IAtr

By Jack, Dionne

Most of the financial agencies, organizations, and periodicals of the nation are now devoting an impressive amount of time, words, space, and attention to the discussion of what is called "the installment" evil that has come so rapidly upon the nation in the last few years.

The whole thing is summed up so far as figures are concerned in the recent statement by the American Bankers Association that our installment business in the United States today has reached the tremendous sum total of $6,500,000,000 annually.

The American public is buying that tremendous total every year on the partial payment plan, a little down, and a little more at regular intervals.

And all words so far uttered and printed on that subject "view with alarm" this situation, and its continued rapid development. That it has its dangerous tendencies is the opinion of all financial thinkers who have spoken, and that it will lead to trouble, seems to be the prevalent opinion.

A man can buy a pair of shoes, a hat, a suit of clothes, a radio, a talking machine, a piano, an automobile, the sidewalk in front of his house, a paint job on the house, a new roof, a single chair or a house full of furniture, the house itself, a diamond ring, a summer vacation, an insurance policy, and thousends of other things in huge variety, and pay for them over a series of weeks, months, or years.

The financial folks believe that the averjrge man, offered easy payments, is prone to over-purchase; and all men who understand human nature are certain to agree with them. It is just old Mother Nature for men to buy freely when buying is made easy.

The opinion is strongly expressed that the American nation is badly over-sold right now, and getting in deeper all the time, as newer and more alluring methods of installment payments are offered.

"Take it with you and pay for it as you use it", is one of the most fascinating sales talks that has been devised since the old boy with the forked tail sold app'les in the Garden of Eden.

We are inclined to believe that there is great truth in the disparaging campaign that there is being waged against the further growth of the installment selling situation.

But there is one commodity to which these remarks do NOT apply, and that commodity is HOME and other useful BUILDINGS. As a matter of fact, while the financiers are making tvar on increased installment selling, all agencies are continuing to boost the American HOME as the best of investments, and the growth of HOME O.WNERSHIP as a demonstration of development along the lines of both prosperity and patriotism.

The commodity that is worn out, or paid for on the in-stallment plan, works by the exact amount paid.

badly depreciated in value by the time it is a hardship on the buyer, and leaves him poorer

But the man who buys a HOME and buys it wisely, is storing away an investment, an asset, a thing that should grow in value, and a guarantee of future safety for his family. Every nickle he puts into a well purchased HOME, is a safe and sound investment, considered from any possible viewpoint.

The trouble is that the new installment opportunity is selling huge quantities of things which are more or less worthless from an investment viewpoint, and the purchase of which interferes with genuine investments such as HOMES and other valuable buildings offer.

Every time you sell a man a H,OME and make it possible for him to purchase and pay for that HOME, you are snatching him out of the hands of the myriads who are making it easy for him to buy things that rank as EXPENSES rather than INVESTMENTS, and you are adding to the stability and prosperity and safety of the nation.

All agencies, banking and otherwi'se, will gladly agree that a well built, well purchased HOME, is a well placed rock in the foundations of national prosperity and safety.