Evening star., 1918-01-08
tO|ll|V|ANDEER|NG O TIN,
TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
Admiral McGowan Sends to House
Subcommittee Letter, Written
by John Hughes.

| In connection with recent criticisms
of the Navy for communicating tin,
Admiral Samuel MCGOWAN, paymaster
/ general of the Navy, has addressed a
communication on this subject to Rep
resentative William B. Oliver, chairman
of the subcommittee on naval affairs
which is investigating the Navy's war
activities.
| Admiral MCGOWAN iholosed a letter
| from John Hughes. chairman of the
| subcommittee on pig tin, American
| Iron and Steel Institute. to B. NJ. Ba-
| ruch, commissioner of raw materials,
war industries board, which has been
| Incorporated in the records of the hear
| ing.
Mr.. Hughes Statement.
| In his letter Mr. Hughes stated that
at a meeting held December 6 the rep
q considerable tonnage of tin had been
Communicated in warehouses in New
York, but that the great bulk of it was
owned by importers or dealers who
were not offering it on the market. The
| Navy also advised that about 500 tons
of Banca tin. included in the boarded
stocks, had been taken over by agree
ment with the importers owners, at
64 cents per pound, which, under the
market conditions existing a that time,
! may be considered to be a reasonably
! low price. Since that time the price of
Banca tin has advanced to SIS cents per
pound, and the cost at the present time
of Banca tin in Batavia for shipment
to arrive at New York in March next is
approximately - cents per pound.
An arrangement was made between
the paymaster general of the Navy and
the American Iron and Steel Institute,
4 h, <x11 lot,
of Communicated tin to have same re-
leased would be passed upon by the
subcommittee on pig tin. under the
regulations and guarantees as provid-
ed by the war trade board. Since that
time Claims have been presented to the
committee by four owners, and the sub
committee on pig tin has recommended
the release of a portion of the quantity
claimed by one owner and all the
quantities. claimed by the other three.
proved by the paymaster general of
the Navy and the tin has been released.
Says Action Was Commendable.
The action of the Navy. in comman-
deertng tin which was boarded in the
possession of importers and dealers and
thereby held from the market" says
Mr.. Hughes, when an acute shortage
prevailed. was commendable. as it re-
suited in the release of a large quantity
of tin for immediate consumption. The
statistical information which will here
after be reported from month to month
by the institute to the war trade board
will enable the Washington authori-
ties to keep in close touch with the sit
uation, and II stocks of tin are found
to be boarded in the hands of importers
and dealers, some action, such as that
taken by the Navy, will have to be de-
vised to obtain possession of such
stocks.
"At the time the Navy commandeered
the tin in public warehouses in New
York, we are reliably informed that
there was a considerable tonnage con-
troIled by importers and dealers held
in private warehouses which has since
been forced into consumption through
the fear that it would be taken by the
Navy. 1t will be seen, therefore, that
the Navy's action had a broad bene-
fetal effect, although in several cases,
parcels of tin were commandeered
which really belonged to customers"