The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1907-11-08
ABOLITION
OF 7 ARIFI: |
ON PAPER WILL PROBABLY BE
RoosEvELT's REcomMENDA-
TioN TO CONGRESS.
PUBLISHERS | II: R KICK.

Committee confers With Presiden
| and Makes Charges Of conspirac,
! J. and Efforts. to Cause Famine-Al
iege That Trust Is Selling Article
| Abroad for Less Than at Home.
Washington, Nov. q President
Roosevelt today indicated to members
of the committee on paper of the Am
erican Newspaper Publishers associa
tion that he will recommend to con
gress the abolition OF the tariff on
press paper; also that he will make a
recommendation 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 presidents promise was ob.
tanned after he had listened to the
committee and to petitions from the
national organizations of printers,
stereotypers and pressmen and etcn.
ers, setting forth the evidence Of a
combination of paper manufacturers
for the purpose Of controlling the out
put and increasing the price and
otherwise making alinders me regul-
ations governing the supply and de-
livery Of paper.
The call upon the president was
made in pursuance Of resolutions by
the American Newspaper Publishers
Association, instructing the com
mittee:
.sFirst, that the authority Of the ex-
listing statutes for repression of trade
combinations may be invoked.
Second, that the defiance OF recent
Judicial action prohibiting participa-
tion in such combinations by certain
western mills may be punished
Third, that the president may be
put into possession of information
which shall equip him to advise con.
gress of abuses of tariff favors by pa
per makers" ur...-
The resolutions also declared that
the duty on printing paper should be
Immediately repealed.
Personal of Committee.
The committee, which called on the
president by appointment today, in
cluded John Norris, of the New York
Times; Madfll Mccormick, of the
Chicago Tribune; George Thompson,
of the st. Paul Dispatch; D. Smith,
Of the Indianapolis News; Walter
Page, of Worlds Work; DR.. Albert
Shaw, of the Review of Reviews; e..
J. Ridgeway and presidents of the
national organizations of allied print-
ing trades. The history and facts
were presented by Mr.. Mccormick.
An investigation of the so-called pa
per trust has been in progress for
some time by the department of JUS
tice and the president will call for the
facts ascertained to the present time
The appreciation of the association
was expressed to the president at the
action taken by the federal govern
1o< 3.o .;,,cr Il se
solution Of the General Paper c,rlpany
His attention was then called to what
was termed a conspiracy, by which it
was alleged that the manufacturers Of
news print papers have arranged for
an advance of $12 per ton upon the
supply of that article for the current
year and for an additional advance
next year averaging $40 per ton.
This, it was explained, means bur-
den imposed on the printing industry
of the country The excuse for these
advances on the part of the paper
makers is that the cost of wood and
labor has increased This excuse was
met in the argument TO the president
by the statement that the published
report of the largest manufacturer of
newspaper print paper gives increased
cost of material and manufacture, in
Guiding the expense of administration
and sales, as about sixty four cents
per ton.
Started Twelve Years Ago.
The president was told that the
present plan OF increasing of the
price of paper had its inception IL
years ago in proposition to unite
the paper mills into one pool or cor
poration. The first step in the pro
gram was, It was stated, accomplish
ed when the promoters induced con-
gress to fix a tariff duty OF S6 a ton
for news print paper. It is this tariff,
1t Is said, that the president has pro-
missed to urge congress to repeal. The
next step, which has encountered
many delays, the president was told,
has just been consummated by the
combination to exhaust the surplus
stock OF paper, to cause paper fam
inc and to raise prices.