I think I can safely say that twenty per cent. of the opposition the Barber Company gets in the States is from men who were formerly in its employ. This is right enough in most cases, but in some that I have known it was done in a most underhand way. A manager of one of the branches gets well acquainted with all the politicians in his town or district by the judicious use of the company’s entertainment fund, then, when there is some exceptional contract coming up, he gets some of these politicians to go into a new company, obtains funds from his friends, and the Barber Company not only loses the contract but there is an opposition formed with strong political backing which must eventually be beaten or bought out. Somehow this sort of thing is not looked down upon by business men as it should be, who will pardon almost anything if it is “cute.” Here are two stories which illustrate cute business methods. A certain lawyer was suing the city for damages for his client, who had fallen through a defective culvert and injured himself. He won his case, and sent word to his client to come and get the money. When his client arrived he handed him $1, and told him the jury had awarded $1000. “What is this?” asked the client. “That is what is left after deducting cost of appeal, my fee, and some other expenses,” returned the lawyer. “Yes, I understand that,” said the client, who was a business man, “but what was wrong with this dollar that you have given it to me?” They tell of the Yankee salesman during slavery times who was travelling through the South. A southern planter lent him a horse to ride on to the next town, and sent along a negro boy to bring the horse back. Some time later, neither the horse nor the boy having returned, he sent in to town to see what had happened. His messenger met the boy on the street and asked him why he had not brought the horse back yet. The boy replied that the Yank had sold the horse. “Well, why did not you come back and let us know?” asked the messenger. “Cause he done sold me too!” So any trickery, if it is clever and works successfully, is never thought much of, but is laughed at as a good joke. Of course this is only my particular experience of business methods. I may have been unfortunate in having met a certain class, those interested in contracting, and city and government officials. I was glad to leave Los Angeles, which I did in company with the assistant manager of the new company I had joined, and my new yard foreman. Before going further, I must say that the views stated above have changed much since coming to Mexico and meeting American gentlemen in the contracting business. I have never been asked to do crooked work, and, on the contrary, my orders have always been to do the best work possible under the specifications.