Evening star., 1900-05-09
MATTERS IN COMMITTEE
PROPOSED INQUIRY INTO THE
PRINTING PAPER TRUST.
Effort to Repeal War Revenue Tax on
Beer Measure to Protect Free
Labor From Prison Competition.

Ihe petition of newspaper publishers rela-
tive to the price of printing paper was today
presented to the ways and means commit
tee, and Mr.. Newlands of Nevada proposed
an inquiry as follows: Whereas COM
plant is made that the price of paper in
the United States has within a recent peri
cd been nearly doubled;
Whereas the Association of American
Newspapers has appealed to the Congress
of the United States for relief, claiming
that the increase in price has been occa-
stoned by a combination of the various
paper mills and pulp factories of the coun-
try:
Resolved. That the committee on ways
and means fix the last Wednesday of May,
1900. for the hearing of such complaints.
And meanwhile the secretary of the COM
mittee is directed to give notice to such
association of American newspapers and
to the various paper companies and pulp
companies of such hearing. and that the
secretary of the committee be directed to
call on such paper companies and pulp
companies to file with the committee writ
ten statements showing the amount of
capital stock and bonds issued by such
companies, the total amount paid during
the calendar year ending December 81, 1879,
by such companies for interest on bonds,
dividends on stock. taxes and wages to en-
ployes the rates paid for wages to be
CLASSIFIED according to the amount paid,
and also statements showing the total re
ceipts for paper sold, and the expenses of
operating during the year
After some discussion the matter was
referred to the subcommittee on customs.
consisting of Messrs. Payne. Dalzen. Hop
kins. GroSveuor, Russell, Richardson and
Robertson.
War Tax Beer.
At today's meeting of the committee Mr..
JpCI of tn bring II
the question of repeating the war revenue
tax on beer. but as no bill for this specific
purpose had been introduced action was
deferred.
The general question of amending the war
revenue act did not come up but members
of the committee expressed the individual
view after the meeting that action on a
matter of this extent was not likely to be
entered upon at this late day in the session
Materials Used in Sugar Making.
The committee voted adversely on the
joint resolution of Representative Richard
son of Tennessee to admit sugar, molasses
and materials entering into the manufac-
ture of sugars duty free from Cuba and
Porto Rico.
The report was on party lines. the minor
ity voting with Mr.. Richardson in support
of the resolution, which will he reported
with a recommendation that it lie on the
table.
To Protect Free Labor.
The House committee on labor has re-
ported favorably a substitute for the bill
introduced by Mr.. Cochrane of New York
TO protect free labor from prison competi-
ton. The bill as reported is a simple prop
osition to permit the states to settle the
problem of convict labor competition for
themselves. 1t provides that convict-made
goods shall upon arrival in a state or ter
ritory, be subject to the laws of such state
or territory to the same extent as though
they had been manufactured in 1t.