Evening star., 1925-09-02
ARTICLE iii.

Two hundred millionaires. perhaps
more, have answered your correspond
ent's inquiry How may we attain
even greater prosperity" All are
rated as successful men of business
and haul much water in their home
communities. An even greater num-
Der of less wealthy business men,
some of them of brilliant attainments
in the realm of commerce, responded.
A study of the many things these
above-par men advocate as means OF
increasing business leads to the in
evitable conclusion that they could
not agree, within the span of an or
binary lifetime, on a single simple
program. Each sees the problem
from a different angle. Each, as q
doctor. prescribes d different remedy
for national we'll being. No two ideas
are alike. The majority hold little
in common. save for one idea-taX
reduction. That. most leading bust
ness men agree, is a fundamental ne
cessity for greater prosperity.
Prosperity Already Great.
1--WE are already in the midst of a
period of great business prosperity,
probably the greatest our country
Z. "A
ident of the National Surety Co, New
York. Mr.. St. John cites statistics
of increased production within the
decade: Manufactures from $25 ,0OO,-
600 900 to $50. 900 200, 900; farm prod
ucts, from $1,000, 900 600 TO $4,000
600 900: exports. from s., $50, 600 600
TO S3.75O,OOO, 900: national bank re-
sources. from $l1 soc, 100000 TO $22,-
SOC. 600, ,000," and continues: AN eX-
cellent example of recent intensive do
mestic merchandising is the $1,000
OeO. .OOO-a-year installment business,
through which wage earners and sal
aried people are acquiring automo-
biles, radios, music machines. house
hold furniture and many other lux
uries to an extent inconceiyable 10
years ago.
'Intelligent Americans should not
be so anxious to increase the present
prosperity as to keep it as it is and
make it permanent, and they should,
for this reason, cultivate earnestly a
mental attitude combining confidence
with caution and economy-conhdenc
in the long continuance of our pres
ent prosperous times; caution in es-
timating the extent to which our do
mestic and foreign business activities
may safely be expanded, and economy
as against the serious wave of per
sonal extravaganza which we have
had since the World War"
BUY as you can and pay asa YOU
go, with less installment buying and
constant mortgaging of purchasing
power" is the chief thing that may
be done today to win greater pros
perity, in the opinion of another in
surance head, Elbridge G.. Snow of
the Home Insurance Co., New York,
S,fil rOrnnnSal
either of the foregoing, in the opinion
of James S. Kemper, president of the
Lumbermen'S Mutual Casualty CO.,
Chicago. Mr.. kemper says: The
chief public need today to increase
business prosperity is increased FOR
eign trade. Then, too, | think we
should give greater consideration than
we have in the past to the general
subject of conservation. Our losses
through fire and accident in this coun-
try represent an annual property loss
of over $1,000 100000 a year"
Corporations Overtaxed.
Out in the beet sugar country the
chief need of today is to secure a
reduction in taxation, particularly in
Federal income and inheritance
taxes" in the opinion of G.. W. Nc
Cormick, president of the Menominee
River Sugar Co, Menominee, Mich.
need that is coupled by other beet
producers with maintenance of the
present sugar tariff. Mr.. Mccormick
says: 1.-THE present rates of taxation
take so much of the earnings of a
corporation, for instance. that it Is
not at liberty to make many improve
ments and extensions which would &c
toward increasing business generally
throughout the country
Mr.. Mccormick would abolish tax
exemption on municipal securities
The resulting higher interest rates
on community borrowings, he be-
lieves, would tend nightly to cut
extravagant public investments.
Automobile manufacturers now en-
joying the busiest season ever re-
corded, as a rule, are content to have
affairs remain as they are. However
some of them see chances for inn
provement, even with their present
uneqhaled prosperity. How to at
tain greater prosperity is thus
answered by A. Il. Erskine. president
OF the Studebaker Corporation, South
Bend, Ind:
"1. Continuation OF the sound ad