Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-01-05
THE PAPER TRUST
A Protest Against Governmental
Aid Therefor.
Newspaper Wen Ask that the Duty on
Pulp be AbOlished-It Is Alleged
that the Profits of the Trust
Are Enormous and Area
Tax on knowledge.

aShlngtOn, Dec. 26.-l ne american
Newspaper Publishers association has
presented to the Anglo-American joint
commissioners carefully prepared ar
gument in favor of free paper and free
pulp.
The directors of the American News
paper Publishers association, repre-
senting 157 daily newspapers of the
United States and representing the
bulk of the total consumption of print
paper, are in favor of free paper and
free pulp. The tariff of So per ton on
print paper is prohibitory and they be-
lieve the rate of S167 per ton for me-
chanically ground wood pulp is eX-
cesSive; that the American paper man
ufacturers need no protection because
they can manufacture paper cheaper
than is done in any other part of the
world and that they are now supply
ing the Australian, Japanese and Brit
ish markets in competition with Swed-
ish and German manufacturers.
During the last year the export aver
aged over ZOO tons per week and the
entire revenue received from the i'm
portation of mechanically ground wood
pulp was only Sal, ,S42 last year, so that
my could be urged in opposition to free
pulp and free paper.
The American manufacturers are
protected to the extent of 81. 60 per ton
by reason of their proximity to their
customers. The difference in the cost
of transportation to market Is their
great guaranty of security against Can
ada or any foreign country. They are
also protected by reason of their ability
to obtain cheaper and more convenient
supplies of coal and chemicals. which
as vet are not obtainable in the Cana
dian forests.
In January, 1898, all the big paper
mills OF the United States with few
unimportant exceptions were merged
into the international Paper Co..
combination that absorbed "a mills,
producing about so per cent of the en-
tire American output. This corpora
ton or trust was capitalized upon
basis of 500. 900, 600. The pretext given
for the organization of the trust was
the inability of mills to make paper at
prevailing prices that bankruptcy
stared them in the face,
This combination was really formed
were in poor localities or on streams
that We're running dry. Every mill
owner who entered that trust invited
withdrawal of government favor.
Excessive and improper prices were
paid for many mills that we're located
on exhausted water courses and that
were tributary to denuded timber
tracts; for mills that at periods of the
year have an insufficient supply of
water or are under water: for mills
that are inferior and worthless in ma
chinery, equipment and construction;
for mills that must pay excessive rent
al for water power; for mills that do
not own or control wood land: for mills
that have neither pulp grinding at
tachments nor sulphite pulp auXilia-
ries.
A circular based upon information
FURNISHED by officers of the lnterna-
tional Paper Co., showed that in July
the trust was making a profit of SIG
per ton on its output.
The entire output of this corporation,
representing 1920 tons per day for the
oretical capacity, could be reproduced
by a present investment of 5000, 900,
so that the American consumers OF
newspapers are forced to pay dividends
upon an inflated valuation of at least
$40. 600. 900.
Immediately after the organization
cf the trust it raised the price of paper
wherever possible. In three cases it
raised its price $40 per ton and has av-
eragcd an increase of So per ton on it's
daily output of | .420 tons. cqualing an
increased tax of So, 130, 600 per annum
upon the newspapers of the country,
which now pay total exceeding S20,-
600, 900 per annum for their paper sup
ply.
Every increase of a quarter cent per
pound in the price of newspapers adds
$4,000, 600 dollars to the value of the
trust securities.
The duty on paper stops heap books
and cheap newspapers. 1t taxes intel
ligencc, because the newspapers are
the peoples school and their library.
All taxes upon paper are taxes upon
reading, upon knowledge, upon the
dissemination of information; to make
newspapers artificially dear is Wanton-
" to restrict the number of readers
and so increase ignorance. When this
is done or proposed, simply to add tC
the profits of a monopoly, the injury
to public interests becomes matter
demanding the intervention of the
government.
Moore Draws i3-V ear Sentence.