The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-25
WHY WHITE PAPER is HIGH.
RAW MATERIAL AND NOT THE
OCTOPUS RESPONSIBLE.
President Chisholm OF the Internationa
Paper Company Tells About tho In
d~ustry-Canada Making Efforts to Force
American Manufacturer to Move There.

President Chisholm OF the lnternatiOna
Paper Company Tolls About tho In
dustry-Canada Making Efforts to Force
American Manufacturer to Nov" There.
The price OF white paper has advanced from %
20 so per cent during the pas, year For that
reason the paper industry generally is getting more
abr, r. from end 10 end Of the country al the present
moment than any other two Industries The
paperindustry IL pictured as an octopus approached
by no other in size and fattening on the bodies
Of the users Of whit" paper. Congress has been
appealed 10 to smash the octopus, and the most
aggressive sort Of a fight Is being made The
newspape rs Of the country being the Chief con
sutners " white paper and the advance in price
coming directly from their pockets for the reason
that any advance in the selling price Of newspapers
is generally impracticahle, the industry has had
a mighty hard time indeed,
The International Paper Company il called the
head Of the octopus for the reason that II Is the
biggest single corporation in the business OF manu-
featuring white paper, and 1t owns and operates
a numbny Of mills that used to be run independ-
entity. The popular idea, belief in which IL en-
Outraged by the newspap ers. il that the Inter
national Company controls the output OF white
paper, aud IN tina, way has practically a monopoly
Of the business As a matter Of fact, there are q
thousand paper and pulp mills in the United
States IN more OF less active operation. and the
International Company has anything but a mo-
nopoly Of the business, But, as in every other
business, combination Of interests has effected
great savings in the cost ~ manufacturing For
this reason none Of the competing companies can
undersell thu big company. Beca use the com
peting companies do not undersell them the argu-
ment of the consumers who are paying the in
creased price for their paper il that there is a COM
bination of all the industry into the octopus
Their argument further is that II the tariff on
paper and on wood pulp Of which II ia made,
is I taken oil parerfrom Canada will come here, and
the octopus will have to go back to the old price
or shut ny shop
A few days ago the Montreal Herald printed
a story about the form alton Of the Canadian
Paper Manufacturers Association, which. after
a two days meeting at the Windsor Hotel in Mon
trral, came 60 a unanimous decision TO increase
the price Of oil kinds Of paper from IS TO 30 per
cent. over the pr .sent rate and TO sell no paper
under the agreed rate The Hsrald said The
manufacturers urge that the increase in price Of
raw material il solely responsible for the action
They claim tina, every article used in the manu-
facture Of paper has advanced as much as, and in
some cases more than 100 per cent. For instance,
raw pulp was sli a ton 1t Is now s2L. Chemical
pulp has gone up from s32 TO Sl5 a ton. Rope,
winch = used in the manufacture Of -four sack
paper, has nearly doubled IN price, Rags have
considerably increased III prce, and iute has gone
from ;. of a cent 10 L., cents, These facts,
say the manufacturers make II absolutely neces
sary that the prices Of paper should be increased,
and they 60 as far as TO say that some goods have
been recently sold at cost, and even below
With this item THE SUN reporter went 10 see
Mr. Hugh j chisholm, the President Of the Inter
national Paper Company, and asked him for a
statement Of facts regarding the paper industry
at the preSen, time. Mr. Chisholm said The
price Of paper has advanced in common with al
mos, every other commodity during the past year,
in response to the economic law of supply and de-
msnd, which has operated in the case Of articles
admitted into this country free, as well a. in the
case Of protected articles, and many varieties Of
imported paper stock on the free list, have in,
creased in price from % to 80 per cent
The price of paper has advanced in other coun-
tries quite a. much a. II has IN the United States.
and in some countries more, and newspaper and
other grades are selling at higher prices in Lon.
don and Paris and other European cities than in
the United States. In Great Britain all grades
nave dlNHUffV Nv e ii NV NN'f'h hiii
can war has created an unwon,ed demand fol-
paper, which the English mills have been quits
unable to meet, and there IL no surplus in any
other country available TO relieve the situation.
In view Of the situation IN other countries, 1t would
certainly not be strange II the price OF paper ad-
yanced in the United States simply on account
Of the conditions prevailing IN The European mar
ke,s. which afford grea, opportunities for Ameri-
D.. A.. r,ta . 4. a haa ~ hn.n
able to avail Itself Of those opportunities, for like
conditions have prevailed in this country. The
demand has increased while the unprecedented
drought, which started early in the summer and
has continued 10 the present time, has given rise
TO grra, difficulty IN meeting the demand for all
kinds of paper
why should the paper industry be singled out
for attack" wen, on Mi Chisholm. Why not
steel, IRON, copper ur lumber, or any 81 a dozen
other commodities No such prOtIt Is b-lng made
IN paper as there Is IN tle ron and stt! industry
as shown by the statements OF the earnings of
the great corporations IN these Industries Would
II n- reasonable 10 eXcep, paper from the general
advance Que to the eS panaiJn oi business through
out, not only this country, buy IN Tie principal
countries ot The world Should II tn expected
that tine pTce of IalrT would stand sun While
ali materials winch enter INTO ats manufacture
have advanced IN value: -
~ hat are ,he materials that have advanced
The most important ones, sod Mr. Chisholm,
arr wood, N,un ChcIlcaIs ana coal But there
has been an advance IN the cost Of almost every
item that ent r. into paper, lntIlulng the cost OF
labor The general level OF wages IN paper mills
Is Higher al TINS time than II has been Tor twenty
five years. and higher than IN any Other country
lbp wood from which the pulp II made Is higher
beCa Use tine wages of the men who work in the
wood getting the stud out ore higher
!Sp-akIng generally OF the paper industry in
the | nl,ri states, Mr. Chisholm then SAID The
tinted States IL IN almost all respects the greatest
uap-r making country IN the wolid IN the amount
of CapIiai invested. value Of output. product con.
sumed, natural facilities and the superiority Of
many OF its methods and products, Almost
every variety OF paper and pup Is made IN the
United States The total value OF paper made
IN tins country every year Is approximately 500,
OOO, 900, which - more than 20 Per cent oi the
tutA output II the whole world. In the process OF
bmldinc mp tho industry millions Of dollars have
been sunk IN pioneer establishments The IN
dustry has been Of enormous t~neflt 10 the coun
try, too Employing hundreds Of thousands OF
men itself. II has contributed, and IL contributing.
To- the support of many allied industries which
employ still greater numbers of labor-ts II has
enhanced the value OF water power everywhere.
and II has added 10 the value Of timber lands by
giving a permanent demand for wood, and To .
large extent using what would Ia wasted. and
makes a market for hund reds OF thousands Of
tons ot ulat'rlals, such ~ rags, Old papers and
the like, whI"u would Otherwise De NaSteu, II
gives support to the iron workers, and IN TACT, all
me great industries Of the country. To a large
extent in the past tcw years It has been responsible
for the development NJ the press of the country.
Cheap paper has made possible the publication
oi The great ia peTs that are printed to-day and are
Sold for nest 10 nothing
Tins IL what II has done for the country said
the reporter Now, how about the damage thas
done. ne men who are .denouncing the paper
manufacturers today say that II has In many
places ruined the forests and II IL a menace IN
tina kntsTshatls