Evening star., 1924-04-11
EFFECT OF SHINES
DEATH BERLIN TOPIC
Internal Situation and Reparation
Settlement Involved in New
Leadership.
BUSINESS TASKS FOR SONS
Strong Man" Asked Details Of
Dawes Report in Final Hours.

by the ASSOclsteu frssS.
BERLIN, April 11.--Germsn strong
man of industry is gone, with the
passing of Hugo SHINES, and specula-
tion LIS rife today as TO the ultimate ef-
feet OF his death on the internal situa
ton and on the reparauon settlement
Weakened by the effects of three
major operations within four weeks, the
man who would admit of no defeat in
the marts of trade bowed last night to
the ravages of disease. He was fully
conscious to the end, and during the
day conversed constantly with members
of his family gathered at the bedside.
1t was characteristic of him that even
in the final hours he asked for the de-
tails Of the Dawes report on the repa-
rations problem. and expressed gratifi-
cation at recognizing what he professed
were some of his own ideas among the
recommendations made by the experts.
Next TO the loss of his leadership over
the industrial group, which wields such
important influence in the deterplina-
tion of German reparation policy, in
terest centers in the policy to be fol-
lowed with regard to his manifold busi-
ness interests, the main details OF which
were always a matter of personal con-
Germ with him, and which he continued
to supervise until the last.
Responsibilities for Sons.
The administration of these in
terests will devolye on his sons, Ed
mund and Hugo, jr.. both of whom
have been in close touch with their
fathers enterprises during the last
five years. Edmund the elder OF the
n
the SHINES Offices in Berlin. while
Hugo, jr., has had charge of his
fathers shipping interests in Ham
burg.
T>rr SHINES Of his own volition
and partly at the urging of friends
persistently refused to enter into
public discussion of the reparation
problems or the French occupation
OF the Ruhr. He preferred to hold
himself in readiness until the mo-
rived. Even during his four years
incumbency of a seat in the reichstag
he declined to participate in its de-
bates, and only once during the period
he was member OF the economic
parliament did the official minutes of
that body contain a report OF his
utterances. That was when he un-
folded his program calling for more
production" and abolition of the
eight hour-day law. of which he was
HIS own working day averaged six
teen hours. and he was uncompromfs-
ing IN declaring that uniform eight
hour day was viciously inimical to
Germans economic recovery.
Talk Net for Publication.
SHINES would talk freely to news
paper men with whom he was ac-
Quainted. but not for publication.
Likewise he was always accessible
to financial leaders and business men
from abroad. who made pilgrimages
to Berlin solely to meet the man who
had been vaguely dubbed "the un-
crowned monarch OF postwar Ger
many"
The great German industrIalfst be-
gan his career as young man in his
fathers coal mine at Muelheim. where
he worked with pick and shove4
shoulder to shoulder with veteran
miners.
To his associates and business ac-
|ouaintances SHINES was anything but
man whom popular legend por-
trayed as an octopus with widely
rarnifytng tentacles clutching madly
at sfnokestacks. buzzing dyns mos,
ocean liners. hotel properties and
newspaper plants.
He was a hard-headed business
man, who espied in the disrupted
postwar economics everywhere a
fertile field for the exploitation Of
his uncanny genius for swiftly ap-
praising situation and then ap-
plying to it his talent for censtruc-
tive organization" one of his asso-
ciates in the Ruhr observed today.
His invasion of the financial world
was of more recent occurrence. and is
believed to have been actuated by a
desire to command closer approach to
the money markets. He held the con-
trolling stock In several large Berlin
and Rhineland banks. The admins
tration of his diverging interests will
Hugo. jr.. the latter at present in
charge of his fathers shipping in
terests in Hamburg. Edmund, who is
the oldest son, is resident general
director in Berlin OF the SHINES in
terests located there.
sons "Premntureiy 01d."
Both sons are said to be ''prema-
turely old due TO the spartan-like
business training to which they were
subjected py their father. and the fact
that they for the past FIVE years have
been constantly thrown in the COM
pany OF men considerably their senior
Herr SHINES family life was one
of domestic felicity and simplicity.
and although he was much on trains,
travelling back and forth, he invari-
ably timed his business trips so that
his week ends could be devoted to
his family. Only with difficulty would
he be dragged from his daily routine
long enough to attend the theater, and
there is story to the effect that ne
would invariably instruct his wife to
select house which had comfortable
seats Just as soon as the lights wers
dimmed he would take a nap, which
continued throughout the perform
ance.
Upon his return home he would
inquire of his wife just what kind
of a show he had attended that night.
symbol OF Wealth and Power.
SHINES was the type of self-con
scious industrial leader Of the Ger
man imitation period and the prole-
tariat recognized in him a symbol of
accumulated wealth and power in the
hands of a few men which Is directly
accountable for the misery of the
masses in Germany, says Vorwaerts.
The history OF his postwar ascend
ency is the history of the wrecking
cialist organ, which charges the dead
magnate with frustrating the con-
solidation of the masses, which in the
last analysis constitutes the surest
foundation for democracy and lib
erty."
The bourgeoise press accords Herr
SHINES more favorable appraisals
and designates him as the outstanding
figure in the postwar. economic re-
alignment, whose vision encompaseed
a far-reaching scheme for Germany 6
regeneration and whose name will
forever be identified with distinc-
tive era OF Germany's development.
He precahed and practiced the gos-
mel nf worh and by creating new en- =