Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1917-06-07
THE FIELD OF BUSINESS

| This is Liberty Loan week through
out the United States Of America
With less than a fortnight remainins
before closing the subscription book.
organized effort will be made in prac
tically every city and town to place
the new war securities in the hand.
OF private investors. Everywhere thu
activity of strong financial and bus
mess interests has been enlisted. The
country has never witnessed a finel
example of cooperation than has beer
developed in the campaign to over
subscribe the $2.000.00O,0O0 issue OF
war bonds. Press and pulpit are
lending their support to the business
mer. who are pushing the bond sales
A spirit of patriotic rivalry between
communities has been cultivated. The
disposition everywhere is to recog
nize that the obligation to do ones
bit financially is just as pressing as to
do service in the army or navy or in
the industrial ranks.
In the closing fortnight of the
campaign the bond boosters are EN-.
phasizing the desirability of the new
securities as an investment. and care
is being taken to assure prospective
buyers that tax free security net
ting investors 3 ~ per cent. and as
sured of probable increase rather
than a possible decrease in return
has intrinsic merits entirely apart
from its appeal to patriotism.
The treasury department is anxious
that the present issue of $4,000. 900
900 shall be Oversubscribed. The
heavier the oversubscription the bet
ter the government will be pleased
The feeling in Washington is that
the moral effect of American partici-
patton in the war will be materially
increased by an example of over
whelming finacial support for the war.
1t is understood on all hands. of course
that II the war lasts through another
year. the present bond issue will have
to be duplicated again and again. A
demonstration at this time of the
public's willingness to make more
bonds than are now available would
be regarded as helpful in offering as
surance of continued support in case
of need
While there is no question that the
present issue can be placed with the
financial institutions of the country,
the desire is that the bonds shall be
largely passed out to private invest
Ors. leaving the financial institutions
free to subscribe literally at the out
set of the next issue. 1t is in getting
the bonds out of the banks that the
present distribution has been dis
appointing so far.
The tendency toward lower prices
for fOdstuffs has been maintained
July wheat went under the 50 mark
for the first time On Thursday in re-
Spouse to optimistic news from the
early harvesters aac the growing
crops. The steady drop In prices
caused some alarm among producers
and brought forth an assurance from
the White House that, il necessary
minimum prices would be established
at figures assuring the farmers prof
table returns. There is no expecta-
imum prices will have to be estab-
lished. Reports from the corn belt.
where planting is now practically
completed. indicates ten per cent
increase in acreage over last year.
The letting of contracts Friday for
3.45O.00O pairs of shoes for the army
offered an illustration of the figure
cut by government purchases in cur
rent production. The contracts were
distributed among six manufacturers
and involved a total of $4,000. 900.
Some idle machinery is reported in
industries which have not felt the
stimulation of the new war business.
Retailing has been somewhat han
dicapped by unreasonable weather,
and uncertainty over the course of
prices has caused some conservatism
i'm orders for future deliveries.