"I'm expecting the Bailiff Monday so with best wishes".

These two line advertisements, that cost Lasseter five shillings each, are further evidence of his desperate  financial situation by March 1930, it was a bad week for Lasseter. The previous Friday he had been told, second hand, by J. T. Tully, M. P. that the Government was not interested in financing an expedition to relocate his reef. The following day he put his equity in his house on the market, and if the Bailiff did arrive on Monday he may have interrupted Lasseter writing his letter to the Japanese with an offer of secret information for sale.

On Tuesday the 4^th , Arthur Blakeley, the Minister responsible for Central Australia again wrote to Mr. Tully, M. P. confirming earlier correspondence that the Government was not interested in any of Lasseter's schemes; it is interesting to note here that Arthur Blakeley never acknowledged any of Lasseter's correspondence, letting Mr. Tully be the bearer of the bad news. On Wednesday his house was on the equity market again, and he may have been successful, he seems to have survived until late May when he became a retainer, at either five or ten pounds per week, to the Central Australian Gold Exploration Syndicate.

While pondering the significance, if any, in Arthur Blakeley ignoring Lasseter, it was noticed that a great deal of Lasseter correspondence has ended up on files, fat with crazy schemes, my favourite is the daring fellow who wanted the Government to flood central Australia so he could dredge Lake Amadeus for the gold 'undoubtedly' buried there.

One should be wary of finalising an entry in LASSETERIA, there are frequent late bulletins. A third advertisement has recently come to light, three days after the second ad appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, Lasseter tried again, modifying his terms to consider a good motor as part payment. Lasseter would have to find a driver for his motor as he did not know how to drive, hence Mr. Jim Carter, from Glasson's Garage, drove Lasseter and the Thornycroft from Broken Hill to Quorn.

It is evident from the third ad that Lasseter was after a loan of 250 pounds or about $20,000 in today's value.

© R.Ross. 1999-2015