The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-03-21
THE PAPER MONOPOLY.


House Of Representatives are engaged In
hearing testimony relative to memorials ask
Ing for reduction Of the duty on paper,
which Ii 10 per cent ad val0rem, and the admls-
sion Of wood pulp used In paper making free
Of duty. The advocates Of the reduction OF tho
duty claim that what was intended as Just
protection to the manufacturers Of printing
paper has been perverted into most oppres-
Give monopoly, and that the clause In the
tariff law that protects this monopoly was be-
lieved by Congress to have been repealed
some years ago, but by an oversight Of Con-
gress or the cunning Of some shrewd clerk.
was retained, In palpable conflict with the
terms which place pulp and wood for the
manufacture OF paper on the free list. Mr..
Miller. member Of Congress from Herki-
mer. New York. and one or the largest owners
Of the voeter patent for the manufacture Of
ground pulp, In his testimony before the COM
mittee, for the paper-makers, said that the
present tariff duty was not prohibitory one.
but simply for revenue; that the importation
Of wood pulp from any country except Canada
was impracticable; that the rise In the price
OF paper was not due to the cost OF the wood
pulp, but was owing chiefly to the small sup
ply and consequently Increased value Of the
other ingredients Of paper. The fact IL that
since 1873, when the classes Of paper were
more specifically enumerated, the duty re-
eeived from unsized printing paper has fallen
from $SS. 494 to $311; on sized printing paper
from 81, O82 to $214, and on writing paper
from $54 ,1Ol to $3937. II this Is not prohibi-
ton, II resembles It very closely. Ia the same
period It Is noticed that our imports OF rags.
waste, pulp and other material for paper have
held their own fully, yet the price Of the manu-
featured article has been very largely In
creased. Mr.. Erastus Brooks, Of the New
York Express. who represented the paper
consumers before the committee, said he de-
sired proper construction placed upon the
law Of 1870, by which It was intended shat
all paper stock. crude, OF every description.
including all grasses, fbree, esparto Spanish
grass. and all other grasses and pulp for
the manufacture Of paper, including poplar
pulp" should be free OF import duty. This
law, he claimed. including poplar pulp, Ger
tatnly included pulp made OF wood. and that
the construction placed upon the law by
which duty Of 20 per cent was imposed on
wood pulp was erroneous. He said 1t was
owing to the advance Of rom 25 to so per
cent IN the priceof pulps sfad the combina-
ton Of paper manufacturer, otiiafly is the
West, that the price of paper Mad advanced
from five and half to six csntsa pound (the
price OF last year, to nine end a half to ten
cents, now charged. He believed that the re-
moval or the present duty would result In
reduction Of ut least two cents pound On
printing paper; that unless some action OF
the kind was taken by Congress there could
be no guarantee that paper might not be
forced to most extorhonate prices. Mr..
Brooks, 10 spite Of the fact that he Is one OF
the oldest Journalists In the country, In reply
to query. said that he did not recognize
that the press had power In Congress- but he
seemed to think that on this subject
this was because Of the influence o.
the presence Of paper-makers on that
body. And as regards monopoly, he said
that Of the paper makers was worse one
than had been ascribed to the Associated
Press. Whether Congress should go further
than the modification OF the tariff by correct
ing the confessed error that imposes duty Of
10 per cent on pulp will much depend upon
the action Of the paper manufacturers Of the
country. II they shall then continue to pre-
vent what was intended as a legitimate pro-
lection Of our manufactures, they will justly
provoke repeal Of all duties which protect
that branch Of industry. The continued ex-
tortionate price OF printing paper Is not to be
greatly feared. 1t may last for 9 few months,
but history will repeat itself by furnishing
us cheaper paper than ever before The
trouble now, however. is that slight In
crease In demand has led to large increase
in the price Of paper, and this has made paper
making 80 profitable that great many new
factories and mills are starting In the bust-
ness The result will probably be the Increase
OF the supply very soon far beyond any pos
sible demand. and thus again reduce the
price. Excessive competition, IN other words,
is the natural and effective corrective OF ex-
cessive customs duties. Monopolies, like
"vaulting ambition" destroy themselves by