The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-05-29
GERMAN FUR BARONS
BEING ELIMINATED
Leipzig Representatives in the United
States Are Being Forced Out of
Business BY United States
Government.

Washington, ID, c., May 29.-Anothel
tenacle of German control in American
industry has been severed by A. Mitchell
Palmer, the alien property custodian.
Under arrangements now being com
pleted between the custodian and the
Fur Merchants Credit association OF New
York City, the interests of the German
| fur barons of Leipzig will be purchased
by American merchants and the money
paid turned into the United States treas
ury TO be held until the end of the war
for the Germans involved.
In announcing to-day the forced re-
tirement of German interests in the in.
dustry, Mr.. Palmer said even rough es-
Inmates of the enemy holdings cannot
be made until all the fur dealers have re-
ported balances due the Germans.
1T may be stated, however" said the
custodian, that the negotiations Just
completed will root out forever the last
German dollar invested in the fur bust
ness in this country, turn loose the
American furrier from the control of the
Leipzig cabal and establish a great new
industry here in America.
Some of the larger firms which have
already readjusted their holdings under
the agreement of the government are
the Theoder, Thorer company, Gaudig &
Blum and NJ. S. Elias, Jr., Inc, among
the best known fur houses on this side
of the Atlantic. Many Others are in
process of readjustment, including Otto
Erler company, Fuchs & company, Inc,
and Eisenbach Brothers.
Before the war the trade of American
furriers was practically nothing but a
collecting and shipping agency for the
Germans Almost every pelt taken by
American trappers had to go to Leipzig
before it could be sold Leipzig dressers
and dyers were the best in the world
None could compete with them, AL
though London was the worlds market,
by reason of the pioneer work of the old
Hudson Bay company and far sighted
English commission houses three-qu
ters of the fur shipped to London from
America, Russia and even China went,
after the auctions, direct to Leipzig for
dressing and dyeing.
"At Leipzig each year after the fur
was prepared and the German merchants
had fixed the price for that year, Amer |
leans we're allowed to purchase as much |
as three-ffths of the entire fur produced |
Tor manufacture into garments, although !
n so doing they were forced to pay the |
original cost, plus the expense of dressing |
md dyeing plus handsome profit for
he Germans, plus a 30 per cent duty be-
ore they got them back home. They
we're constantly either indebted to the
Germans or completely under their domi-
lation."
Mr.. Palmer said American fur dyeing
louses now are operating in New York
md that in st. Louis the attempt has
'een made successfully to dye seal skins,
which previously had never been done
outside OF Leipzig and London. Fur auc-
ions also have been undertaken success
nlly both in st. Louis and New York.
when the war is over" Mr. Palmer
Germany will again buy
American furs, but these goods will be
ought in the American market this time,
rom American firms, and they will be
american dressed and dyed and prepared
or European consumption. The unnat
raj trade conditions which forced Amer.
ans to ship certain furs abroad, to buy
hem back and to reship them to Amer
"a will have disappeared, and Germany
ill be the loser