The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-29
MANh'S EFFORT
At ACCUSING
: NORRIS FAILS
Representative of Publishers
in Paper Hearing Refuses
to Be Led Into Trap.
ATTEMPT TO INJECT
POLITICS Is RIDICULED
BUSINESS TALK ABOUT CANA
DIAN FORESTS STRAIGHT
FROM SHOULDER.

Washington. April 2S.-Before the select
committee OF the house. which is inves-
tigating the subject of the tariff on wood
pulp as affecting the price of news print
paper and also whether there is COM
hination of paper makers In restraint of
trade. John Norris, representing the pa
per committee OF the American News
paper Publishers association. today sub
mitted further evidence in support of the
associations charge that such a conlbi-
AVIATION exists and that the price of pa
Yer has been arbitrarily raised. He re-
futed the contention Of the manufactur-
ers that this increase In price has been
partly due to higher freight rates, and
submitted communication from the in
terstate commerce commission showing
the freight rates from the principal mills
to the larger consuming centers. from
which il appeared that, with one or two
exceptions, there had been no increase
for several years, and in two instances
the statement showed a reduction in
ates.
Members of the committee asked Mr..
Norris many questions about the clos
ing of Canadian mills Mr.. Mann re-
marked that it seemed rather strange
that with the great advance in the price
OF paper and the opportunity of the Cana
dian mills to furnish paper at the higher
compelled to close at this time
because they could not be ope-
rated profitably. He thought the pub
fishers association should seize the op-
portunity 10 acquire the mills.
Forests in Canada.
To that suggestion Mr. Norris replied
that his association received on an aver
age three propositions a week. containing
opportunities for location of news print
papers mills in Canada with lnlitless>t tim
Der tracts and numerous power sites. He
said that one consular report showed that
in the province of Quebec there were
745.000,0 600 cords of wood pulp timber,
enough to keep the United States in
spruce wood for all of its paper manu-
facture for over 200 years if there were
not particle Of reproduction in any other
Canadian forests
You don't share in the views of Mr..
Pfnchot the chief forester, said Mr..
Mann that the enormous CONSUMPTION
of print paper and wood pulp is going
to deplete all the forests in North Amer
-,Sea within the next seven or ten years.
Mr.. Norris replied that the chairman
was anticipating a branch of the sub
ject 10 which he would give special at
tention. land on which We will excite
our lively interest as affecting the price
wood of the speculation in wood lands.
Hearst Not in Sympathy.
DO you know at what rate Mr. Hearst
gets his paper?" Chairman Mann in
quired.
Mr.. Norris said he knew only from
street gossip. Asked by Mr. Stafford
If there had been any talk about Mr..
Hearsts contract, Mr.. Norris said there
had been considerable. He mentioned
prices of S.92, 1874 and Sl.96, and said
he understood that some comparatively
recent settlement had been made. but
whether it was an entirely new deal. or
the result of an old contract providing
for a read1ustment at a given time. ne
could not say. He was not, he said, in
formed as to the length of the contract
period. Mr.. Norris volunteered the state
nent that the New York Journal was
not in sympathy with the present in
qUiry.
AT this point the bells rang. indicating
that there was no quorum in the house.
That means" Mr.. Mann remarked,
that your self-appOinted prophet in the
house and spiritual ally (WilliamS) has
demanded that we stop here" He added,
with some degree of sarcasm. land Is
N9ing it so as 10 help you to hasten this
Several times since the hearing began
Mr.. Mann has made a similar remark.
but Mr.. Norris did not respond until to-
day IF our professed friends in the ma
FORTY" he said, were to do what they
avoW themselves extremely anxious TO
do, this proposition would nave been
passed four weeks ago and there would
not have been any roll calls on that &C
count"
Has Given No Abuse.
Il don't see how you can say you have
any professed friends in the majority.
Mr. Mann retOrted, considering the abuse
YOU have given the majority
Mr.. Norris protested that he had given
no abuse, unless" he said, you talk
TO me as the representative of num-
ber."
At the afternoon session Mr.. Mann read
n communication from Melville +. Stone,
secretary and general manager of the
Associated Press. dated April y, 1908,
transmitting an address adopted at the
annual meeting of the Associated Press,
asking the president and congress to
grant immediate relief from the eXactiOnS
Of combinations OF papermakers- An
other communication by Mr.. Stone was
read in which he stated that he trans
mittea the address in a purely ministerial
capacity without assuming to know any
of the facts. He did not own a paper,
he said, and therefore had no personal
information that would be of special value
to the committee.
The vast forest resources of the Pacific
coast. available for pulp, were referred
10 by Mr.. Norris. but he said that be-
cause of an insufficient water power ad-
vantage could not be taken of the OPP
,Sortunity to use that timber.
YMr Mann called attention to the propo-
isitton in congress for water rights on
the Snake river. which, he said. the pres
ident had announced mis- intention to
veto. why don't you go up to the pres
Continued on Page 2.