The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-24 00:00:00

The Earl of HARDWICKE rose to move that in con-
sequence of the proceedings upon the Fibre Company's
Bill having been superseded, by reason of the introduc-
tion of a general measure upon limited liability, anc: as
there is now little prospect of such measure passing
in the present session, it is expedient that
the said bill be allowed to be read a second time.
The noble lord said it was understood that the Limited
Liability Bill would effect all that was asked by the Fibre
Bill, and that it might be inconvenient to legislate on a
private bill simultaneously with the introduction of a
general measure on the same subject; it was considered but
respectful to such an argument that it should be listened
to. The session had now, however, so far advanced as to
make it almost certain that the general measure cannot
pass this year for want of time, it being only now in com-
mittee in the other House of Parliament, and it was
therefore sought that the Fibre Bill must be allowed to
proceed. His motion was based on two grounds ; Ist,
The importance of the measure itself, front the very
great public advantages it was calculated to promote.
2d, As respects the standing order 176 ; the very con-
siderable doubt whether that order was applicable to
the Fibre Bill ; and the perfect impossibility of the
promoters of the bill to comply with such order, and to
conform at the same time to the requirements and pro-
visions of the Joint Stock Act, which now regulated the
preliminary proceedings of all companies. The import-
ance of the measure might be gathered from the fact
that it proposed to give powers for providing a remedy
for one of the greatest wants of the present day, viz.,
the supply of a cheap material for paper. The prem.).
ters felt that they could not find a better argument in
support of their views than that furnished by the con-
tents of an article published in the last June number of
the " Quarterly Review." It was entitled, " The Sup-
ply of Paper," and commenced thus :
" The literary world is just opening its eyes to an im-
pending evil of no little magnitude—even a scarcity of
intellectual food. Stubborn facts and figures warn us
that, unless extraordinary efforts are made to avert the
calamity, we shall soon experience all the inconveniences
arising from the deficient supply and consequent high
price of paper. Already a rise in price of one half-
Penny per pound in that article has seriously affected
our public journalists, causing a loss, it is
said, to the " Times" newspaper alone of 10,0001.
or 12,0001. per annum, and inducing the proprietors of
that journal to offer a reward of 1,0001. to any one who
can discover a new and readily available material.
"The cause of our present dilemma is the increased
consumption of paper without a corresponding increase in
the supply of rags. In the five years from 1830 to 1834,
both inclusive, the amount of paper manufactured in Great
Britain was on an average 70,988,131 lbs. per annum.
This was prior to the reduction of duty on first-class papers
from 3d to its present equalised rate of lad. per lb. Tak-
ing the five years from 1849 to 1853, we find that the
average annual quantity produced had risen to 151,231,175
lbs. The production of the year 1853 was 177,633,0091.,
being above 23,000,000 lbs., or 10,000 tons more than the
preceding year, and requiring for i t prncluetiuu au ea:-
cesa of not less than 13,000 tons of raw material. The re-
turn for the year 1854 continues to show an increase,
caused by an increased export demand ; hut the amount
does not greatly exceed that of 1853. The figures are
177,896,2211b5. Taking into account the higher price cf
paper-making materials, it is estimated that the cost of
production to our manufacturers during the present year
will exceed that which the seine weight cf paper would
have cost in 1852, by no less than 1,000,0001. sterling.
" This increased consumption of paper in Great Britain
is duo to the vast demands of our periodical literature, the
more wide-spread ability to read and write among the
lower classes, the cheapness of books and newspapers, and
the facilities of communication by post."

The deficiency was becoming soinuch greater by rea-
son of our supplies of flax and hemp from Russia having
been considerably reduced in consequence of the war.
From the thorough test which the proposed new flax
material has undergone at a very considerable cost—
from the fact that an edition of the Times newspaper
has been published upon it—the fibre company was in a
position to pledge itself that, should the parliamentary
powers, sought by their bill, be granted, they would be
able in a very great degree to solve the difficult problem,
and to supply the pressing' requirement of a substitute for
rags. The necessity far the adventure being carried out
bi a company must be evident from a consideration of the
magnitude of the operations required to produce a sensi-
ble effect, and the wide range to which they must ex-
tend ; indeed it may almost be said, that to supply a re-
quisite quantity of the new material for paper snaking
would be as far beyond the capability and prudence of
private enterprise as it would be to undertake to supply
the-whole of England with bread from one individul
purveyor. The noble lord then proceeded to comment
on the standing order, and contended that it was at
variance with the practice of the house, and therefore
the bill ought to be read a second time.