The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-28
PAPER AND PULP
Newspaper Publishers As
ISOLATION Want No Pro-
lection.

Washington Dec. 27.--The American
Publishers Association has presented
to the Anglo-American joint high COM
missioners a carefully prepared argu-
ment in favor of free paper and free
pulp. The following is the syllabus of
the argument:
The directors of the American News
paper Publishers Association, repre-
senting 1877 daily newspapers in the
United States, and representing the
bulk of the total consumption of print
paper, are for free paper and free pulp.
The tariff of Sc per ton Oh print paper
is prohibitory, and we believe that the
rate of $1.67 per ton for mechanically
ground wood pulp IS excessive; that
the American paper manufacturers
need no protection, because they can
manufacture paper cheaper than is
done in any other part of the world,
and that they are now supplying the
Australian, Japanese and British mar
ketS in competition with Swedish and
German manufacturers; that no print
paper is brought into the United States,
but during last year The export has aY-
eraged over 1000 tons per week, and
that the entire revenue received from
the Importation of mechanically ground
wood pulp was only $4l,342 last year. so
that no serious question of national
economy could be urged in opposition
to free pulp and free paper; that Am
erican manufacturers are protected to
the extent of SLIGO a ton by reason of
their proximity to their customers. The
difference in cost Of transportation to
market is their great guarantee of Sc
curity against Canada or any other
foreign country. They are also pro-
tected by reason Of their ability to OBJ
tain cheaper and more convenient sup
plies Of coal and chemicals, which as
yet are not Obtainable in the Canadian
forests.
In January. 1898, all the big and prof
liable paper mills of the United States.
with a few unimportant exceptions,
were merged into the International Pa
per Company, combination that alb
sorbed "a mills, producing about so per
cent of the entire American output This
corporation, or trust, was capitalized
upon a basis of $4,000 900 The pretext
given for the organization of the trust
was inability of mills to make paper
at prevailing prices; that bankruptcy
stared them in the face. This combine
alton was really formed to protect the
proprietors whose mills were in poor
localities, or on streams that We're run
iiilies vi y I1NNig iillil OMiItI no tl-
tered that trust invited a withdrawal
of government favor. Excessive and
improper prices were paid for many
mills that were located on exhausted
water courses and that were tributary
to denuded timber tracts: for mills that
at periods of the year have an insult
ficient supply of water; for mills that
are inferior and worthless in machin-
cry, equipment and construction; for
mills that must nay excessive rental
for water power; for mills that do not
own or control wood lands; for mills
that have neither pulp grinding at
tachments nor sulphite pulp auXiliaries.
Five of the paper mills obtain their
power at a total annual cost of 1885,
600 Two others are run by steam,
which makes competition impossible
and five others have sufficient power
Four owned no Woodlands, and 10
mills had no sulphite auxiliaries Nine
ty-eight paper-nlaking machines We're
comprised in the plant of these mills,
but only As of the machines We're of
recent date or desirable pattern.
Immediately after organization of the