Omaha daily bee., 1917-05-04
Merchant and Creditor.

olndnd, May S.-lO lne EultOT VI
The Bee: ] note that the merchants
are now pushing "pay-your-bills'
campaign and cannot resist giving
1.-The other side" of the question. l
have no particular sympathy for the
merchant who does an extensive credit
business when he finds himself in a
hole, for the following reason, which
is also the experience of others:
Some years ago the home account
book system was used; by grocers, for
instance. When the order clerk visited
the customers home he wrote into
this book the articles and price of the
goods purchased, so that the customer
had a correct record of what was
bought. At that time we resided on
the outskirts of Omaha and two or
three miles from the grocery at which
we traded. Only on rare occasions did
any member of the family visit the
store, the bills being paid to the order
clerk and credit entered in the home
account book.
This system was unsatisfactory, so
after several years we decided to go
on cash basis. We therefore paid
up all we owed, according to the ac-
count book. What was our surprise
several weeks later to receive a bill
for around $40 made up of items of
from to cents 1t was claimed that
when the housewife ordered GER
tain amount Of some commodity
and was so entered on the home
account book the filling order
clerk would make it or cents more
and enter the higher price on the
store book, claiming difference in
price from that charged by the order
ole fhat tr, hA Nf tt,,n
the store had an extra bill a couple
of feet long made up of these small
discrepancies.
After deciding to go on a cash ba-
sis we got along fairly well for a
short time, then the order clerk would
forget to have any change and ''let
it go till next time" Next thing we
knew the weekly amount set aside for
groceries was spent some other way
and the grocery bill grew rapidly.
Then the grocer began to substitute
any sort of goods he wished, neglected
to give credit for goods sent back and,
finding he could not unload his in
ferior goods on the customer, he be-
gan to get fussy about closing up the
account. After customer has ac-
cumulated bill with a merchant he
feels obligated to keep on trading
there and some merchants then con-
clude it is legitimate to dump onto
him any inferior goods he may have
on hand.
Recently 7 have been receiving let
tiers from merchants calling atten-
ton to the fact that you have not
used your credit at our store recently;
we would be pleased to have YOU do
So" What l am trying to get at in
the foregoing is that the merchant
who schemes to get customers to run
bills is not entitled to much sym
pathy when he strikes the toboggan.
AS rule he has little SYMPATHY for
the debtor. /. ]. C.
Canned Vegetables and Digestion.
McCook, Neb., April SOTO the
Editor of The Bee: The Bee will be
surprised, and also justified in believ-
ing the writer has entered her second
childhood, or perhaps is in her dotage
she will be 90 June Is, Place the
blame where it belongs-that will be
to the poor non-nourishing foods on
the market.
A few days ago read letter writ
ten by DR.. Wiley to the heads of fami-
lies, begging that they allow no waste.
! had just prepared a bunch of
asparagus for dinner. The dried ends
and tough skins measured more than
a third of the bunch, and what was
left had but little taste. Today had
string beans, and after boiling tender
! put in butter, pepper and salt-all a
dead waste, as there was no chance
to renew the slightest taste to the cold
storage beans. All this Is worse than
waste--it is injurious to the stomach
which digests it, but gets not a mite
of strength. A few days ago your
| paper declared that too many people
| who had reached the age of expert
enced usefulness were dying. So plain
was the case it called for inquiry.
We ate the watered wheat -four
| which the farmers found was not fl
food for pigs, Then followed infant
paralysis, Beside the unhealthful-
ness, the food is disgusting, Not a
freshly pulled vegetable or a quart of
fresh fruit have seen on the market
for several years. The meats are
hard, dry and tasteless. A car comes
| in with fresh vegetables or fruit and
the commission houses open the cold
| storage. bring out the old rotten stuff
and fill the place with the fresh.
This Is difficult affair to deal with,
| simply for the reason that the STUN
bling blocks represent great piles OF
money, l WONDER.