The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-07-03
AN OPEN
LETTER
June "a, 1912

June "a, 1874,
Mr. Ralph E. Davis
Bureau of Industrial Conservation
1710 Union Bank Building
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Dear Mr.. Davis:
l have your correspondence ad
dressed to Treasure State Pipe Line
Company and Consumers Gas Com
pany at Ais Ford building Great Falls
Montana, and you might have in
cluded in that the Handbook Oil Co.
Coolidge G Coolidge, Inc, and the
Montana Gas Corporation, as they all
head out of this office and are in the
oil and gas business.
1t is evident that you are particu
larly interested in the collection OF
scrap iron and steel as well as all
other metals, which l take it for
granted includes rubber and all neces
sary equipment. AS | see the picture,
the junk men around the country are
not cooperating to the fullest extent
with government agencies, as in our
small city of Great Falls one dealer
has three city blocks covered with
scrap that should and could be moved.
Other yards are filled with rubber
bought at low prices, scrap steel $500
to $500 a ton, rubber $500 a ton.
These prices are not adequate for the
collection of this rubber and the junk
men are holding out for higher prices.
Personally, l think the government
should conscript all junk and have
Henderson put a base price on all
scrap at rail head and allow not only
junk dealers, but elevator men, garage
men and what-not to gather and col
lect this material on a fixed scrap
basis. All dealers should be allowed
a certain handling charge plus turn
over compensation of possibly one per
cent, then let the government assume
responsibility for all freight rates
from every point in the United States
to the processing points. 1t is evident
they may lose a little money unless
rates can be reduced on the long
hauls, but on the short hauls they
would accumulate money which |
think would more than offset these
long hauls.
Before the last appeal from the
President came in about rubber, a
junk dealer was buying it at $500 a
ton with rubber at sc a pound, and
steel was being bought all the way
from $500 to $500 a ton and l am
told that it was worth $4,000 a ton at
the processing point. We do want
these people to make a fair profit,
but the government should make it
universal and mandatory to deliver
this scrap to rail head
Personally, l have considerable
scrap around the operations of these
various organizations and plan to ship
it soon, but due to the pressure of
oil and gas, together with
the shortage of labor, have been I'M
able to get to it and besides the roads
have been in terrible condition We
plan to deliver this scrap at the rail
head regardless of price but I do feel
and believe that three times as much
scrap would be collected il fair price
was paid for this material at rail head |
and designate handlers along all rail
roads for the collection of this mate
rial.
Do hope that these suggestions are
some food for thought as we all want |
to do our part in the war effort and |
firmly believe there is enough scrap |
steel in Montana, which is a sparsely |
settled district, to build three pipe
ines to Spokane and relieve the war
effort to a large extent.
Very truly yours,
E. B. COOLIDGE.
Copy to Industrial Salvage Section
1920 Railway Retirement Bldg.
Washington, d. c.