The Portland daily press., 1900-02-05
THE PRICE OF PAPER.
An E.pIanasion as TO the Causes of ths
Rise.

New York, February 4.-Mr. Hugh J.
Chisholrp, the President Of . COMPANY
which 10 one Of the largest msnufsctur-
ers Of paper In the world. was asked 10
explain ths recsns rise IN the price Of
paper. He ssid;-
the same ~ II has been for 20 or 26 yearr,
during which period the pfice Of paper
has gone steadily downward up to within
six montha, when prices began TO ad-
vancs. The tariff on paper and pulp IN
der the Dingley Bill that went into effect
In 1897, was practically the same as that
under the Wilson Bill that went into
effect in 1870; therefore there has been
no change In the tartf which could have
contributed to the recent advance. Duty
on news paper valued et net above two
cents a pound. is out three tenths OF one
cent n found, or VI q ton. As two cents
q pound In the present price Of the bulk
Of newspaper ussd In this country ~ loi-
lows that the duty OF $40 OF i cent
pound, or $5 ton 10 only 10 per cent
upon the value of the paper. This 10
very much lower than the average duties
on other manufactured products, whether
iron, steel, cotton or silk. The fact 10
that the duty has always been low on
paper, and the paper makers have been
on wood pulp is fixed In the present tariff
at 1-i2 OF cent pound, or ti,67 . tou.
The duty upon the normal value OF pulp is
II. rer csnt, an extremely low rate OF duty.
In former days when the revenue tariff
was in existeloe. there was scarcely any
duty less than 2s per cent ad valorem.
The simple fact 10 that the prios OF paper
has advanced the same as almost every
other commodity In the last year, In re-
sponss TO the economic law Of supply and
demand, which has operated In the case
of articles admitted into this country
free, 90 we'll ~ In the case OF protected
articles. For example, the price Of sui
which is laIg, ply used In paper making,
has iuoreassd greatly. also OF rags and
many similar varieties Of paper stock.
which are imported, end which come In
free. The price Of paper. moreover. has
advanced In other countries quite a.
much as IL has In the United States. and
news paper IL today selling At much high
European cities than It Is In the United
States. In England the interest In the
South African war has created an un-
wonted demand for paper, which the
English mills have been quite unable to
meet, and sincs there 10 no surplus from
any othsr country TO relieve 10 there has
been almost paper feminine. There
was great drouth IN No. way and Swsd.
on last summer which seriously affected
the prod uction Of pulp, and since both
Franos and England are dependent nl-
most wholly upon Scandinavia for their
pulp supply, the production OF paper was
necessarily cuftailed at the same time
that the demand was increasing. 1t
would certainly therefore not bs strange
II the price Of paper advanced In the
United States simply on the strength OF
conditions prevailing In the European
market. But like conditions have pre-
vailed In this country. The demand has
Increased, and the unprecedented drouth
which started early in the summer has
practically continued at the present time
so that 1t 10 with rsat difficulty that the
demands for all kinds Of paper are being
met. 1t Is not news paper alone that
has gone up In price, but paper Of every
variety. In wrapping and book papers.
the advance has been even more marked
than In news paper. Could anyone expect
that the price OF paper would stand still
while all the materials which enter into
the construction and maintenance Of the
mills have increased IN value and when
the paper man ufscturer has to pay more
for all the Ingredients and for mill sup
pliss, including sulphur and GOAL. and
also for the transportation Of his productF
Even the cost of getting out his pulp
wood is affected by the industrial expan.
sion, since he has to ipay for the labor
employed In emitting the timber. The
general level Of wages In paper mills Is
higher &C this time than 10 has been for
25 years, and higher in the United
States than In any other country"