The Portland daily press., 1864-12-24
The Price Of Printing Paper.

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mission of the 20 per cent gold duty on for
eign paper, with 3 view to bring down the
price Of printing paper in this country. In
an elaborate circular issued by that Associa-
ton, they state that paper since 1861 has
advanced from nine or ten cents per pound to
twenty four to twenty cents; that this
rise was caused by a combination among east
ern mill owners; that printing paper can be
manufactured at a profit for six or seven cents
less than they demand for it; that paper csr
be purchased in England, France and GER
many for eight cents per ponnd In casb that
1t can be laid down In New York, asne from
the duty OF 20 per cent In gold, for seventeen
or eighteen cents per pound in c'frency' .nat
the importation of few cansoes' ou'y iree,
would bring down the prics Of the domestic
article to Is 10 cents ~ che East and to 10
a II cents In the Wsst, and, therefore, the
true source of reflector customers is to secure
the remission OF the impost duty on the i'm
ported article.
The press has generally published these
statements, with varying additions and COM
ments One says rags are as cheap here as in
Europe; another says the Government would
have saved large amount Of money the past
year but for the duty, by importing Its paper
1t seems to US some of these statements have
been adopted by the eastern press without
careful thought, and that in repeating some of
them they are encouraging publishers to look
for relief to delusive quarter.
We are certainly anxious to secure stock as
cheaply as any one. Probably no Office in the
State has more at stake in this matter, for It
Is probably the case that we consume more
pounds ofpaper per week than any other new
paper estallishmentin Maine. However that
may be,.we want to purchase at the lowest
figure, and we are anxious to participate in
any movement that will secure paper supply
for the least outlay Of money; but we see
nothing to be gained from misapprehension,
from attributing The high prices to the wrong
cause, or from acting under the inspiration of
false impression In relation to material
facts. ss
1t should, In justice to facts be stated, that
paper has already declined at least five or six
cents per pound from the very high figure it
touched during the severe drought oflast sum-
mer, whenlarge numbers of mills were stand
Ing still, and the supply could not meet the
demand. Il is also due to facts to state, that
so low had the price Of paper become in 1861
that good many mills were compelled to
wind up, and paper makers asserted that the
price --say ten cents-was absolutely below a
living profit; the same as the Subscription
price of papers was at figure almost sure to
keep every man miserably poor who persisted
In publishing them.
The statement that rags are as cheap here
rs 10 Europe will hardly bear criticism when
1t is remembered that rags were imported till
the high rates of exchange amounted TO q
practical prohibition; and 1t was the scarcity
of rags, created by The stoppage Of importa-
ti0as, and not the high price, that snrned the
attention Of manufacturers to straw, corn
husks, ETC., for the raw material
We come now to the question. Paper In
Europe, we are told, can be purchased for
eight cents. in coin, and, but for the duly
could be laid down In New York fer seven
teen or eighteen cents In currency. How is
this? For the last six months the premium on
gold has averaged ,33 Sand though exchange
u still higher we will call 1t the same. Eight
cents 10 Europe, therefore, would be Is 2-3,
In currency. in New York. Calling this the
price of pound of paper, we have got to add
the freight, the insurance, (war risk,) and the
commissions Of the European merchant who
makes the purchase and the profits of the i'm
porter, and the freight from New York, and
when these are allput together we are strong
y impressed with the idea that the sum win
not be found long way below the price Of
our domestic paper, which has advanced upon
the piice Of 1852 In about the same ratio as
gold. ia aAe- @
II the Importation Of a few duty free
cargoes could bring down the price Of the
domestic article, by overstocking the market
and reducing the demand upon the manufac-
turers, would not the demand in Europe in
crease the price there? And is IL not reasona-
bic to suppose the eight cents would soon
give place to ten or even more? The Keane-
bee journal is the only paper that has come
to our notice, which has seemed to appreciate
the effect of new and large demand upon a
foreign market That paper, in abiding to
the very subject we are considering, says:
"The argument seems to be in favor of
reduction of duties, and the nice question Is,
how to arrange the tariff so as not to make
the country dependent upon foreign countries !;
for so soon as that shall come, prices will be
high without hope of relief from legislation,
except TO encourage home manufactures"
Its to be considered, further, that with the
source of,paper supply three thousand miles
across the ocean, to be furnished of given size
and weight only to order, publishers would be
obliged to purchase very large stocks, land
how many of them would feel disposed to pay
IN adUGnce for six or twelve months stock,
others nudge as wellas we; while the inter-
est on this surplus investment should prop
erly be added to the cost Of the article.
We come to this conclusion: that While
there is no practical necessity for an impost
duty on foreign paper because none is or can
Dc imported, we do not see how the remission
OF the duty can possibly bring relief to Ameri-
can publishers, by reducing the price of domes-
tic paper. To hope for relief from such QUAR-.
ter, seems to US like delusion. Psuer max
ers are like other men, and will get the hest
price they can; but the high price stimulates
competetion and this competition at home,
and not Of the foreign manufacturer, piu
gradually reduce the tuil. .,,s.....s
The prices Of subscription and Of advertis-
ing have been too low; so was the price Of
printing paper. The latter has been raised
even above the proper limits and is now grad
naly finding its level. The prices of sub
criptions and advertising have come up much
more slowly, and not IN full and fair proper
ton. When the great revulsion comes, as
come it will sooner or later, and prices of ma
terlals come down by the run, publishers will
ahave chance, we hope, to drop so gradually
as to make up something of their present dis.
NJ A ~ :