Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-04-02
WHo HOOVER?

back to China as manager OF a coal
mine.
1901 Returned to California and
opened Offices in San Francisco as
a consulting engineer with a branch
office in London. Established part
nership with his brother Theodore.
1903 Became interested in n firm
of mining engineers In London
The London office manager was sec
rotary of various mining corporations
which Hoover and his associates
managed. 1t was discovered that this
secretary had issued forged stock
certificates of a face value Of more
than a million dollars. Although the
organization was not legally rcspon-
sible, Hoover felt that as their names
had been used by a person obviously
in authority in their business, their
honor was involved. They made
good every bit of the worthless pa
per, although this entailod several
years of the hardest kind Of work.
Hoover gradually came to be
known as the acknowledged leader OF
the mining engineering profession.
lie was appointed engineer or direc-
tor of mines and mctallurgical work
In Australia, China, Peru. Nicaragua,
California, Mexico, Alaska, South
Africa. Burma, Belgium, Borneo and
Russia.
In Australia he developed a new
zinc business.
In Burma he constructed railways
and ships as well as smelters. In
Russia he reclaimed an estate as large
as Belgium, where through bad IAN
agement of vast natural resources
the population had become democrat
lied and Impoverished.
In all Of his affairs, employing at
.uVE1,sa ffp,ao YnunU fhOnCan OF
workers, he is aid never to have a
n strike.
1912. For their recreation, Mr. and
Mrs. Hoover translated and published
DE Re Metallica," an exhaustive
treatise on mining, written in 1856 In
medieval Latin by George Bauer. the
first great mining engineer. HIS
"PrinciDles OF Mining has been re-
printed many times and is a text book
on the economics of mining.
1914. In the spring of 1914 Mr.. Hoover
went TO Europe from Califor-
MIA on behalf Of the Panama Pacific
Exposition for the purpose of assist
ing his home town, San Francisco,
in securing the participation OF Euro
pean Governments. He a secured
passage home again to tho United
States for the 18th OF August. but
the declaration of war upset his plans
There were something like 100000
Americans stranded in different parts
of Europe, their letters of credit prac-
tically worthless, insufficient steamers
to get them home, and a great variety
Of difficulties with passports, even after
they reached the various seaports. In
view of the chaotic condition of the
world, Mr.. Hoover's affairs needed his
closest personal attention, but he also
seemed by some natural selection to
be the American In Europe to whom
other Americans turned for help. He
was obliged to choose between his OWL
affairs and the larger usefulness to his
countrymen. Without hesitation he
took charge of the organization for
the temporary housing and financing
of stranded Americans, arranging for
their return passage as rapidly as
space, could be secured. In October
It became evident hat unless quick
and aggressive work was o for the
Belgian people they were In danger
of starvation. The American Ambas-
sador requested Mr.. Hoover to become
chairman of the relief work, in which
he had already become the leading fig
ure. From this time until the United
States came into the war, Hoover was
In and out OF Belgium, Great Britain,
France and the United States, passing
through the U-boat zone some 60 times
and conducting what was then de-
yeloping into the greatest and most
successful work of benevolence yer
undertaken. When the North OF France
was invaded the operations OF the
Commission for Relief In Belgium