the  right  eye,  which  he  called  good,  but 
the  left  I  could  not  see  to  read  at  all  with 
the  same  grade  of  glass.  He  at  once  said 
I  was  nearly  blind  in  that  eye,  unless  I 
had  a  very  powerful  glass  to  assist  it. 
After  experimenting  a  good  deal,  with  a 
lot  of  questions,  he  found  one  to  help  very 
much,  and  these  were  for  distance.  Then 
I  had  him  put  new  lenses  in  my  reading 
glasses.  We  asked  him  his  price  and  he 
said  $32.  I  told  him  I  would  not  pay 
that  price.  Pie  finally  came  down  to  $20, 
and  said  I  never  would  be  sorry  that  I 
took  them.  I  did  not  feel  satisfied  with 
the  set.  This  man’s  name  was  Rice,  and 
he  claimed  he  was  from  Troy.  August 
14  two  more  men  came;  one  gave  his 
name  as  Rodgers,  from  Troy,  saying  that 
this  man  Rice  who  tested  my  eyes  had 
been  killed  since  he  was  here;  was  hit  by 
a  trolley  car,  and  that  he  told  them  about 
my  eyes  and  seemed  very  much  interested 
in  my  case,  and  for  fear  the  glasses  were 
not  just  what  I  needed,  asked  them  to 
come  out  and  see  me,  and  if  they  were  not 
what  I  needed  they  would  take  them  back 
and  pay  my  money  back,  but  to  make 
sure  they  were  not  what  I  needed  I 
would  have  to  have  another  test.  lie 
called  in  the  other  man  and  introduced 
him  as  E.  F.  Howard,  D.O.,  from  Balti¬ 
more.  lie  was  so  gushing  and  talked  so 
fair  that  I  asked  him  what  his  charges 
would  be,  and  he  said  nothing,  so  I  con¬ 
sented  to  another  test.  lie  first  tested 
the  right  eye  and  passed  it,  and  then  the 
left.  lie  frightened  me  and  my  husband 
almost  into  hysteria.  There  was  a  very 
thin  skin  covering  the  white  of  the  eye 
in  the  corner  toward  the  nose,  lie  point¬ 
ed  it  out,  and  unless  I  had  it  removed  I 
would  be  blind,  and  that  it  might  cause  a 
shock  or  paralyze  both  eyes,  and  said  the 
glasses  were  no  good.  I  asked  him  where 
I  could  go  to  have  it  removed,  and  he  said 
Buffalo  or  Cleveland,  and  have  it  done 
by  radium,  which  was  painless.  I  asked 
him  what  it  would  cost,  and  he  said  $700 
or  $SOO.  “Oh,”  I  said,  “I  can’t  do  that.” 
lie  stepped  out  to  their  car  for  something 
he  wanted,  and  the  man  Rodgers  said : 
“Why  don’t  you  let  him  do  it,  as  he  is 
here  and  can  do  it?”  When  he  came  in  I 
was  so  nervous  I  asked  him  to  do  it,  and 
he  said  he  would  only  charge  for  what 
medicine  he  used.  lie  removed  it  by  put¬ 
ting  the  medicine  in  the  eye,  a  liquid.  It 
smarted  a  little.  After  he  removed  it  he 
said  it  had  been  there  10  or  15  years. 
Now,  this  eye  has  never  troubled  me. 
only  sometimes  jerking,  and  occasionally 
I  would  see  double.  We  asked  him  his 
bill  and  he  said  $300.  I  said  we  had  not 
got  that  to  our  name  in  ready  cash.  He 
then  dropped  to  $150.  We  had  $211  in 
bank,  «o  we  paid  him,  and  he  said  he 
would  give  me  a  guarantee  to  cure  my 
eye  for  life  or  money  refunded  at  any 
time.  MRS.  E.  c.  K. 
New  York. 
The  above  letter  reveals  one  of  the 
meanest  swindles  we  have  heard  of  in 
some  time.  Every  now  and  then  we  hear 
of  fake  opticians  going  about  the  country 
swindling  farm  families  in  this  way.  If 
the  perpetrators  of  the  fraud  could  be 
reached  it  would  be  easy  enough  to  put 
them  where  they  belong.  If  the  attempt 
is  made  to  perpetrate  this  swindle  in  any 
other  farm  community  in  which  Tiie  R. 
N.-Y.  is  read  we  hope  the  intended  victim 
will  have  the  men  arrested  for  an  at¬ 
tempted  swindle,  and  we  will  produce 
the  above  complainant  to  prove  the  case. 
Could  you  help  me  with  a  firm  that 
has  been  dishonest  in  its  advertisement. 
I  sent  for  two  tires  to  Diamond  Tread 
Tire  Co.,  Chicago,  Ill.,  paid  their  price. 
We  put  them  on  and  drove  our  car  four 
times  when  we  had  a  blow-out.  We  asked 
for  a  new  tire  prepaid  to  our  door  and 
they  refused.  I  am  sending  their  ad¬ 
vertisement.  What  can  you  do  for  us? 
This  advertisement  was  in  Good  8  tori  ex. 
New  York.  m.  h.  p. 
We  can  do  nothing  to  help  those  who 
patronize  an  automobile  tire  “gyp”  house. 
We  can  only  repeat  the  advice  to  be¬ 
ware  of  the  houses  advertising  cut  prices 
and  the  publications  carrying  the  adver¬ 
tising  of  tire  “gyps.” 
On  April  30  I  sent  an  order  for  two 
hogs,  with  check,  $47.50,  to  Harry  T. 
Crandall,  Cass  City,  Mich.  I  have'  not 
heard  a  thing  from  him  since.  I  have 
written  him  three  times,  the  last  time 
asking  for  the  return  of  my  money.  If 
it  is  not  out  of  your  line  maybe  you 
can  get  a  response  from  him.  j.  n.  t. 
Maryland. 
'We  have  written  Harry  T.  Crandall, 
Cass  City,  Mich.,  several  times  regarding 
the  Maryland  subscriber’s  order.  Mr. 
Crandall  wrote  us  in  July  that  he  had 
been  too  busy  with  fawn  work  to  attend 
to  the  order,  and  promised  the  pigs  would 
be  shipped  at  once.  Since  that  time  Mr. 
Crandall  has  ignored  our  demands  to  re¬ 
fund  the  subscriber’s  remittance.  This  is 
not  the  first  time  Mr.  Crandall’s  name 
has  appeared  in  these  columns  as  an  un¬ 
desirable  breeder. 
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