The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-04-08
WAR PLANT SOLD
At A GREAT Loss

Town Of Nitro, Bsilt ~ Usols Sam,
Sold to Csrperstios for 1@.3 Per
csst Of It's Cost
By Paul Wallace Hanna,
Staff Correspondent, The Federated
Press
Washington, March 23.-There il
still chance to make money in ths
United States. Bright young busi-
ness men are striking fine bargains
In Washington.
Uncle Sam spent $4,000. 900 Of the
peoples money to build the town OF
Nitro, w. Va. He has just sold the
same town to the Charlstown Indus
trial corporation for $e,b61 900.
On easy payments, too. AZ tho pri-
vate corporation psidlss the town aad
all 1t contains among large and small
buyers, 1t will share the revenue with
the government until the treasury
gets back 14.3 per cent Of the $780,
0O0, 900 invested there.
8eld ~ Essy Tsrns
Then the Charlestown Industrial
corporation will keep all the proceeds
until 1t has realized 10 per cent clear
on the Investment. After thAt the
government will have q claim to
81 SOC. 900 more of its $50, 0,00O, 900 In
vestments.
Thereupon the private corporation
obtains full title to the whole town.
| The tract includes 1900 acres OF
land, with 729 complete manufactur-
ing buildings. model cottages for
workmen, a hotel, boarding houses,
barracks, mess hall, bachelor quar-
ters, women's dormitories and, as the
new owners announce, residences for
executives"
partment as a manufacturing center
for military ordnance. When the gov
ernment let go, there were $4,000, 900
worth of raw materials, machinery
and chemicals in the store houses and
on the railway sidings at Nitro.
3s,ses People Employed
All that went to the Charlestown
Industrial corporation, along with the
rest. The rest is an ultra-modern
sanitary. electrically lighted commu-
nifty equipped to house and employ
$4,000 persons.
There are fire houses equipped with
the most modern paraphernalia, rs
miles Of streets and sidewalks. . a.
track railroad siding, waterwurlss with
. 100000 gallon capacity. and more
than 60 miles Of iron piping.
In offering their bargain to the
country's capitalists. the Chariestown
Industrial corporation dwells upon
two featufss which appeal to the
heart Of ttA average employer
Nitro IL t3hs home Of the state con-
stAbulary Of West Virginia Nitro
living costs are low all fSctors
reduce the cost Of living and the nee
essary scale Of wages"
For . corporation which has just
purchased a 10000. 900 property for
1851 900. it is vitality Important that
wages should be kept just level with
the cost Of existence.
1t may console the taxpayers whose
win-the-war money has provided this
corporation holiday to know that n
number Of other capitalist groups
tried to get control Of Nitro for even
less than the Charlestown Industrial
corporation paid.
i Msey Lev Biss
Tho dupont Chemical Co. offered
$2,5OS, $50 for Nitro. The New Jersey
Machine Exchange bid $4.3l2,6OO, and
Harris Bros. chemists, Of New York
thought $5,SOO.OOO was = fair price.
The exact financial interests behind
the Charlestown Industrial corpora
tion are not visible from Washington
A. B. Leach 4 Co., M. F. Chase, and
w. w. Miller. all Of New York, are
on the board Of directors. The other
names are Of Charlestown men.
Andrew J. PizzIni has been engaged
to sell Nitro piecemeal and at ere
tail" to manufacturers who are look
ing for ready made plants and cheap
labor. He enjoys the title of "direc'
tor general" at a salary Of $4,000
year. He has a selling staff Of some
800 employees.
War department officials who func-
toned in the sale Of Nitro declare
they could have realized many times
1851 900 if they had been permitted
to advertise the town and select their
buyers in business like manner.
But congress wouldn't allow dol
lar more to be spent for advertising
u or craftsmanship. 1t is so careful how