Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-11-08
Now to Receive Attention
Of the President.
Newspaper Association Com
mite Give Him the Facts.
will Recommend Tariff Removal
and an Investigation.

Washington, Nov. 7.--Prcsident Roos-
| evelt today indicated to members of
| the committee on paper. of the Amer
| lean Newspaper Publishers Associa-
| tion. that he Will recommend to
| Congress the abolition of the tariff Oh
| press paper wood pulp and the wood
| that goes into the manufacture OF
paper; also that he will make a rec
concentration to the department of
| justice that it take immediate steps
to ascertain whether the antitrust
| laws are being disobeyed by the manu-
| facturers Of paper.
The promise Of the recommendations
by the President was obtained after
| he had listened to the representations
petition from the national organizations
of printers, stcreotypers, pressmcn and
/ et"hers. all of which set forth the evil
dence of q combination on the part of
the manufacturers; of paper for the pur-
pose of controlling the output, regulat-
| ing an! greatly increasing the price
and otherwise making hindersome reg
ulatiors governing the source of sup
ply and delivery of paper.
The call upon the President was made
| the American Newspaper Publishers
Association at q special meeting held
| il New York Sept. 10 last.
These resolutions after declaring that
information indicated that unlawful
combinations of paper makers had
been organized recently set forth that
| it is the sense Of this meeting that
the duty OH printing paper. wood pulp
and ali material entering the MANI
facture Of printing paper should be
Immediately .repealed.H
The committee which called On the
President by appointment today includ-
| ed John Morris of the New York Times:
Medill Mccormick, of the Chicago Trib-
| unc; George Thompson Of the st. Paul
Dispatch: Delevan Smith of the indian
anolis News: John Eastman of the Chi
cage Journal: Walter Page Of Worlds
Work; Dr. Albert Shaw of the Review
of Reviews; f. J. Rideway and the
presidents of the National Organiza-
ton Of the Allied Printing Trades.
The facts which make up the pro-
! test We're presented by Mr.. Mccormick.
after which the President indicated the
action he would take.
An investigation of the so-called
Paper Trust has been in progress for
some time by the department Of justice
| and it is understood the President viii
Immediately call for the facts which
have been ascertained up to the pres
ent tine.
The appreciation Of the association
Was expressed to the President at the
/ action taken by the federal govern
| ment last year in ordering the disso-
| luton of the General Paper Co. His
attention was then called to what was
termed a Conspiracy by which it
was alleged the makers of news print
paper have arranged for an advance of
$l2 per ton upon the supply of that ar
ticle for the current year, and for an
additional advance next year averag-
ing $40 per ton This, it was explained,
means burden imposed on the print
zig industry of the country of 81, 000.444
for the present and $19.O00,000 for the
coming year
The excuse for the advances on the
part of the paper makers is that the
cost of wood and labor have increased.
This excuse was met in the argument
to the President by the statement that
the published report of the largest
manufacturers of news print paper
gives the Increased cost of material
ana manufacture. including expense
OF administration and sales, as about
GA cents per ton.
The President was told that the pres
plan Of increasing the price of paper
mad its conception II years ago in n
proposition to unite the paper mills in
to one pool or corporation The first
step in the program, it was stated was