The Washington herald., 1918-06-08
HUNS CONTROL
j. S. PLATINUM,
TOLD In HOUSE
Charles Englehard, Recent
ly Naturalized, Masters
S09o Of Total.
DISLOYAL
Jewellers Vigilance Commit
tee Wins Victories for
Hun, Says Raineey:

The platinum industry In the
United States has been controlled by
Germany since the entry Of this
country into the war, Representative
Rainey. Of Illinois. told the House
yesterday. Efforts to conserve the
country's supply of platinum. which
Is vitality necessary in war manufac-
ture, have been defeated. he said,
through the influence of Charles
Englehard, OF 30 Church street, New
York. a representative in this coun-
try Of German platinum interests.
Rainey charged that Englehard.
while acting for the latinum firm of
W. c. Heraeus. of Hansu, Germany,
had also been the adviser Of the War
, Industries Board on all matters con-
nected with the platinum industry.
Englehard ia said to have been
naturalized, but Rainey declared that
Englehard's wife was the daughter
of Heraeus and that she had six
brothers in the German army.
Barucb's Statement.
In reply to Rainey's charge against
Englehard, a statement was issued
later in the day by Bernard NJ. Ba-
ruch to the effect that Englehard had
never had any official connection with
the War Industries Board.
A. Mitchell Palmer. alien property
custodian, will institute an immediate
| investigation of the statements Of
Representative Rainey. This was
learned last night.
II there are found any indications
of enemy ownership or control Of plat
mum in this country. steps will be
taken at once to protect the interests
| of this Government. The procedure
Of the Alien Property Custodian In
such cases is to seize the enemy
owned property.
Holds Jewellers Responsible.
Rainey also. in his House speech
ascribed to the jewelers. Vigilance
! Committee defeat of legislation de.
signed to stop the use of platinum
in the manufacture of jeweIry. and
| charged that manufacturing jewelers.
and dealers In platinum had madt
| enormous profits by encouraging the
use OF the metal which now is OF
higher value than gold. He pledged
himself to see to IL that the new
revenue bill should contain a tax
| upon the use OF platinum for jewelry
which would be practically prohibit
! tive.
Rainey directed attention to the
amendment offered last year to the
| revenue bill by Representative Long
worth, of Ohio, to impose q tax OF
$50 per cent upon the use of platinum
in jewelry. This amendment was de.
feated upon the request of the jew
| elers' Vigilance Committee, which
Rainey said. established in Washing
ton the most forceful and aggres-
sive lobby" he had ever seen here.
More than three years have elapsed
since this awful world war started ~
Rainey said, hut during that period
no nation has produced profiteers
more unpatriotic. whose efforts have
been more unconscionable than the
Jewellers Vigilance Committee and the
four hundred jewelry establishments
in the United States which have sus-
tanned them with funds. +
Jewellers Helping Germany.
TN their unpatriotic efforts they
won, and they are still winning VIC
tories. and every victory is a victory
for the German Emperor"
several attempts have been made
by this board, all wholly ineffective,
wholly insufficient. to conserve these
important metals. Up to sixty days
ago the. War Industries Board was
dependent entireiy upon the promises
OF the large jewelers. to supply pIati-
num-" Representative Rainey added.
Rainey charged that the followins
four Arms control 50 per cent Of the
platinum business In this country:
Baker & Co., Newark, N. j.: The
American Platinum Works. The r.
vington Smelling and Refining Co.,
Of New Jersey; Charles EngieIlard,
Of New, York. All these firms, he