Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1907-01-01
WOOD FOR PAPER COSTS $26, ,COo,ooo
The Publisher Pays Much More for His
Stock Than He Did Last Year.

oOAAN
ing dearer. In the middle West
many local papers are raising
their subscription price so pei
cent in order to pay for the paper.
From the time when Gutenberg
first used movable type, made of
wood, to the present day of met
repolitan papers, some of which
consume the product of acres of
spruce in a single edition, print
ing has in very large degree de-
pended upon the forest.
In the face of q threatened
shortage Of timber. the amount of
wood consumed each year for pulp
has increased since 1899 from 2
millions to 81 million cords. The
year 1906 marked an increase of
$4,000 cords in the imports of
pulp wood, the highest average
value per cord for all kinds, and
a consumption greater by 469, ,053
cords than that of any previous
year.
Spruce, the wood from which
in 1899 three-fourths of the pulp
was manufactured, is still the
leading wood, but it now produces
u little less than 70 per cent of
the total. How we'll spruce is
suited to the manufacture of pulp
is shown by the fact that during
8 period in which the total guam
tity of wood used has doubled and
many new woods have been intro
duoad, the proportion of spruce
pulpwood has remained nearly
constant in spite of the drains
upon the spruce forests for other
purposes. During this time three
different woods, from widely sep
arated regions, have in turn held
the rank of leader in the lumber
aupply.
Since 1899 poplar, which for
years was used III connection wltn
spruce to the exclusion of all 9TH
er paper woods, has increased in
total quantity less than 100000
cords, and is now outranked by
hemlock. Pine, balsam and cot
5onwood are used in much sma ler
amounts.
New York alone consumes each
year over q million and a quarter
cords of wood in the manufacture
of pulp, or more than twice as
much as Maine, which ranks next.
Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Penn
sylvania and Michigan follow in
the order given. Sixty per cent of
the wood used in New York was
from elsewhere, and
even SO the supply seems to be
waning, since the total consump-
tion for the State shows small
decrease since 1905, whereas the
other States named have all in
creased their consumption. 9th
er States important in the pro-
duction of pulp are: Massachu-
sets, Minnesota. Ohio, Oregon,
Vermont, Virginia and West Vir-
ginia.
The average cost OF pulp deliv-
cred at the mill was S7.21. The
total value of the wood consumed
in 1906 was $26, 100000, The
chief item determining the price
of paper is the cost of pulp. An
example of the increased price of
paper is found in the case of a
publisher of a daily in the Middle
West, who recently paid 200
for carload of paper. The same
quantity and-grade of paper cost
a year ago but $500.
The chemical process paper
making, which better preserve the
wood fiber, are gaining the me-
chanlcal process. In 1899, IS per
cent of the wood was reduced by
The mechanical process; in 1905,
less than so per cent.
All importations of wood for
pulp are from Canada, and COM
prised. in 1905, 10000 cords,
nearly all Of which was spruce.
Four and q half million dollars
worth Of pulp was imported in
1906. a slight falling off from
1905.
Circular 12O of the Forest Ser.
vice contains discussion of the
consumption of pulpwood in 1906
based on statistics gathered by the
Bureau of the Census and the