Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-02-02

NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 30-An
exasperatinig feature of Germany's
| inability to pay its war debts, at least
in the eyes of it's victorious neigh
bors, is the present enormous pros
perity of one German-Hugo SHINES
The old Germany of the Hohenzol-
lerns is crushed and beaten and
bankrupt, but the new Germany.
which is largely under the control
of SHINES is quite lively and vigor-
Gus and by no means poverty-strick-
en-. Yet it cannot be attached by its
creditors, because, while the idea
has been suggested, the Allies do not
feel at liberty to attach the prop
erty of a private individual.
IT'S really quite annoying" en-
plains an American who has just re-
turned from Europe. 1.-The Allies
' have found themselves in much the
same position as the creditors OF
the man who thoughtfully trans.
fers all his valuable property to his
wife a few days before de airing his
insolvency. OF course, Germany
did not act deliberately; but the fact
remains that the majority of its nat
ural and industrial seem
to have passed into the hands OF
SHINES during the war. 1t was &
case of when the Allies got there
the cupboard was BARE
Just how much Of Germany
SHINES owns is not precisely known
Some say he owns practically ell OF
it. Others assert that his wealth and
power have been greatly %overesti-
mated. One hears all sorts OF
strange and fantastic rumors con-
corning him. There are those who
insist hat the plans for the rein
statement of the Hohenzollerns
with himself in the position of pre-
mier, while others declare that he
is working for the Complete social
cation of the German state. Some
see in him the most stabilizing fac
tor in the new relations of Europe,
and others point to him as the new
shadow on the world" At any rate,
whatever may be his secret aims,
he is unqucstionably the most pic
turesquo and disturbing personality
in Europe today.
His Many Enterprises
In the first place Europe is no.
as accustomed to billion dollar cap
italists as we are here in America,
and the sudden rise of such a phe-
romenon against the general, pow
erty-stricken background of Ger
IldDy IL SulllCAeiltly uoNti l " oltiu%s
attention all over the world. In
the second place, SHINES has not
limited his activities to one indus
trial line. but is engaged in q wide
variety of enterprises. including min
ing, coal trade. ocean II river
shipping, electric power plants, gas
plants, export and import, lumber
mills, iron and steel foundries. no.
tells, tourist travel, the development
Of health resorts and the publication
of newspapers. He is said to own
Q. chain of 60 newspapers, scattered
throughout Germany and neighbour
ing countries.
Indeed there is no important in
dustrial enterprise in Germany, tc
all accounts, with which Huge
SHINES is not connected. To keer
the concerns in which he is interest
ed going he can use hts own Goa!
his own steel, his own timber. H,
is gradually accommodating a mer'
cantile fleet which. it is predicted
will be twice the size of the pre-
war fleet of The Hamburg-Americar
line, and (which will be entirely out
side the control of the Allies" H'
is reported to have an agent, or
staff of agents, in every importan
foreign port, many of whom are no
openly but secretly in his employ
His agencies in Russia are said t,
be particularly important and pow
erful, it is believed that his clever
negotiations with British capitalist!
are responsible for the fact that TIN
Soviet government has been recog
nized and that Russia is once NOR,
in commercial communication will
the world. In short, SHINES APP
pears to be q whole nation in him
self.
His Sudden Rise
1t is no wonder, then, that he ha
captured the imagination of Europe
and that ever the German people
marvel at his energy and ability
especially since the man wa
scarcely known before the war Hi
rise has been sudden. and achieved
solely through his w eXtraordinar!
ability and effort. AS an American
newspaper man puts it. "Stinnsi
burse like a comet upon the aston
ished postwar world" Yet he i
not what we Americans call a self
made man. for he inherited a cor
siderable fortune, as well as his So
:. perior business genius. from hi
grandfather. when he was born o;
February 90, 1870" writes his ad