It is for the service of all,
though it may be under the direction of one.
Profits belong in three places: they belong to the business--to keep it
steady, progressive, and sound. They belong to the men who helped
produce them. And they belong also, in part, to the public. A successful
business is profitable to all three of these interests--planner,
producer, and purchaser.
People whose profits are excessive when measured by any sound standard
should be the first to cut prices. But they never are. They pass all
their extra costs down the line until the whole burden is borne by the
consumer; and besides doing that, they charge the consumer a percentage
on the increased charges. Their whole business philosophy is: "Get while
the getting is good." They are the speculators, the exploiters, the
no-good element that is always injuring legitimate business. There is
nothing to be expected from them. They have no vision. They cannot see
beyond their own cash registers.
These people can talk more easily about a 10 or 20 per cent.
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