The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, July 9, 1929, Page 10

Re 2a F Reavers seem By RODNEY DUTCHER (NEA Service Writer) ‘Washington.—After lengthy and ex- haustive studies of retail credit and installment buying, Dr. Wilbur C Flummer, professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania, comes to the conclusion that the ratio of honesty among Americans is remark- ably high. Of course there are laws and po- licemen and cautious credit bureaus which restrict our opportunities to be dishonest, but Dr. Plummer, who is temporarily attached to the Depart- ment of Commerce to direct tional survey of retail credit, asse: that the success of the retail c structure and its very low proportion of bad debts is convincing proof. “The strongest argument that i dividual consumers are honest is t although the most desirable credit principles are not applied in extend- ing credit, we yet have this low pro- Portion of dishonesty.” he say Enormous Credit Sales “Studying the affairs of 1876 retail establishments — department stores automobile dealers and grocery stores —with an annual business of a billion and a half dollars, we found that one- third of the department store sal two-thirds of the automobile d sales and more than half of all - cery store sales were made on credit “The average bad-debt losses of de- partment stores were only 0.4 per cent account sales and stallment sales. “Automobile dealers showed a re- verse situation with regard to open credit and installment accounts, with | losses of 0.9 per cent and 0.4 per cent Tespectively. “Grocery stores, numbering 843, which did a credit business showed & percentage of bad debts on charge accounts of 0.6 per cent.” ‘That makes an average for the sev- eral groups of averages of about 0.7 per cent. Dr. Plummer points out that there are two classes of persons responsible for bad debts, those who can’t pay and those who don't want to pay. “It isn't possible, of course, to tell just what proportion of debtors are those who simply don't want to pay,” he says. “But the dishonest fello as a rule are those who haven't any- thing. TRIBUNE'S P | ‘And the proportion of knaves | among the customers simply can't be | above that figure of seven-tenths of lone per cent and is presumably well | below that Only in very exceptional cases does anyone try to get away with | goods without paying for them. It jscems to me that the figures show a yery high rate of honesty. Of | course there are a few people who are | always trying to cheat the stores and dei nd these have the most dif- ficulty in getting credit | “Easy credit puts many merchants out of business, but in any trade as a whole the credit losses are low. It's the merchant who goes too far in ex- tending credit who meets with dis- aster. Credit is all right, credit is dangerous and it has be- come ene of the chief causes of fail- ure among retail grocery stores. Credit is one of the weapons the individual store owner has against the chain stores, If he adopts a too lenient credit policy, however, he will attract omers who have no inten- tion of paying and others who have difficulty in obtaining credit else- | where.” Credit in Bankruptcy Dr. Plummer has just made a re- port on a study of credit conditions and causes of failure among grocery stores in Louisville, Ky., where 416 ned. ‘This shows g 30 stores which re on of bankruptcy the average several times as great other 3 Five of them had ratios of bad del 0 credit ules of 31.8, 17.5, 19.2, 25 and 37.4 per cent, whereas the average credit loss r well-conducied grocery stores is an 0.5 per cent. The fact was | debt los There are three sound principles for instalment credit,” Dr. Plummer says. Adequate investigation ought to be | made of the individual's honesty and (ability to pay. A down payment | ought to be required Jarge enough to insure the seller. Another thing the s find out, which they of the buyer's in- ‘ting instalment ob- st de | come and his ex ‘ ligations. ‘| “But if people were more dishon- | est I suppose the merchants would be stringent.” “I'm terribly sorry, Sandy,” Tony began, in the humblest voice anyone had ever heard her use. They were in her car, speeding toward the avia- | tion field. “I honestly forgot that Crystal is working on a newspaper now. Maybe she won't think to call up the Press, game—” “No such luck!” gloomily. “Please Sandy, don't be angry with me now,” Tony pleaded. of all nights, we mustn't quarrel . We haven't quarreled much dur these years, have we, Sand: added wistfully. Completely forgot- ten now, her audacious threat to pro- pose to Sandy Ross, if she couldn't bring him to the point himself. “Good kid!” Sandy said, for the second time that evening. “Forget it!” But he had a chummy, forgiving arm about her shoulders. The shock of that contact—longed for, prayed for, since Tony had made the cataclysmic discovery that she was in love with her chum, and that chumminess with him longer be enough—was so great that Tony almost ran her roadster into the