Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1900-03-01
A NEWSPAPER FAMINE
SCARCITY OF PRINT PAPER
MAY BRING 1T ON.
Great Shortage of the Material from
Which 1t Is Msde-Canadian Supply
or Wood Pulp Shut on Entirely for
the Present


causes have conspired to lessen the
product of the mills. while the demand
for print paper and the ether ordinary
grades is unprecedented.
The conditions led to a secret meet
ing OF the leading paper manufacturers
OF the United States yesterday at the
Great Northern hotel, to consider what
could be done to avert tho famine
threatened by the shortage in wood
pulp, which, If 1t is not relieved. will
cause the vast paper mills of the coun-
Try TO shut down and cripple seriously
every Industry which depends upon the
product of the mills. Nearly all OF
the leading paper manufacturers OF the
country were present, and the principal
topic OF interest was a new fiber for
the manufacture of paper, to take the
place OF the wood fibre now in
such universal use. What the new
hDer is, the paper manufacturers would
not say They averred that at present
the process by which 1t is manufactur-
cred Is In a crude stage but they dis
cussed it as the only visible solution
or present difficulties.
Great Lack OF Material
Not for twenty years has such
serious condition confronted the manu-
facturers of paper. and there is great
danger that we may be forced to close
our mills for lack of material" said A.
ID. Schaeffer of the Hartford City Pa
per company, who presided over the
meeting. Various causes are respon-
sihle for this condition. The principal
one is that wood pulp, from which the
lower grades of paper is manufactured
is so hard to get that there is a con-
slant scramble for material. Recent
inquiry OF the pulp mills at Sault Ste.
Marie, the largest pulp mills in the
world, develops the fact that there ia
not poEnd for sale there, and other
mills are as hard pressed The rapid
cutting of the forests of the Eastern
and middle Western states, and the
stopping of the supply from Canada
Is largely responsible for the threaten
ed famine. Added to the scarcity OF
timber is the recent mild weather.
which has made 1t impossible to bring
the pulp wood which has been cut to
market. A large part of the seasons
cut of the forests of Wisconsin and
Michigan, upon which the middle
Western states depend for pulp wood
is now lying on the bare ground and
cannot be moved until snow comes.
Another great danger comes In the
possibility of heavy fall of snow fol-
lowing this long dry season. A fall of
eighteen inches of snow would cover
up the pulp wood already cut so that
1t would be next to impossible to dig
1t out and float it down the river to the
mills
Labor Also Scarce.
"A great scarcity of labor in the pin
cries has also made the movement OF
pulp wood to the mills slow. Com
panies cutting pulp wood have spent
thousands Of dollars importing men
into the pineries to cut pulp wood
only to lose them when they got there
Boys of eighteen and nineteen are be-
ing largely employed in the work.
Canada has been the source of sup
ply for many of the Eastern mills
but that source of supply has been cut
off as the cutting of timber on crown
lands has been prohibited and the
province of Quebec makes the importer
pay s1.90 per cord duty, which makes
the material too expensive. The only
solution we can see Is to adopt new
fiber as substitute for wood fiber
That Is the subject of discussion. WI
have one in view, but | do not care tc
talk of that now.
"Ano -her difficulty which confrontE
Eastern manufacturers is lack O
water upon which they depend fol
power. That, too, is the result of tht
cutting away of the forests. The mill'
of the middle West are not embarrass
ed in this respect to the same exten
as the Eastern mills
I'VE have not come together to form
any combination or to raise prices
The demand naturally governs prices
| The sole object is to avert a famine |
i possible, for a famine would hurt tn
producer as much as the consumer"
]. G. Brockelbank, vice president an,
j Western manager of the Manufactur
ers' Paper company Of New York, witt
Offices in the Rookery building, con
firmed the statements made by William
Schaeffer concerning the trade.
Condition is Serious
III present conditions in the pinerie
continue, there will be a serious cher.
age of pulp wood in the West unit
next fall" he said. 1T has been sim
ply impossible to get the spruce, fro1
which wood pulp Is made, to market
It grows in the sWamps of the pineries
and the winter has been SO open tina
1t has been impossible to haul it to tn
rivers, down which 1t is fioated to tn
mills. as wagons would sink to tn
hubs in maud and water. Only eontin
ued cold weather can relieve the condi
ton"
The stock of paper now on hand /
extremely short. The export trade
which was large, has been abandone
entirely, and the jobbers have yer
little free paper on hand The miil
have no free paper and will see tha
they are in condition to meet contract
already made before they sell to an
one else. There is serious danger tina
the mills may have to shut down en-