Evening star., 1933-09-06

Following the climax in the gold
boarding situation. the country gives
attention to the executive order from
President Roosevelt, under which free
market is established for newly mined
gold Evidence of unusual interest in
the fate of those who have defied the
order against boarding is indicated
while the raising Of the embargo is
interpreted as a move in the direction
Of special advs ntage for those who mine
American gold.
The Government appears to have
come to the end of its patience with the
GOLD hoarders and to plan action" says
the Charleston Evening Post. with the
stand on what they consider their legal
rights will probably be made to assume
the burden of trying to establish them
in court" The Evening Post quotes
Washington report that there are $50
persons holding s845,ooO in gold which
they refused to surrender" On this
point the Evening Post makes the COM
mert: IF this is all there is to shoot
at, it hardly seems worth drive. but.
Of course. this represents but small
fraction of the country,s gold still held
in hiding. Perhaps the beginning of
actual prosecutions will bring to light
some of the yellow metal which Govern
ment agents have not yet spotted but
which reluctant owners will voluntarily
bring forward rather than face the pos
sibility of detection and prosecution"
Observing that "the Attorney General is
back from a vacation and full of en-
ergy." while "the time limit for those
who tuck the metal away has arrived"
the Oakland Tribune remarks: THE
force of assistants in the cabinet Off
ciars Office is ready to act. Warnings
tn hoarders have been many. Definite
assurances that the limit of patience
has been reached and court action
would be taken are familiar. Maybe
this time the Government means what
it says. Either that or the hoarders
will go on boarding and grow gray in
the practice"
Raising the embargo on American
mined gold" thinks the Hartford Daily
Times. should have the effect of en-
phasizing in the public mind the pre-
MUM in American paper money which
geld money enjoys when its free move
ment is permitted. Mr. Roosevelts
tightening of the provisions against
boarding by new regulations may oper-
ate to bring out of vaults and hiding
places around $500 900 of the pre-
cious metal still estimated to be- in
hiding despite the Governments pre-
vious appeals and threats Actual
prosecutions for boarding appear to
have been postponed as a matter of
policy. for reasons not far to seek. in
view of the possible unconstitutionality
of the old-commandeering DEGREES of
Congress and the administration
THE only safe conclusion is the
hoarders had better loosen up before
they get another final warming" advises
the Baltimore Evening Sun, while, in
the course of humorous comment on
this phase of the national situation,
that paper remarks: Just what the
effect of all this on the actual amount
of gold held by the disciples of Midas
is we are unable to determine because
of the confused figures available from
Washington. On July 81 there was re-
ported drop in the number of hoard
ers from 211 to 207, but the amount of
gold in hiding increased from 81 ,207, ,057
to 1921 ,086. Today. oddly enough, the
report from Washington refers to esti,-
mates Of boarded gold running as high
as $500, 100000. We stand in awe of
the figure. If the 207 sticky-fingered
gents have run up their holdings to any
such sum as that we hope they won't
be hanged until they tell us how they
did it."
"It is still forbidden by presidential
authority" records the Philadelphia
Evening Bulletin, "to own and hold gold
There is but one buyer in the United
States, and that Is the Government,
which has asked price. But now the
producers may, with the consent Of the