curb. As his arm tightened about her shoulders, Tony prayed frantically “Please |, make him love me! Make him tell me so tonight, before Sandy retorted he goes. You know I may never see | him again—Oh, no! no! Bring him| back safe, and that’s all I'll ask, dear God—” “Swell weather for flying,” Sandy observed, squinting up into the dark blue, cloudless sky. But Tony's heart Jeaped at the slight note of huskiness in that beloved laconic voice. Without thinking, Tony took the being so new to the ; would no; Plunge then. “Si tell me?” * "Bout what?” parent surprise. Her courage failed her again, but it sufficed to ask almost as im- portant a question as had been on the tip of her tongue. “About Mary Burns. of course, Are you—and anything to he asked, in ap- re laugh r ight, “Idiot!” he gibed. u "re not—?” Tony choked, and stole a sidelong glance at his long, lean tanned face. That forelock of sand-colored hair had fallen across his right. eye again. If only she dared lift a hand and tuck it back under his helmet. But if she touched him, her hard-kept control would be shattered; she would draw his face | down to hers... . And a wrecked roadster could be every bit as danger- ous as a falling plane. . “Lord, no!” Sandy answered her question with lazy amusement. Funny kid! Makes me laugh, but— that's all, Pest.” If he had called her “darling.” Tony's heart could not have sung with more esctatic joy. For the rest of the drive, Tony chattered about Bill Purvis, the rea- son for this mad flight to Nicaragua. Of course, she could pretend then | that her tears were for Bill, dying in a foreign country. out in the huskily, when they had reached the edge of the aviation field. *I-I don't think Til go to the plane with you, Just watch from here. . . . Got everything? . . . Well, cood-bye, and—and good luck, Sandy—" NE: a Strange love-making. 1929, NEA Service, Inc.) (Copyright, Al i OLEING THINGS Cleveland, O.—This is the most de- pot-conscious city on the map. new union ‘terminal fairly hogs the skyline. It rises head and shoulders but loose } “Mind if I park here?” Tony asked | When, several years ago, I stopped | above the i 9 v city. It is to the mid- peed. 60 rere te Manhattan.) town section what the Woolworth pabigevelh ¥: pd eads building is to the Wall Street skyline. tie re ee | It has a long giraffe neck, like the es looked and a freight de. Chanin tower in New York. At night it flares and glistens and sparkles They would murmur something andy the n which one day like some tower of jewels at a world’s glorify the American railroads. fal, Listening to James W. Dean, who they point with pride. The! was a New York columnist once him- self,.one discovers that it is to cost ee LITTLE JOE @ | several times as much as the Panama | canal. If he neglects to inform you that money was considerably cheaper rin sass eye and that material is far . ey costlier now, don’t blame me. At any HEACIHIEST STE rate it’s possible to hear murmurings AOGRAPHER HAS A. ‘Th OM BAD SPELLS. ings of a great department store that ee al th will adjoin it, and a fabulous restaur- of “five hundred million before it's ~THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 1929 ~———- AGE OF COMIC STRIPS AND FEATURES -: aie Siraeegar oN ey THE GUMPS—SOCK! TAG 16 THIS HAT OF WIS ---6EE! C0 You Suppose A BEAR COULD WANE --- OU! WHATLE WE Oo? WHATLL MOM’N POP WE FACT THAT THE GUNNS BoucuT A HOUSE IN “THE SAME BLOCK, AFTER BROADCASTING THE NEWS THAT THEY INTENDED MOVING OUT INTO AN EXCLUSIVE SUBURB, HAS SET THE NEIGHBORS CHINS to WAGGING hotel or talk it. lot of town, Jook ‘the depot with the board ie sr JUMPIN’ TUMBOS! SAM'LL ORIVE ME CRAZY.) HE SPENDS MOST OF HIS TIME KIDDING, IN= STEAD OF MAKIN’ sates! No Time to Lose! y By Blosser | . NUATENER You Do, WANG ON !! WE GOT GOME RIDIN’ AWEAD \MUAT IF SOMETHING WE CANT WoRRyY LAPPENS TO LINDY ABOUT HIM~\NG GOTTA FIND TA6—TMaT'S ‘TIE TWAT Pony OF LIS UP To A TREE WERE N\MUILE I GET OvR HORSES — MAKE IT SNAPPY: SO GUNN 1S SHIFTING HIS ADDRESS To THE RITZLEIGHS HOUSE EH DT WAS HOPING WHEN HE BROKE CAMP HE WOULDN'T STOP Tis SIDE OF CHINA. WELL, HONEY, WE CAN: BE TWANKFUL FOR SMALL FAVORS ~ AND IMAGINE DOLORES AFTER Mom WAS BEEN HINTING THAT XWIS NEIGHBORHOOD Ib ALL MOTA-EATEN AND RUN DOWN AT THE HEELS AND THAT SHE INTENDED MOVING TO SOME SWELL SUBURB,THEN-GET ‘Tus - THEY Buy A RAGUT IN THE SAME BLOCK! 1 DOW T WANT “TO BE CATTY BUT = IT'S PLAIN TO SEE THAT SHE DID. \T SIMPLY TO SHOW OFF THEIR NEWLY ACQUIRED WEALTH - HOLD THE MOMS A DEAR AND TUL YES.\F SHE'D ' MISS HER BUT THERE'S ONE CONSOLATION-T'LL BE ABLE] THINGS SHE'S TO KEEP A SUPPLY OF / BORROWED FROM GROCERIES IN TWE HOUSE BERNARD, T HAVE HE BEST NEWS! POP GUNN IS MONING. TLL CERTAINLY BREATHE EASIER WHEN YOU GO 1 AND OUT AFTER HE'S GONE Great Shakes! EM.YOU AIN'T HEARD A FER Gost SAKES) THING Yer! Just LiSssEN } sam, Lay oFe! ‘To THis ONE ~ THERE Was /You'LL KILL ME, @ courte OTHER FeLtas /WITH Hi | ee eae ‘WITH HYsTERICS! “THERE'S SO DOGGONED MUCH TO ENNIO (T= oe i ft 7! ny § age Bl s :. i \