ures, nobody even attempts to pay§the interest on mort- gages , let alone Paying The holders are told to “forget your interest,” which théy must either do or
foreclose, and as there is no ready market for the land, they are not always anxious to do so, or, if they do fore- close, it is frequently at a loss to them. Where there is no money, bills cannot be paid. They may be reduced to a Judginent, but that is only an additional expense,—-an additional loss unless the judgment can be satisfied. In olden times such a debtor could be cast into prison but that benefited no one then, nor would it now.
whe desirable credit risk is the honest man who has financial means, who has character and personality com- bined with the necessary ability, who is watchTul of busi- ness conditions and has a strict sense oF his obligation in making-piyment of his bills at maturity. Where part of the attributes are lacking, the credié man must base his
as possible and jeer into considera 10n pro_and com. He should accustom himself to making decisions quickly and decisively, as soon as all the facts are laid before him. And, in cases of a doubtful nature, where
hat to do, it is better to be conservative—better to be safe than sorry.
Investigating the New Customer.
Every house doing a reasonable amount of credit busi- ness should be a subscriber to a commercial agency, such as R. G. Dun & Co. Such a subscriber receives a rating book semi-annually (the old one being returned to the
