The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-03-08
The Small Investor
~ Or. FRANK CRANE
Copyright 1915. by Frank Cranel


IL is impossible TO resist the conviction
that the small investor is veritable
bonanza mine of unworked capital which
our financial nabobs have been walking
over, all unknowing.
The coming big factor in finance Is the
enormous power of the aggregated lit
ties. Whoever will tap that swollen
reservoir will not only vastly quicken
the development Of the country by a
food Of new capital, but will render SER
vice to the people.
What to do with ten thousand dollars
is not much of problem. Hundreds of
experts stand ready to advise you. The
real, genuine problem, Of the crying
kind. is what TO do with ten dollars.
Not knowing how to save it the ordi-
nary man spends it. And when there
are q million or so ordinary men the
waste becomes alarming.
| would like to raise my feeble voice
here. and say TO Mr.. L. S. Government:
1T looks like war You are talking OF
selling billion dollars more or less of
bonds for preparedness Why, oh, why,
will you turn to the big financial manip-
ulators 20 engineer this transaction?
Why not come right directly TO me. and
Jones the grocer, and Perkins the rsil-
way conductor and Mrs. Francina the lit
tie milliner across the way, and oil the
rest Of us small fry? To be sure we
haven't any million dollar Jumps. But
take Us all together we have so many
ten dollar humps that we could buy and
sell the big fellows. Put your billion dol
lar bonds on sale, in denominations Of ten
dollars each, at every postoffice in the
United States, and ask the people for
the money. You would get it before
week passes Because we have il reg
ular money, too, cash.
You wouldn't have any brokers COM
mission to pay. Use your postmasters-
They're already paid.
And think of the moral effect Of hav-
ing the millions of people financially in
terested in the government
A corporation has recently been form
ed in New York State for the purpose OF
selling what they call thrift bonds. II
proposes TO purchase bonds such as are
suitable for savings banks investment.
including municipal, county, state and
national bonds, and with these as secur-
ity to issue its certificates or thrift
bonds to be placed on sale in denomi-
nations as low as $40 each. They will DO
sold to department stores, cigar stores,
drug stores, and other retail distributors
for 1885 apiece, and will bear 5 per cent
interest. A trust company will keep the
securities, collect the interest on them,
and pay the interest on the thrift bonds.
The point in this is good one. The
president Of this enterprise gives u N
these words:
las long ago as the fall of 1912 be-
gan to think about the possibility of get
ting some form of safe investment that
would be as easy TO buy as cigar or
ten yards of dress goods.
What started me was talk with a
relative who asked my advice about in
vesting the tag end of a small legacy.
She said IL was pity she couldn't go 20
department store and buy something
that she was sure was safe - and feel
while buying it that she was getting the
same courteous and efficient service she
got when buying other things.
The cure for the profigacy and un-
thrift of our nation is TO make 1t sim.
pie and easy TO invest small amounts OK
money.