Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-08-18
LARGE PAPER
MILLS HERE,
[continued from page ~

base OF supply for the spruce wood of
the Wisconsin mills. The importance
OF this industry to labor can not be
under stated. Thousands of men find
in the work of cutting
spruce and in bringing it TO transpor
tation. The supply Of hemlock for
Sulphite is, Of course, inexhauStible,
and as spruce grows scarcer, this
material will come more into use.
1t appears TO be the common as
sumption that every man engaged in
the paper making business has grown
enormously rich during the last four
or five years, and while the prosperous
conditions existing may serve as a
basis for the assumption, the paper
mill men claim that they are making
no more money than men engaged in
other lines of manufacturing. When
consideration is given to the fact that
it requires the investment of enOr-
nous capital to establish a paper mill,
that the life of mill is only from
twelve to fourteen years, and that the
cost of raw material is constantly
increasing, the paper mill men are
obliged to make a fair profit on their
investment. In talking to a man we'll
Informed about the paper making
business part owner in one of the
dividend paying Wisconsin properties
The Sentinel correspondent was told
that at the time an effort was made
to syndicate all the paper mill proper
ties of Wisconsin surprising disclosures
were secured to show the condition of
the industry in this state.
This paper mill man made the
statement that there were any num-
Der of mills in this state that for
years had not paid cent of dividends
and that the general assumption on
the part of the business public that
there were millions in the manu-
featuring of paper was all mistake.
He claimed that while Wisconsin had
a number of mills that were dividend
payers, there were many other specific
lines of manufacturing which showed
much larger return on the amount
OF money invested.
Cost Of Machinery and Material High,
The cost of paper making machine
one of the minor incidents in the
building of a mill, is $50, 900, and other
machinery necessary is relatively as
expensive. Pulp wood has doubled in
price during the last four years, and
the claim is made that only the most
favorable consideration the paper in
dustry receives at the hands of the
railways which transport their wood
and other material to the mills enable
men to protitably engage in the bust
ness. In nearly every case in this
state where mills have been built
within the last three or four years the
properties have been so arranged
and constructed that they may be
adopted to other manufacturing uses
should conditions demand it.
From the viewpoint of the amount
of labor employed, paper mill is ad-
vantageous to a town as other
industries giving employment to more
labor. If the amount of power
generated here was applied to general
manufacturing purposes it no doubt
would furnish employment to thous-
andS, while the paper mills employ
hundreds. Paper mill men confess
the fact that in almost every Instance
where the industry has become eStab-
lished where water power can be
secured all efforts are directed to con-
troll every possible bit of power that
can be commanded. !
Much Stock Is Held by Local Men.
Much of the stock of the different
propositions is held by local capita
lists, although former Senator Villas
is one of the principal owners in the
mills at NekoOSa, as are also some of
the Appleton paper mill men. T. e.
Nash, Frank Garrison, E. T, Harmon,
the Witter estate, and number of
other local interests are at the head
of the different propositions The
identity of George A. Whiting, of
Neenah with matters concerning
paper making has long been estab-
llshed. Its mills at Stevens Point,
PlOver, and at MenaSha have been
producers for many years and are
counted among the best properties of
the state. ID the building of the new
mill here, specific and detail attention
is being given to every matter which
can add to its adaptibility. 1t is
built upon solid rock and cement
with walls of solid brick
and is in all ways most substantial.
Wausau Men Are Behind the Project.
In reference to the project of eStab-
fishing new mill at MoSinee, the
report is that prominent Wausau
are back of this movement,
and that in all probability building