Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-08-11
WHAT is A PROFITEER?

What is a profiteer? Newspapers
all over the land are full of the word.
People use it in ordinary converse
ton. Few serious discussions are
finished nowadays before the word
is mentioned. President Wilson has
asked Congress to curb the prof.
teers," and the average man thinks
he has reasonably good idea what
the word means. Look it up ia your
dictionary. See if you can find it.
s de of the newer editions of the
dictionaries may contain the word,
but older ones do not. Is it new
word, or were people more nearly
honest in other days? Which brings
to mind this thought: HAS the
changing attitude of the public to-
ward business practices made crimi-
nal today that which was wholly .le-
gitimate only few years ago?'
The question is 1--we ONE And
its analysis is a most interesting
study. Let's see what the average
man says constitutes a profteer, A
profteer is one who takes UNCON-
SCIONABLE. profits from whatever
Zine of business, or profession in
which he may be engaged. What
ever angle the subject may be viewed
from this much is certain. But
how are we to know an UNCON-
SCIONABLE profit is being taken?
Let us look carefully into the cost
of the real necessities of 'life-meat
and meal and sugar and lard and
-four and other edibles; cotton cloth,
ready-to-wear garments, shoes, stock
ing and those articles of clothing
without which it is impossible to ex-
ist in a civilized community. How
much profit in these articles is ac-
tually made, and what constitutes a
legitimate margin Of profit a profit
that will permit dealers to continue
IN business, pay their operating ex-
penses, including reasonable wages
to their employees, rents, lights, heat,
advertising and other bills, as well
as a reasonable return upon their IN
vestement?
In past years it was generally con
ceded a naverage gross profit Of 20
TO 80 per cent could enable mer-
chant to operate his business sue
cessfully, the rapid turnover" tf
his stock during the year actuall le-
turning him many times that amount
during twelve months, and making
business profitable as compared with
loans and similar investments where
interest rates are limited by law to
z or 8 per cent This percentage
of profit was worked out many years
ago when few merchants transacted
the volume>of business done by even
the small stores of today. Then,
TOO, there was not the vast amount
of currency circulating that now ex-
lists, and modern advertising had not
been invoked to induce CONSTANT
buying.
The question now arises: How
much more does it cost to co bust
ness today than it did when the pres
ent recognized reasonable rcrcen'
age profit was adopted, and how
much has the volume of business in
creased since that time? How mucl
more efficient is the present-da,
clerk, because of modern merchan
dising methods which have estab
3ished zone price to all" and elimi
mated bargain-counter haggling
along with many forms of commerc
ial hypocrisy and deceit? These ar
interesting inquiries; questions tina
have much in them, and they ar
pertinent to the foremost subject o
the day The profteer is the great
est menace the land has yet known
and it is the duty of every worth,
citizen to assist in the solution o
these questions.
Manufacturers, middlmel and re
sailers are looked upon by the puhli
l.. 4 l.