Through it all he remains faithful to his trust, watchful of the interests of his house, and has the satisfaction of knowing that in spite of his mistakes but a remarkably small part of his credits prove bad--that where his conservatism has lost hundreds in trade, it has prevented the loss of thousands. On no man in the organization is there such tremendous pressure brought to bear to secure favors; on no man do the consequences of his own mistakes come back so surely. The credit man must be firm, and, while availing himself of every reliable source of information, he must stick to his decisions, for he is expected to collect from those to whom he has extended credit. Every other man has a loop-hole through which he may escape criticism; if a customer is lost because goods are unsatisfactory, it may be "up to" the salesman, the shipping clerk, the superintendent, a foreman, or even an obscure mechanic. The credit man has no one on whom he can place the blame; if a customer fails to pay, no reason short of an earthquake will relieve the credit man of the responsibility. So much for the credit man. Now for a discussion of the work he is expected to do, the machinery of his office, and his methods of operation--for the writer disclaims any intention of attempting to teach the student how to become a credit man. INFORMATION REQUIRED The most important function of the credit man is the determining of the credit risk--the amount of credit that can safely be extended to each individual. When he consents to the delivery of goods to be paid for at a future date, he is loaning his firm's money. Before credit is granted extreme care must be exercised in determining the ability of the purchaser to pay, or that he will be able to pay when the bill is due. After necessary precautions against assuming too great a risk have been taken, a further insurance against loss is included in the amount added to cost--a certain per cent of the profit is expected to offset the risk. In determining the credit risk, different classes of information are necessary in different lines of business. While certain specific information about individual applicants for credit is necessary, the subject may be divided into two general classes--wholesale and retail. Under the head of _wholesale_, is included information about all business concerns, whether a single proprietor, a partnership, or a corporation. In a general way also, the same information is required in respect to these concerns by the banker, the manufacturer, the jobber, and the wholesaler. Under the head of _retail_, is included the transactions of a retailer with his customers, who may be regarded as individuals.