Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23

lob Thoroughly ana properly, and was
a dynamo of prupagandtng energy. He
brought leading writer's over from the
dominions and America to get first
hand impressions. Eminent noveiists
were conscripted. Telegraphs, tele-
phones and cables were kept humming.
Meantime Beaverbrook acquired q
newspaper. He had to have one TO
consolidate his gains in the political
sphere. Lloyd George was slippery and
favored newspaper owning friends
above all others. David Blumenfeld, an
American, an astute journalist but no
business man, had the Daily Express.
It was dying, and Beaverbrook got it
at Knockout price. For q while that
paper cost him 100000 a year. He
| could afford 1t. But with a scratch
team around him he got the paper on
a paying basis inside five years. and
today 1t sells more than 1000 900 a
day and is catching up to the biggest
Of all, the Daily Mail
Bonar Law died and was buried In
| Westminster Abbey. Beaverbrook was
stricken to the heart. He also received
what seemed to be q mortal blow in
the political field. He had walked,
politically, always In Laws shadow.
Now Law was gone; his main prop had
| disappeared. He no longer was on the
inside of politics. Baldwin, the new
| chief, and his circle resisted the cele-
brated Beaverbrook magnetism and
gave him the cold shoulder.
He turned his attention to his pa
pers. He spent much time in a re-
markable circular Office he had made
at the top of the Express Building. He
spent even more time on the telephone
he almost lives on the telephone.
The circulation Of his daily and Sun
6nNy Ma -
an evening paper and did not want to
calling for another of these merger
operations, those def deals which dot
his career like light buoys in channel.
Hutton, Northcliffes great rival, was
sick man-dying, indeed. He was
Beaverbrooks neighbor in the country.
He wanted to sell out his huge gro.Sp,
and the Berry brothers-now lord
CamroSe and Sir Conner Berry, owning
more papers In the aggregate than any
one else in the isla-4a today-had
agreed to buy. The contract was to be
signed next day. But between the aft
ernoon Of one day and the morning of
the next Beaverbrook stepped in and
swung the deal over to Lord Rother-
mere. The new name was substituted
on the original contract and the Berrys
arrived to ind they were too late (blt
later on Rothermere kindly sold them
all he did not want at fat profit.
Received Paper for Deal.
As commission On this deal Beaver
brook took the Evening Standard, the
only paper he wanted He also ar
ranged another deal with Lord Rother-
mere. That newspaper viScount saw
that Beaverbrook would now be his
competitor. He wanted a financial in
tereSt in his group, and Beaverbrook
let him have 40 per cent share, him
self retaining controlling interest. But
to date Rothermere has not got much
out Of that investment, because the
controlling head has been putting
profits back into the business, keeping
the dividend down and using the Roth
big fight to knock the Rothermere COM
peting papers back into second place
But there are no hard feelings
Rothermere and Beaverbrook dine to-
gether and are political allies whenever
it suits them to be-
Nearly four years ago Beaverbrook
suddenly got tired of the business side
OF his newspaper enterprise locked his
ONCE and announced his departure. He
said: II am never coming back. You
young fellows must carry on. Make it
great newspaper. won't you?" He
never will return to that place. But
every day he is In telephone contact
with the editor and the business man
ager.
You win ind Illuminating carica-
lures Of him here and there in con-
temporary British literature. He Is the
original OF Lord OttercoYe in william
Gerhardi's Jazz and Jasper" Of Lord
Furber in Arnold Benefits 1.-THE
Strange Vanguard" (tl1ese two men high
ly interested one another and exchanged
confidenceS). He is the model for Sir
Busy Woodcock. of H. @. wells THE
Auctocracy Of Mr. Parham"
One day he took long look at the
political seas and thought he saw a
tide which might be taken on the turn.
Many were talking about 1t. The great
induStrialists and bankers who were his
friends talked about it. The politicians
shifted at it. But every one was too
hesitant, too timid to head into it.
Therefore Beaverbrook launched his
bark and took the helm.
Backs Empire Trade Unity.
It is two years since he began his
fight to get the policy of imperial eco
nomic coordination adopted as the Of
fetal Conservative party policy. He
went the right way about 1t. Perceiv-
ing the danger of talking only through
his newspapers, he started a crusade.
raised big fund, got direct contact
with tens of thousands Of people. He
used the House of Lords as a platform.
and made speeches in halls, market
places and from the tails Of carts at
street corners. He ran independent
candidates against the Official Conserva-
tive candidates, split the vote, got one
candidate in three In, divided and con-
fused the local party machines in the
country.
He gathered round him all the enter
prising and adventurous elements of
the party who disliked Stanley Bald
wins go-slow leadership, and menaced
the Tory party into schism. He hit
the reluctant Baldwin from every angle,
until that worthy but cautious politician
grew dazed and began to assert that he
stood where, the following week, he
would find he was not standing at all
Beaverbrook in the interim having car
ried the party another step along the