The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-07-14
Junk MEN
AOOTING
| SHIPPING
Hpert Tells OF Quarter Bill
ion Loss to People Thru
Startling Deals
BY J. L. RICHARDSON


III By !. r. RICHARDSON
Formerly member OF the u. :.
shipping board special lnvestigat.
ing committee and an expert on
shipping affairsl
SAN FRANCISCO. July IA ma
o1on.wide Junk trust with ramifica-
HONS In every domestic port Is loot
~ two hundred fifty millions worth
ship supplies. the property OF the
topie.
lack OF business foresight on the
krt OF high shipping board officials
u cost the taxpayers siss,5co,coo IN
n opportunities for sale OF ship ma
oriais.
One member OF the shipping board
FUSED the public purse a loss OF
1xht and one-half millions by one
Let
nhc shipping board Is spending
1000. 600 annually maintaining a
My and sales department which Is
s&&sressfiilly selling supplies.
The festival OF selling these sup
plies at l3n cents on the dollar Is
now at its height
"A From old clothes wagons TO llmou'
efnes Is the romantic rise OF many
former collectors OF waste rubber--on
the taxpayers money
II. II. Miller. former director OF
skipping board supply and sales de-
rtment. finally admits all this
.nxider the House OF Barde---
IN ma the battle the Barde steel
Yoaucts company OF Portland. Ore.
/ nDurht with the humble but highly
wganlxcd guild OF tunkrncn. uncover.
nw 10 public gaze the scrarnble for
n <Dslars Of the peorle--and the anax-
q NJ lack OF business acumen in high
DlaceS.
oUNKSrEN SCRAMBLE
y0R HUGE STAKES
:lrhe House OF Barte first sformcd
/ lexington IN 1919
j AZ that time I. Greenbcrg. Junk
I Ier Of Chicago. had bid In many
/ bunnn6s OF tons OF steel ieft over
the shipping boards hands from
b construction. Greenbcrg had bid
this steel at a time when the mar
x was up. Altho he had put up
oan6n in certified checks. and had
8, awarded the bid. the then chair
an OF the board. John Barton
nyne. was led to believe Greenberg's
III was too low. so the award was
ancclled and new bids called for.
The bidders. among whom was
Iric, assembled in the chairrnan's
Nee. and BRde far and away out
the rest--offering SIS ton for
rtcated matcrial--that II the cut
ched and assembled steel. and sss
bn for the plain stcei--piates and
3es.
was understood at that time the
covered 1.-The assembled steel
e was rivete6 together. and had
3 cut apart to be utilized. This
represented the lowest grade OF
raterial. Bards was awarded
charlottesville the other bidders
he'd openly because they fore
that this junk dealing young
\invar out Of the West was
*"
OWED TO CRAWL
or CONTRACT
arde's next move was TO secure
III. Weaver, former dollar -ayear
kociafe Of Barney Baruch In gov.
nment work. and at that time
nkipg member Of the cancellation
H claims board of the shipping
ard, as secretary OF the Barde
ppany. The claims board was
organization which cancelled
5ntracts and rendered surplus the
ppIies In which Barde was Inter.
led.
II *Weaver resigned his place on the
chlns board TO be Immediately re
aopointed special adviser TO that
tody BY Admiral Benson who had
. Isucceeded Payne as chairman OF
Jthe shipping board Again Weaver
| Twas a dollar -a,year man, and he
| 1cpntinued on the claims board. and
| tho as secretary Of Barde's com
| ANY. That there was anything
| SrongfuI in this connection Of Wea
| yer. Miller refuses TO assert
Nevertheless, the next move ir
khls frenzicd finance drama OF the
| bunk world was an application By
(EArde TO have his contract inter
ipreted by the shipping board as re
hurting him to take only the plain
yknd fabricated steel. which found a
ready market, and relieving hin
I from taking the assembled steel
Afhe least desirable Of the material
1the shipping board did it.
-'zAVEs TAxPAYTRS
YtXLDING THE SACK