Imperial Valley press., 1920-07-10

| Copyright, 1917, Western Newspaper Union,
1t has been said that three-fourths
or nine-tenthS or some such big pro-
portion-the exact figures do not mat
| ter-of the business of the world is
done on credit. If this was not true
| there wouldn't be much business done
! for no currency system could be de-
vised that would furnish enough money
10 meet the needs of commerce if ev-
cry article sold had to be paid for in
actual cash. The amount of money in
circulation in the United States is only
S47 per capita and this would not go
very far if everyone had TO keep
enough cash on hand TO pay for all
that he might buy.
The greatest of financiers need cred
it. They keep their resources employ
ed and ut times are in need of ready
cash. The same thing is true at times
of men of smaller means. The credit
system. as ii is used sometimes eSpe-
cially in the smaller communities, is
abused and works a serious hardship
upon the business men of the town.
Some merchants, to avoid the loss that
results from such abuse of the system
or possibly to enable them to sell
goods at lower price than their COM
.petitorS. operate strictly on a cash ba-
sis. but the great majority of mer-
chants in every community give those
customers who are responsible and
honest the privilege of charge ac-
count and the chances are that some
sort of credit system. properly safe
guarded. will always continue to be a
feature of legitimate trade.
Ask Catalogue House for Credit.
You who have reputation in your
community for being at least fairly re-
Sponsible and upright know that when
YOU desire it or need it you can obtain
credit from at least some of the mer-
chants in your town. But some time
when you are in need of some article
of merchandise and are a little short
of ready money. order what you want
from a mail order house in Chicago OF
some other city and ask them to pleas,
charge ii till the first of the month
The experiment will be interesting. a
least. and the answer that you receive
may cause you to give a little though
10 the difference between trading will
the mail order house in some far-of
city and buying from the merchants il
your own home town.
Some mail order concerns are nov
operating so-called credit system. bu
it is not a credit system such rs /
maintained by most retail merchants
These mail order houses will sell Ger
tain merchandise on the inStallmen
plan. but they not only demand n
initial cash payment. but require ths
purchaser TO sign contract whicl
operates as a mortgage not only on th
merchandise purchased. but upon an
other property that the customer ma,
possess. There is nothing in thi
system that bears any similarity 10 tho
open credit system that is used b.
the majority OF retail merchants.
There are some other requests yOl
might make of the mail order mai
hen the occasion arises and the re
sponSeS might he equally interesting
For instance. you. Mrs Farmer. who
bought that box of groceries from th'
catalogue house last month, might
write the manager and ask him TO buy
your butter and eggs. OF course ii
would be considerable more trouble ta
pack them for shipment to the city
than ii Is TO take them in to your 10
cal grocer, who is always ready to
pay you the market price for them, but
then maybe the mail order man would
pay you enough more than the market
price 10 pay you for the extra trouble.
And then again, maybe he wouldn't.
And. then. there is that moving
machine that you. Mr.. Farmer have
been figuring on trading in for new
machine. Suppose you write to the
mail order man from whom you bought
that wire fencing and ask him what
he will allow you for your old machine
on trade for a new one. OF course
the local hardware dealer in the town
where you find market for your farm
products will allow you a fair price
for your old machine, but what's the
use of asking him to do It, The mail
order man surely will be glad to dc
that much for you, will he not? Yes
he will not.
List Is Endless.
There are good many things the
mail order man will not do for you
The list would be too long to crow(
into one issue of a newspaper. He
will not give You credit, however
much you may need it. He will nor
buy the farmers produce. He will no.
pay dollar of taxes TO help suppOr
your schools or build your roads. He
will not contribute a cent 10 the sup
! port of your churches or your charita
~ble institutions. He will not lend yol
/ q helping hand in time of trouble.
We Save You Trouble. Mileage, None!
GATES HALF SOLE TIRES
Planet Sub-1ire
VALLEY TIRE ~ SALES COMPANY
! 126 NOrthu Fifth St FL CentrI