Combined families: Hoopes testifies before Senate panel in 1920

This is the latest in an occasional series of posts about the daughters of Samuel Pruyn and their families that lived in the three houses that now are the campus of The Hyde Collection art museum in Glens Falls.

Maurice Hoopes, president of the family-owned Finch, Pruyn & Co., defended the paper industry against allegations of profiteering when he testified in Washington, D.C. May 13, 1920 before a U.S. Senate panel investigating newsprint prices.

“It was because they knew that production costs were increasing very rapidly and that manufacturers were selling at prices below those in the open market,” Hoopes said, regarding newsprint price hikes that were forcing many newspapers to increase subscription rates and cut back the number of pages, and in some cases cease publication, according to a report the next day in The Post-Star.

That explanation did not satisfy U.S. Sen. James Reed, D-Missouri, chairman of the committee, who pointed out Finch was selling paper on the open market for eight to nine cents a pound — about double the four to five cent price under government contracts during World War I.

“You were simply trying to make all the money you could make, weren’t you?” Reed chided.

“I beg your pardon,” Hoopes replied. “But if we had been doing that we would have taken 16 cents for it. We had offers at that price for paper.”

In other Combined Families historical news:

The Post-Star reported on May 4, 1920 that Louis Hyde was a member of the executive committee for a campaign to raise $6,500 for the local Salvation Army.

The Post-Star reported on Jan. 27, 1920 that Louis Hyde donated two volumes of Hodkin’s “Italy and Invaders” book series to Crandall Free Library.

The Post-Star reported on Jan. 29, 1920 that Maurice Hoopes was re-elected a director of Glens Falls Insurance Co.

The Post-Star reported on May 6, 1920 that Louis Hyde and Louis Brown, representing the Crandall Trust, met with Glens Falls Mayor W. Irving Griffin to discuss planned improvement to Glens Falls City Park.

“Both the city officials and the members of the Crandall Trust are anxious to have the work done as soon as possible.”

The Post-Star reported on May 13, 1920 that the Chepontuc Daughters of the American Revolution held its regular meeting the previous afternoon at the home of Nell Pruyn. Mary Hoopes was among the hostesses.

Click here to read the most recent previous post in the series.