The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-08-18
STOP. THIEF

As the Star has been informed that
another bunch Of "phony stock"
statesmen has arrived in Ocala, it is
most appropriate for all our readers
in city and county, to peruse the fol-
lowing from the Tampa Times:
When the Times, in cooperation
with the Tampa Clearing House 3Asso-
citation, started its campaign to rid
this section of crooked stock sales
men it set an example which other
sections of the state are following. A
number of warnings to the people to
investigate before they invest have
appeared in the state papers. In jack
sonville Sunday the Barnett National
Bank published over its own signature
q fve-column advertisement which is
q classic of its kind and is here repro
duced in full for the good it may do
in South Florida:
Are You buying Stock?
The humble home of the native
Floridian, removed from the lines of
travel, has built of rough boards a
"lean-to" for the use of visiting rela-
tives or the traveller who finds HIM
self in the locality when night falls.
AS this primitive guests room is often
occupied by vendors of medicines,
books and sewing machines. it is
known to the crslcker's family as the
agents room"
Today these rooms are frequently
occupied by the willy stock salesman,
from whom even the lowly fail to
escape.
Florida is infested with stock
jobbers. The wiretapper. aristocrat
of crooks. is winter bird and wings
his way shomeward in April The
crooked seller OF doubtful stocks is
year-round pest. He abounds in the
countryside, the city and the hamlet.
His oily smile and clammy handshake
neither your Office boy nor your home
can evade The widow with insurance
money is a choice prospect.
The opportunity he offers is some
thing to wonder at. He usually has
"only few shares left" and seldom
speaks of dividends under one hum
dred per cent. Yet the trash he sells
will pay dividends when Eskimos
camp on the. st. Johns.
You should always question the
safety of stocks that promise large
returns.
Money is hard to make and hard to
keep. Do not risk your funds in
schemes that vanish overnight and
leave you discouraged and your con-
fidence shaken.
Before buying a stock ask yourself
these questions:
Are the company's officers men of
standing?
Is there demand for the company's
products?
Is the demand such that period of
business depression can have little eff
feet on earnings?
Are the assets of the company not
only sufficient, but in excess of the
requirements IOT SaIety
You should also consult your bank
er. While he claims no superior
knowledge, your banker has sources
of information and opportunities for
investigation not available to the
average individual. In the meantime
keep your money in his bank and be
content with the steady income from
a savings account until you can find
an investment that will stand inves-
tigation.
That which is good will bear scru-
tiny.
1t is gratifying to see that other
sections of the state are making bust
ness hard for jobbers of fake and
doubtful stocks. Every warning print
ed means definite number of dol
lars saved to investors.
A general campaign to drive crook
ed stock statesmen out of the state,
undertaken by newspapers and bank
ers everywhere, will mean millions of
dollars saved tt, Florida people this
year.
The word has gone out that Flor
ida is now the most prosperous state
in the union: that we have been least
affected by the readjustment depres-
sion.
The crooked stock promoter knows
this. He studies the business map
more carefully than the legitimate
business man. Tor '.pickings" are al
ways best where fat bank accounts
are most plentiful.
Scores Of those crooked promoters
and zur;1sz "a asr,..ar "a ,lraalaz IN ans