upon the
credit relations of Negro enterprises by finding out, wherever
possible, whether a firm gave credit occasionally or habitually to
customers and whether it received credit from suppliers. Naturally,
many proprietors would not give any reply to such an inquiry, and
especially about their credit standing with wholesale firms. On such a
delicate point, however, information about the giving of credit was
secured from 205 firms, and about the receiving of credit from 94
firms. Of the 205 that furnished statements on the matter of giving
credit, 87, or 42.4 per cent, occasionally, and 69, or 33.6 per cent,
habitually had given credit to customers, while 49, or 23.9 per cent,
did not allow credit. When asked about their credit relations with
suppliers, 47 replied that they did receive credit, and 47 that they
did not receive any; and 215 gave no reply on this point.

5. THE PURCHASING PUBLIC

Length of time established, length of location at an address, methods
of accounting and the credit relations play no more important a part
in the efforts of Negroes to build up their business enterprises than
do the subtle whims and prejudices of the community. This is shown
first by the location of nearly all the enterprises in Negro
neighborhoods. Of all the 309 enterprises, 288 were located either
within or upon the border of the Negro districts. It may be expected,
of course, that Negroes will look to their own people first for their
patronage, but they should be allowed to cater to the public at large,
especially in a cosmopolitan commercial center like New York. In the
case of real estate brokers, this is partly true and has grown partly
out of the Negro broker's ability to handle more successfully than
others properties tenanted by Negroes. It is not generally the case in
other lines of business, however, as the testimony of many Negro
business men shows.

It was difficult to get statements that would be a basis for a
percentage estimate of how liberally white people traded with these
Negro firms. Brokers gave no statements that could be so used because
nearly all of the 16 brokers had many transactions which involved
white owners and colored tenants, white or colored sellers and white
or colored buyers. Employment agencies faced a similar situation. Of
the other 279 firms, 81, or 29.7 per cent, reported no white
customers; 92, or 33.3 per cent, reported that less than 10 per cent
of their customers were white. Thus