The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-19
WAR is DECLARED
ON PAPER COMBINE
Newspaper Publishers WIN
Raise 100000 Fund for
SeIf.Protection.

NEW YORks EeD. lS.-At a meeting
of the American Newspaper Publish
ers' association, held here today, the
famine in white paper was discussed
and the following resolution was unan-
imously adopted:
THAT the American Newspaper
Publishers association request the
president Of the United States and the
attorney general to institute a suit
against any of the three paper combi-
nations to test the legality of their ex-
istence and whether they do not stif1e
competition"
A committee was then appointed to
carry out the suggestion that an agi-
tation be inaugurated to reduce the
duties on pulp and paper.
During the discussion preceding the
adoption Of the resolution Don Seitz
and John Norris, business managers
OF the New York World and Times, re-
spectively, addressing the association,
advocated the adoption of the resolu-
ton and attacked the methods of the
international Paper company. On be-
half of the World. Mr.. Seitz offered
$4,000 toward a fund to carry on
national agitation for the removal Of
the duty on wood pulp for paper
making, claiming that this step was
necessary for the welfare OF the news
paper industry in this country.
Mr.. Seitz said that the paper situa-
ton in the United States is steadily
growing worse, the drought of the last
three or four months emphasizing the
pred1cament OF the newspaper indus
try through the operations of the In
ternational Paper company.
Output Is Restricted.
FT6a oOY I,o
every factor of the papermaking in
dustry, had, instead Of increasing its
facilities and accommodating a reserve
stock for emergencies, deliberately set
out to restrict the output of printing
paper in order to secure complete
domination of the market During the
five years of it's existence, he said, 1t
had not put in a single new machine,
had reduced its output of news paper
at least 800 tons-per day and had per-
fectad arrangements with independent
mills to maintain prices. Overcapi-'
talized, to begin with, he said. it was
fmpoverishing itself in purchasing
wood lands at high prices to shut out
competition and to enrich insiders, the
whole to the ultimate burden of the
newspapers, which could not well in
crease the price of their papers or adj
vertising.
1--WE should establish bureau to
give this matter its unceasing atten-f
tion,' he said. 1--WE should assaiT con-,
gress in the interests of free pulp and
free paper. Fully so per cent of the
pulp wood is now drawn from Canada,
and the paper business has passed. be-
yond the protective period. Let us
raise a fund large enough to be eff
fective In maintaining our interests,
on. which we can keep the country
newspapers busy on their congress-
men. With the tariff out Of the way,
capital could safely invest in Canada
and give us our paper at living prices"
Famine Threatens Newspapers.
Mr.. Norris, of the Times, declared
that newspapers are today threatened
with a paper famine many Of the pa
pers being on "hand-t mouth ba-
sis, and that the manufacturers had
deliberately shut down on production.
Is 1t not time,' he asked, chat the
customers of these paper manufac-.
turers took effective steps to protect
themselves against men who show
shortsightedness lack of enlightened
self-interest and incapacity for the re-
sponsibilities they have voluntarily as
Sumed?"
Mentioning the various combines in
the paper industry, he declared that
these methods suggested the remedy
and he urged the formation Of pool
OF newspaper publishers to offer in
ducements to capitalists to establish
independent mills outside the trust and
insure reasonable prices for paper. :
AT the afternoon, session the COM
mittee to which the subject had been
referred reported In favor Of the ac-
emulation of fund of 100000 to
promote an agitation "for release from
the oppression Of the paper combina-
tion," and this report was unanimously
adopted by the association.
The annual meeting was concluded
today These officers were elected:
President, G. H. Taylor Jr., Boston
Globe; vice president, s. r.. Rogers,
Chicago News; secretary, w. C. Bry-
ant, Brooklyn Times; treasurer. Ed
ward P. Mccall, New York Mail and
Express; directors, C. M. Knapp, st.
Louis Republic; Joseph T. Nevfn,
Pittsburg Leader, and HI. N. Brown,
Indianapolis News; inspectors, c. F.
Cotton, Ohio Express. and BENJAMIN
Anthony, New Bedford Standard.
Inc association gave its annual dinner
tonight at the Waldorf Astoria Cen
Charles II. Taylor ia presided, and about
900 persons were present Mayor Nc
Clellan, Gen. Taylor and Sir Chen Tung
LANG Cheng spoke.
The Chinese minister said the Panama
in the East was policy 'samply Justified
by enlightened self-interest."
INSURANCE LOSSES MAY