Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-02-23
ORIGINATOR Of
 "PAY UP WEEK"
 DESCRIBES PLAN
Iowa Commercial Club Sec retary Tells How $50,000
 Put in Circulation.

Waukon, Iowa, Feb. 21.-"Pay-Up
 Week." which started in this town last year, is now being taken up en- thusiastically by cities throughout the country. So many inquiries come to Charles F. Pye, secretary of the com
 nercial club and prime mover in the first "Pay-Up Week" ever known that he has written form letter de- scribing the plan. In part, it is as follows:
 By Charles F. Pye.
 Pay-Up Week, as we carried it on, in view-frst, to remedy a bad case of credit accounts. Second, to assist in building up community habit of annual settlement. Incidentally it caused merchants and others to see the value of a community organiza- ton in such work.
 The method of procedure is very simple The first move was to enlist
 the merchants themselves. If they are not dead in earnest any effort will
 fall flat. Having secured their CO.,
 operation, the next step was cen sus of the book accounts. The secre- tary of the club went to each mer- chant and asked him for the number of book accounts being carried Based upon these figures we had little slip printed which was to be enclosed with the statement of account to each GUS toner. Care must be taken to pre- vent the commercial organization from becoming collection agency. Appeal to Honesty. The next move was an appeal through the newspapers to all debtors to settle. In order to keep it on as high plane as. possible little was sald about the prize feature of the week. The appeal was to honesty and square dealing. First, credit abuse is re- sponsible for high prices, and to some extent for the differences in price be- tween catalog house and the local merchant It is unfair to growl about
 high prices when you owe every man in town. Second, abuse of credit IS responsible for the lack of progress in affairs. Put what is owed the mer-
 chants of any town into the course
 of trade and see what possibilities are
 opened up. Fifty thousand dollars in the hands of the business men of a
 small town makes quite difference in their attitude toward all move
 ments for the improvement of the town. Third. every man should once a year at least get square with him. self and his neighbor. Be able to look the whole world in the face and say, T owe not any man." At least to make a settlement Other motives
 were appealed to. among which was You expect to pay some time, why
 not now and perhaps win prize?"
 Merchants Practice Preaching. The window adveStlsing was in the form of large cards calling particular attention to the $50 in prize money to be paid during the week to those paying their accounts. On the first
 day of the pay-up week we were very careful to have all merchants, etc, settle with one another. The first
 move was to set the pace and when farmers and mechanics saw general movement among the merchants to
 settle with one another, they realized
 that the movement was undertaken as settlement day and not means of inyeigling the poor farmer into
 some scheme.
 On payment of an account in full, the customer was given ticket which was made in duplicate so that each merchant held duplicate of all tick cts given out. This ticket was the chance on the prize money. At the close of the week a drawing was held
 and the lucky individuals were mailed checks with the thanks and apprecia- ton of the commercial club
 Collections Total $s0,O0O.
 The week netted over $50,Os0 to the merchants immediately concerned and many others paid as matter of sentiment that we could set no clue of It was a success because the merchants took hold of the matter earnestly and following up the plan. Those that did not, got small and slow returns. That our appeal was