Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-02-26

MIMI, FEBRUARY 2
A TAX ON KNOWLEDGE.
FORTS BILL SHOULD PASS.
COLUMBUS, O., February 14.-The following
joint resolution was offered in the senate to-day
by Mr.. Harper:
WHEREAS, A combination has been entered into
county @ T Whereby the ppioe has
just reaDon therefor; therefore, belt
Resolved, BY the General Assembly Of the State Of
Ohio that senators in BE- instructed to
vote In favor Of the passage of the bill now pending
IN congress 70 remove the duty on paper imported
into this country to be used In printing books period
icals, and newspapers.
The resolution was laid on the table and or
derel printed. The great interest shown In the
matter has attracted the attention of the general
assembly, and the pressure being brought to
bear by the newspapers and publishing houses
is 30 great that it is probable the bill will be
brought up at an early day and passed.
A ATYRANN1cA1 AND ARBITRARY MONOPOLY.
(From the Des Moines Rcgister]
There are three bills before congress relative
to the reduction of the tariff on printing paper.
The Fort bill provides that soda-ash, an i'm
portant chemical used in the manufacture of
paper, and now paying duty Of $500 per ton,
articles employed in paper making. Another
as is uxsl In newspaper Offices, on the free list;
tho other would reduce the duty from 20 per
cent to S per cent. The paper manufacturers
will make q strong effort to defeat these mea-
sures on the plea that the increase on paper is
only part of the general boom in prices. But
propornonate to the general upward tendency
of other articles, and too manifestly the result
Of tyrannical and arbitrary power Of monop-
oily to allow the people interested to be hood
wmkled by any such thin pretext. The paper
combination has declared that it would foroo
! May, making IN advance of 100 per cent. in
eight months. Is this good times, or is it
monopoly?
HIGH PRICES AND PUBLISHERS.
(From the Flint (h1ich.) Democrat]
| The rise in p11ces has affected the printing
! and publishing business not q little. In fact the
peculiar nature of the newspaper business, and
to q lesser extent, the job-printing industry,
makes the increased price of all kinds Of stock
| moro disastrously felt among printers than 9TH
els. Take for instance the case of large city
daily. It's subscriptions are well known and can
not easily and immediately be raised. Nothing
causes . subscriber to grumble more than to
have the price Of his paper raised. He will
stand any amount of advance on the articles Of
| daily use and necessaries of life without COM
planning more readily than he will submit to the
rayment of higher subscription; yet pub
| Usher can as i'll afford to sell the paper for
which be pays 100 per cent. more, for the same
! low price established in time of low prices as
can grocer or clothier. But although they
| ~ RI n n hn~ IT, s~
hundred has raised its subscription and adver-
| tisng rates since newspaper went up. News
| paper has advanced in price over 80 per cent,
| making paper worth one cent sheet four
months ago cost two cents now. AL this comes
| out of the pockets of the publishers as rule.
PAPER ExToRT10N1sTs.
From the Chicago Tribune, Feb 1871
| The Tribune published yesterday morning an
article showing the decided rise in the price of
| rags, and advising housekeepers to save them
since they could get . good sum for them. It
was lso stated, however, that this "boom" in
rags should have no effect worth mentioning on
the price of print-paper which the newspapers
| use, insomuch as not more than 10 per cent. of
the paper stock consists Of rags, the great bulk
being straw or Eastwood fibre. Any pretense on
the part Of the papermakers, therefore, that the
rise in rags has forced them to shove up the
price Of print-papcr is absurd. It may not be
uninteresting, therefore, to recall the proceed
ings of the meeting of the Northwestern Paper
makers association, which was held here Oh the
4th of this month, at which it was decided 10
put up the price half cent per pound, with a
crease was to be made when they reassembled
in March.
Among those present at this interesting con-
vention were: /. W. French president and
treasurer of the I. W. F. Manufacturing CON-
pany, Of Three Rivers, Mich. C.. Cornwall, of
9psila1ti Paper company, M F,he Of 9Rsiant, Mich;
Elkhart, Ind; William Van Ortwick, of Batavia
| Paper company, Batavia, ILL.,; H. J. Rogers, Sec
retary of Appleton Paper company, Appleton,
Wis; Mr.. Kimberly, of Atlas Paper company,
| Appleton, Wis; Mr.. Clark, Of Kimberly, Clark
Co., Of Hsenah, S IVY, WIS.,; S George W.; Whitins' Of
These gentlemen met as privately as possible
in private room IN a Chicago hotel, and took
| every precauton IN their power to prevent the
. reporters from finding out what they were
doing. But from what was ascertained of their
deliberations it appears that they showed a
had not manifested for months before. They
shook hands and asked after one another's
health with cordiality which had not displayed
itself for long time. Formerly they had met
as at funeral. Then they met rather as guests
at wedding. They recalled the situation six
months before. At that time they said the bo-
gus business boom had not struck the country.
It had, however, now done so to such an extent
that they felt justified in doing little price
lifting on their own account. They talked over
the prospects of the paper trade, and expressed
general satisfaction at its condition,-that gen.
eral satisfaction whish arises from determine
tion to put on the screws, and from belief that
the thing will hold. They expressed that salts
faction which man feels when he thinks he
has good thing i'll his hands and is about to
make the most Of it.
So, after having exchanged congratulations,
and crowded with delight over the approach Of
proceeded to turn their hopes into cash by re-
solving to add on this half-cent per pound to
common print paper. Then, after general
warning all around to say nothing to the re-
porters, but to scatter for their respective
homes, enlarge their mills, and prepare to in
crease their bank accounts, the convention ad-
iourned until next month. When they meet
then they will, notwithstanding the protests
which have been made by about every paper in
the country, proceed to express more general
satisfaction, more delight at the "boom" " in
prices, more confidence in the prospect Of the
adding cent q pound more to the price Of
rint paper
THE nuI OUGHT 10 PASS.
tFrom the Lafayette und.l Journal Rep.y
The combination of the paper manufacture
ers, through which the cost Of printing pape1
has been advanced over 80 per cent. in the last
:. two months, has had the effect Of causing thu
production Of bills in congress to greatly reduc.
the tariff on print paper, and to put certain
chemicals which are used in the manufacture o.
paper on the free list. A bill of this kind ough
to pass at once.
,~.--- NO MORE ENORMOUS PROFITs-
[From the Masst,lon (O.) Register Rep.O
The manufacturers of print-paper are com
, bining to prevent the passage Of Col Fort
bin, introduced in congress, to reduce the tarit
:. on foreign print-papers used for books an
t newspapers. There Is no just cause for the re
cent advance uf 40 to GO per cent. IN prices, an
! II this bin becomes = law there will be an imme
date decrease in the price, and they can n
longer realize such enormous profits.
i ;},5@ OFF w1TH THE TARIFF. - =
=. ;I..F tFrohn the Aurora m.) Herald.)
oil IT is our OF that Is gored this time. Thepres
5 ent tariff on type and paper brings no reyenu
TO the government, but enables type founder
: and paper manufacturers to make . wicke
I combination, as they have done, to advance th
prise both Of type and paper. The type founder
o. some years ago made : combination and put y
the price OF type when metal and everythin