Pueblo chieftain., 1922-02-02
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsK1N

! New York City. Jan. 30.-An ex.
| asperating feature of Germany's in
ability to pay its war debts, at least in
tho eyes OF its victorious neighbors, is
the present enormous prosperity OF
one German-Hugo SHINES. The old
Germany of the Hohenzollerns is
crushed and beaten and bankrupt. but
the new Germany. which is largely
| under the control of SHINES, is quite
| lively and vigorous and by no means
poverty stricken. Yet it cannot be
! attached by its creditors. because,
| while the idea has been suggested,
| tho Allies do not feel at liberty to
attach. tho property of a private indi-
| vidual.
! ITS really quite annoying" ex-
plains an American who has just re-
turned from Europe. THE Allies
have found themselves in much tho
same position as the creditors of the
man who thoughtfully transfers all
of his valuable property to his wife a
few days before declaring his In
Solvency. OF course, Germany did
not act deliberately; but the fact re-
mains that the majority OF its natural
and industrial resources seem to have
| passed into the hands of SHINES dur
| ing the war. 1t was a case of when
the Allies got there the cupboard was
bare"
| Just how much of Germany SHINES
say he owns practically all Of it.
Others assert that his wealth and
power have been greatly overesu-
mated. One hears all sorts OF strange
and fantastic rumors concerning hlm.
There are those who Insist that he
plans for the reinstatement of the
Hohenzollerns with himself in the po-
sition OF premier, while others de-
clare that he is working for the COM
plete Specialization of the German
state Some see in him the most
stabilizing factor in the new relations
of Europe. and others point to him
as the new shadow on tho world
At any rate. whatever may be his sec
ret aims, he is unquestionably the
most picturesque and disturbing per-
sonality in Europe today.
HIS MANY ENTERPRISES
In the first place Europe is not az
accustomed to billion dollar capital
lists as we are here in America, and
the sudden rise OF such phenomenon
against the general, poverty-stricken
background of Germany is sufficient
ly novel to attract attention all over
the world. In the second place. Stin-
mes has not limited his activities to
one industrial line, but IS engaged In
a wide variety of enterprises, inciuo-
ing mining, coal trade, ocean ana
river shipping electric power plants
Der mills, iron and steel foundr'es,
, hotels, tourist travel, the development
of health resorts and the publication
of newspapers. He is said to own n
chain OF so newspapers. scattered
thruout Germany and neighboring
countries.
Indeed. there is no important In
dustrial enterprise in Germany, to all
accounts, with which Hugo SHINES Is
not connected. To keep the concerns
In which he Is interested going he can
use his own coal. his own steel his
own timber. He Is gradually accu-
mulating mercantile fleet which, IT
is predicted. will be twtce the size OF
the prc-war fleet OF the Hamburg
American line, and which will be en-
,ircly outside the control Of the Al
| lies" He is reported to have an
agent. or a staff of agents, In every
important foreign port. many OF whom
are not openly but secretly In his
, employ His agencies In Russia are
said to be particularly important and
powerful. and It is believed that his
clever negotiations with British
that tho Soviet government has been
recognized and that Russia Is once
more in commercial communication
with the world. In short. SHINES ap-
pears to be Il whole nation in HIM
self.
HIS SUDDEN RISE
| It Is no wonder. then, that no has
\ captured the Imagination OF Europe.
and that even the German people
marvel at his energy and ability
especially since the man was scarcely
known before the war. His rise has
been sudden. and achieved solely thru
his own extraordinary ability and
effort. As an American newspaper
man puts it "Stinnes burst like a
Of n xfn
world. Yet he Is not what we
Americans call a self-made man. for
| no inherited considerable fortune.
as well as his superior business
I genius. from his grandfather. 'When
he was born on February %, 1870"
writes his adm!ring biographer. Or.
Herman Brickmeycr, there lay ready
to his hand the means by which he
might achieve the tremendous results
upon which he can now look back.
f, The grandfather, Matthias shines.
according to DR.. Brickneyer. settled In
Mulheim on the Rhine in 1903. whore
no soon became known for his courage.
strong will and business saGacity. He
invested his small capital in coal
barges and gradually built up an i'm
portant coal-carrying line between
Cologne and Holland. After time, he
established his own snip-buildinE plant
and began constructing his own barges.
so that by 1870 the number of craft
owned by the SHINES firm had in
creased TO So.
! Twenty years later, however, when
the practically OF tho steamboat had
been we'll established. Matthias Stin-
ncs decided to scrap his slow. horse
towed barges in favor or steam pow
er. This substitution was bitterly OPP
posed by the Rhinelanders. who had
been furnishing the horses for towing
tho harges and disliitco TO see good
source of profit swept away. SHINES
was informed that upon the appear
ance Of the first steamboat used to tow
his barges, there would be trouble.
This warning proved to be accurate.
When the first steamboat arrived at
q certain point near Neuwiod ont the
Rhine, It was greeted with a vtf,ey OF