Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-08-17

N'-N'' P''i Ni'u business Delle1S.
Then, again, no one believes that a
question of simple principle of this
kind would be very great hindrance
on the road to success if the pathway
to that success was clearly seen.
That the company is purchasing all
the plants on the market, as well as
all the desirable mill locations and
timber lands that are for sale, cannot
be denied. 1t can be readily seen why
the officials of the company are desir
Gus of having as little as possible
known of their doings. 1t is evidently
their intention to purchase outright all
the mills that can possibly be bought
before the time Of announcing the
proposition of combine. And in this
work they are negotiating as secretly
as possible, for should the Interna-
tional Paper Company decide that
such movement was on foot the
chances are that it would pursue a
similar policy just to Illustrate its OPP
ponent's plans. This, at least, is what
gossips say. and there seems to be a
great deal of common sense in it. too
What first led the trade to this idea
was the fact that in the transferring
of the deeds of several properties re
Gently sold in Maine. the name of the
purchaser was never made public
The first most important instance Of
this was the sale of the very desirable
mill site, at Norridgewock. where.
even up to the present time, nothing
definite has been heard or said regard
ing the erection of the proposed mill
there, which, rumOr had it shortly
once. No one has ever learned def
nitely who the purchaser was. al
though ii was said one time that the
property was bought by an English
syndicate. This report, however. was
later contradicted.
Then came the announcements that
| here and there extensive tracts of tim
Der land We're purchased for their pulp
stock, but as rule no one knew who
the purchaser represented. 1t was al
so reported that the proprietorS of sew
eral of the smaller paper and pulp
mills that border the waterways OF
Maine had been approached regarding
tho sale Of their property, indicating
that q systematic canvass was being
made throughout the State 1t is now
believed that the various agents rep
resented the Great Northern Paper
Company.
The only known public purchase
made by the company was that of the
manufacturers Investment Company's
plant, at Madison
Eastern Maine pulp and paper men
are somewhat interested in the report
also coming from Boston and stating
that number of foreign capitalists
will organize a company, with cap
ital stock Of 5000 600. for the pur-
pose of controlling spruce lumber in
the timber districts Of the northern
New England states. 1t is their inten-
ton To manufacture pulp ana paper on
an extensive scale. SO that they may
| take off the spruce logs for pulp not
suitable for saw logs.
The New York Lumber Trade Jour
nal. in discussing the project, says:
Hundreds of thousands of acres can
be controlled. among which are the
water sheds Of the White mountains
that are tributaries which lead into
the Saco river"
| r. j. Lanuigan of the HolingsWorth
& Whitney Company. was in Augusta
the other day. and in talking with i
| Journal reporter said that his com
pany had not been approached with a
view of consolidation. He said that he
thought the big companies We're after
the smaller and younger companies
and that they would not try to Absorb
| the larger companies or those which
had been established for some time.
He said that his company was per
fectly satisfied with looking out for it
self. and that even should it be ap-
preached with a view to consolidation
the trust would meet with little or no
success.