Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-27
BETTER BUSINESS
BUREAU L.AUDED
Col. Heron of The Star Tells
of Aid in Keeping Adver-
Using Clean.

Playing on the Cupidity, vanity and
gambling instinct that is inherent TO
person having an amount of ready cash
to invest, the professional shyster in the
United States still is mulcting a stag
gering sum from gullible public, de-
spite increasing resistance from iegltl-
mate business and a more enlightened
public.
This was the warning presented to
gathering of nearly 100 members and
friends of the Washington Better Bust
ness Bureau at the annual MldWinter
meeting of the organization last night.
at the National Press Club, by Harry
w. Riehl. manager of the st. Louis Bet
ter Business Bureau.
Estimating that toll of nearly two
billion dollars is taken annually by the
professional operator Of fraudulent mer-
chandise and financial schemes, Mr..
Riehl pointed to effective work by a
Better Business Bureau as one OF the
best types of insurance for legitimate
business and the consuming public. He
lauded the work of the Washington
Bureau and declared that advertising
and financial conditions here to be far
above the average among the list OF
cities having similar bureau organiza-
tons.
Col. Heron Speaks.
The gathering was addressed also by
w w, Everett, executive of Woodward
& Lothrop. and Col Leroy w Heron,
advertising manager Of The Star. both
of when urged increased support for
the local bureau and pointed to its
benefit to Washington business and the
public arising from a phase of its work
other than the stamping out OF lnslp-
lent, deliberate frauds by professionals
that of checking advertising state
ments for accurateness, correcting I'M
intentional misrepresentation and gen.
orally encouraging higher standards.
Joshua Evans. jr., chairman OF the
board of the local bureau, who pre-
sided, urged that membership of the or
ganization be enlarged that its work
might be made more inclusive and eff
fective
The ubiquitous character and extreme
craftiness of the professional business
shyster, highly trained in sharp business
practices, were cited by Mr.. Riehl as one
necessity for continued vigilance on the
part of the public and legitimate busl-
ness. He estimated that perhaps less
than S per cent of business is dishonest,
but pointed out that even this compare
lively small minority, through its dep
relations, "casts burden Of unjustified
suspicion on legitimate business that
proves highly costly"
There is in the United States. he said,
q highly organized system of mulching
the public, operating in many lines OF
financial schemes. Not even the sue
cessful, intelligent. legitimate business
man is immune from such attacks, he
said, describing the sucker lists COM
piled and used by fraudulent promot-
ers. He declared, for instance, that in
st. Louis there were $4,000 leading cit
liens" on the sucker" list of such pro-
motors.
Now List of Lilies"
But the old sucker list" of gullible
investors now has new description,
the speaker explained. To-day we are
lilies instead of suckers" he said. land
the antiquated process of bleeding the
sucker list has been moderniZed into
the present-day practice of 'plucking
the lilies'-which they do to our sorrow
and to their gain"
Mr. Riehl said 43 Better Business Bu-
reaus, functioning co-ordinately through
the national bureau, keep files on stock
promoters of questionable reputation in
order to advise the public of the past
record of financial sharks, causes of
financial loss and the devious types of
modern fraud
Mr. Everett, in brief address, de-
clared that advertising that is not 100
per cent accurate hurts not only the
individual business man failing to meas
ure up to this standard but also the
entire line of business, the public and
the newspaper that carries the adver-
tisement
Aside from guarding against profess
sional fraud, the Better Business Blu
reau, he said, aids the honest business
man in checking UP on mistakes hon.
estly made, thus enabling him to give
the public better service and boosting
public confidence in his business.
Col. Heron urged local business men