Ann Arbor And The Hard Times

One often hearz the remark, "Ann Arbor is a real conservative oíd town!" This may be true. But one must remember that our business men are doing a safe business and there is not an empty store in town. We doubt if there is a city in the country of the size of Ann Arbor, in spite of its old conservatism, that will weather the hard times as well as our city. Our banks are conducted by good business men on business principies and the depositor can feel, and does feel, as safe as he would in any part of the world. "We cannot boast of large manufacturing institutions which are often run on a little capital and a good deal of wind, and which, when pushed for payment of bilis, which should have been met 30, 60 and 90 days ago, rush to the banks and secure credit and eventually fail and pull the banks down with them in their fall, as was the case in Lansing and other cities in Michigan during the last few months. Considerable building is going on this summer in Ann Arbor, as has been the case every summer during the last six or eight years. "People are building too man y houses, and there willl soon be a crash 1" one often hears said. It is no suchthing. This same song is being sung every year, butpeople continue to build and the city continúes to grow. If there is to be a crash we would have it now. But we are not going to have a crash. It is true that in the real estáte market there are people who are anxious to get out of debt and would like to sell, or trade encumbered property lor unencumbered property. B ut then there is another class of people who have a little ready inoney and who think they can buy property during the present hard times at their own figures, but Ann Arbor realty cannot be purchastd now any cheaper than before the linancial stringency. So if Ann Arbor is a conservative old town, it is to be praised for its conservatism. "Slow but sure," is its mot'.-o.