THE HIGH COST OF WAR

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 96, 20 October 1934, Page 25

THE HIGH COST OF WAR

A HIGH point of ihe hearings of the Senate Munitions Investigation Committee, was testimony that the dv Pont Company had made Jungo Geira, described as "an international spy," its agent to sell munitions to Germany if "Washington approved. His contract was later bought up for 25,000 dollars, 'says the "Literary Digest." Testimony as to the activity of the .Curtiss-Wright Export Company in selling war-craft abroad, and of the widespread graft in the.saleiof munitions to Southern American countries, dwindled in interest when .the four dv Ponts, keen and quick, walked into, the room with a'battery of lawyers to tell the committee about their enormous, businessr There were the three brothers, Lammot, president of; the- company, dressed in a-black suit with a while stripe, andsmofcihg^a.pipe;.lrenee, also1 in a black suit and with:'a pipe hi-his mouth;^Pierre, dressed in. brown;, and- their cousin. Felix, in grey. -.Sworn'tog-either, they look turns answering questions. [] '.;"'■-'."^Pierre'• dv Pdntxmade the headlines boom. when he tliat the 'du'Pbrit Company did a total World. War. brisiness r of 1,250,060'0bp dollars^ from wliich the profits were 25O,OOO;OO0 dollars., ' -'■■■'■ ,:',-.- ': : • •

The biggest year was 1916, when the total of war goods sold was 127,574,725.74 dollars. In that year a 100 per cent, dividend Iras' declared. .-'. •".■'• • ; ■■'■■[ '■'-.'■:' •:.■-.-

Irenee dv Pont, in arguing against the nationalisation of the munitions business, aroused the resentment of..Senator Homer T. Bone, a member bt the commiltce. "I want it to go into the record of this investigation," said Senator Bone, quoting the witness, "that you think the dv PoiUs prevented the United States from becoming a German colony as the outcome of the World War."

Explaining its position as to the manufacture of war munilions, the dv Font Company lias issued a booklet. in which it .staled that: V '•■ ' '."',

£■;,}rt'i "The dv Poht-Ctjinpany does not want war and lias vastly Mi'tore to gain from;, peace. In contrast .-with its original position 'as-distinctly 'a powder manufacturer, the dv Pont Company today is essentially and chiefly a manufacturer of products. Having no relation to "ivair."1 ••"' ' -■: