St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-27
PART PAYMENT PLAN.
w. l. HARRIS PRESENTS HIS SIDE or
THE CASE TO GLOBE READERS.
HE HAS SEEN THE SYSTEM


HE HAS SEEN THE SYSTEM
Grow From Its Inception-A Plain
and Full Statement of Methods
The Immense Volume Of Mer-
chandise Distributed Under 1t
Possibility OF Only Two
"Outs" in the Plan - Goods
Taken Back Only as a Last
Resort.
To the Editor of the Tribune.
Dear Sir: LII the Sunday Tribune of
May 10. under the caption of Entire
Nous" appeared an article rather dis
coUntenancing the use of the INSTALL
ment or contract plan in the purchase
Of household goods. and quoting from
an overheard conversation between two
ladies. lone a matron and the other a
bride elect" in which the elder advised
the younger that it was ''better not to
try the installment plan, but to go with
out rather than buy on credit and have
the worry Of bill always staring one
in the faces" and then. ON the writer's
own account, expressing the opinion
that it was ''unwise to place ones self
in the power of an inStailment house, no
matter how reliable. OH account of the
danger of losing. through inability to
meet promised payments, what one may
have already paid"
There is SD much said from time to
time against the installment plan by
those who fail to grasp its full signif-
canoe and benefits that we would like
to use a little ofyOur space to. present
the other side: for, certainly. in the
face of the great aud increasing use of
this plan of credit. there must be some
thing intrinsically valuable Ill it.
The writer has followed the wonder
full development of this plan Of odistrib-
uting, not only household merchandise.
but nearly all the comforts and necessi-
ties of life. since its inception some
thirty years ago. and has seen it grow
from con- Haratively, crude system into
and perfectly equitable medium for
handling household merchandise, farm
machinery. musical instruments, horses,
cattle, and, in fact, all species of
personal property; while the inherent
merit in the system and the
broad and pervading spirit of accom-
mediation, which is its essential prin-
ciple. and IFS wonderful adaptation to a
simple, secure and well-detined con-
tract for the delivery of goods on the
one hand and simple promise to pay
on the other, at times and in amounts to
suit the purchasers convenience, ex-
plain in part its popularity and its sur
vival of the abuses incident to its early
state of development in the hands OF
Ignorant or knaviSh merchants. There
is not state in the Union whose legis-
lature has not recognized the value and
necessity OF the installment or contract
plan, as evidenced by the laws passed
tor the mutual benefit of the vendor and
Vendee.
The character and personnel of the
merchants now using this plan has also
vastly improved, until now there are no
more reliable houses in the country,
more progressive,e nterprlsing or honor
able, Than those closely identified with
this system.
This communication is not intended
in any sense as an advertisement of the
New England Furniture and Carpet
Company, of which the writer is
thO PiSoluSuts out we have UGeu tOlu
that there is no house in the country
which has the contract on INSTALL
ment feature of its business more thor
oughly and eQuitably systematized than
ourselves. and we believe that, for rea-
sons which will appear later OH, there
is no one better qualified to give an un-
prejudiced opinion regarding the merits
and dement's of the instalfment method
of paying for house furnishings. etc.
PLAIN AND FULL STATEMENT
in its entirety of our method of conduct
ing the installment or contract end OF
our business may, therefore, prove both
interesting and Instructive
We have strictly one-price system,
the same as all large department stores,
tirst-class clothing houses, grocery
rial to us whether our customers paw
all cash at the time of purchase, or
adopt our partial payment plan, paying
only part down at the time of pur-
chase, and the rest iD monthly pay
ments.
We have never beat around the bush
and pretended that we made no extra
charge where our partial payment plan
is adopted.
We do make an additional charge of
per cent to our regular price, and be-
sides this there is no other charge for
interest or anything else; giving our
customers six. eight. ten UT twelve
months, according to the size of their
order. to make their payments in.
With an experience of fifteen years
we know that it is impossible to sell
goods at prices attractive to the cash
buyer, and in competition with depart
ment stores and strictly cash houses,
eXceDt DY having one Orice on our
goods, a cash price, and charging time
customers the bare cost of handling
their accounts. which includes not only
interest. but insurance, clerical work,
etc. In other words. as so ably stated
by Labor Commissioner Powers in his
report few months ago. there must
always aid necessarily be a dis
tinction between the cash price and
credit price of all merchandise, in
precisely the same manner in which
every wholesaler makes price on his
goods, coupled with specified limit of
time, and graded discount for antici-