Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-05-23
Federal Government and Local Thieping

tcn lead and copper are more extensively than in Per
Amboy While Pittsburgh and Brmn CHAM have their great r
and steel mills the intrinsic value to iron that there
to copper and eadhe ordinary individual cannot profit by it
he can metals and therefore, there not the tempt
ton to carry it away.
Perth Amboy is such important center for the
metals any action taken regarding handling of them,
taken prevent stealing them have direct bearing here 1t is
problem authorities have had contend with and the
help but be the efforts of other cities along tn
line and the methods employed in handling the matter.
There is particular significance therefore, in the following ed
published in the Jersey Journal of Jersey City, entitled Jun
dealers and freight robberies'
''sxy-fve bars of copper, valued 5425, and said
to property the United States Government were
stolen Shore freight train the other night The
only thing this robbery unusual from those constantly
perperated the railroads hereabouts is the amount OF
the plnder and its character sxtyfve copper bars
must have required the aid of truck to cart them away
Robberes of freight have been going with such re
larity they have measure to be accepted as
one of the things expected in the freghtcaryng busi
ness
The Junk shops are blame in large measure, for
these crimes against railroads and the shippers for if
the thieves did these places for the disposal of their
punder the robbers would be raught with more danger
of detection and in the end would prove less profitable
1t is singular however that has been virtually impossible
to have ny of these Junk dealers indicted Influence po
cal and otherwise has always been exerted to sufficient
degree permit the offending junk dealer escape though
less compunction has been exhibited about finding an
indictment against thief thieves In defense of the
junk men it invariably up that they did not know the
goods were solen and, furthermore chad no means OF
identifying stolen goods when offered to them for sale
Under this shield grand jures in the past have per-
med the guilty junk dealers escape and the robbery Of
freight cars has cone undated But there likely to be
an end to it all the by Secretary of the
Treasury McAdoo that nasmuch the Government now
controls railroads. robbery Of freight cars is akin to rob-
bng the and that he is considering treating in ez
acty the same way the of criminal prosecution.
"such course, if followed by DirectorGenera Nc
Adoo should check freight robberes if by magic,
for the would quickly recognize that it doesn't pay
to fool with Uncle Sam. This also would take the matter out
Of hands of grand uries for political pull would
count no longer And the guilty junk dealers would sit up
and take than the thief for after all the
latter receives only panc for his plunder The one who
makes the money of the illegal transaction is the
junk dealer
The problem of the junk dealer has been longstandng OF
1ere There doubt that the of the evil Few
you'd steal the metal they did not know that the
.ould readily dispose of it with few questions asked.
And is ridiculous for the junk dealer to claim that he do
know what stolen goods The ordinary does
eady into possession Of copper and lead in any quant
metals being given souvenirs these days
des most of this metal is in pigs wire and glance
necessary to determine whether there anything suspicion
about the deal when the ordinary citizen appears at junk she
With such metal in his possession offering dispose of it at ha
,r quarter It's actual value.
1t is well known that thousands Of dollars worth Of metals
stolen annually from the plants located in this city, all of them
work for the The heads of these ndu
Of Nc
regard the stealing of metals from freight endeavo
have the ruling apply in way all thieves and unkm
stealing and receiving these metals.
There every why the federal government should
der aid in this matter although in such step would
less reflection authorities While occasional
The caught stealing punished after fashion, the junk dea
In most instances unmolested encourage
by his willingness accept goods
stolen.
Once the federal government takes hold it will be
For the guilty parties either thief unman and will
hat the pull which has got them off than the
not ha faotiva aup5ar Al