The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-06-18
The PAPER TRUST EXPOSE.


When John Norris. business man
ager Of the New York Times, ap.
peared before the investigating com
lmittee appointed by the house Of rep
resentatives. and made the startling
statement that the American paper
manufacturers were selling print pa
per cheaper TO the London Times
ana Paris Figaro than to the New
York Times, Chicago Tribane, and
proved his statement the republican
press advertised that Speaker Cannon
WAS going to smash the paper trust
/ and would have an end TO these out
irages in very short period of time.
J Judging from the darkness and
silence down the lane whence sped
Mr. Cannon In pursuit Of the wicked
paper trust, he must have stopped
to have his running Shoes half-soled.
{ Or, perhaps, the wicked trust scouts
took to the brush where the illinois
statesman could not follow without
lendangering the alfalfa whiskers on
I the end of his chin.
or, God forbid perhaps Uncle
Joseph was doing what some states
men at times call 'fourflushing
/ that being explained 10 US as a qsan.
ltity not very effective unless rein.
forced by material from what some
call the pack"
Mr. Norris showed that the manu-
4 4facturers Of paper ascertained at one
time that they were just 47000 tons
ahead of the market, and the order
was Immediately sent TO close down
every mill in America for one week;
later they imported into this country
I from Nova Scotia seventy shiploads
4 OF pulp for paper paying duty OF
$1.G7 per ton Of producing power for
lpaper on that pulp and that they I'm
lmediately raised the price of paper
thus made $3.50 per ton.
After this raise had been made
permanent, the American product was
again utilized the next raise caused
by a drought they had been told
was going to shorten their water pow
er very materially.
Mr.. Norris showed to the sajsfac
tion OF that committee that The trust
when first organized took In forty six
plants TOR manufacture of paper that
had not been running and could not
be run al a profit, because they We're
TOO far from the supply and had not
the facilities OF competition; yet they
were paid Two dollars for every dollar
invested and the stock issued for
them is reaping a harvest of twenty
per centum annual diGidends on the
dollar-really forty per cent on the
first cost of what were defunot plants
before the trust came into being.
Mr.. Norris proved to the satisfac.
tion OF that committee that the New
York World New York American-I1A,
amner Examiner and American in
Chicago, ST. Louis post-D Dispatch
lGlobe-Democrat, Los Angeles Calfor
lnia, Times, and llearsts oiher news.
papers We're not yiciims OF The trusts
because when they signed with the
-ttrust the agreement was made th'i
they We're to publish nothing inimical
10 said trust in consideration Of the
price being cpt not less than twenty
five per cent
The trust allows 2,O55 tons of news
print paper to be manufactured each
day and distributes THIS as II deems
best TO keep the publishers frentic
about their papers being ISSUED and
ihcre is not the slightest tendency IN
increase this amount, although tnere
is none so foolish as TO pretend that
IS sufficient
The little independent mills furnish
i50 toGs por day OF paper and eight
Iprinimg plants have their own mills
aud are therefore independent OF the
trust but these plants an represent
an outlay in no instance Of less han
s6S,000 and the average Is Slaa. 90.
With the profits so graa they seem
impossible this committee OF cou
gressmen laughed when Mr. Norris
proved that Rumford Falls print pa
per mills declared "A profit In 1907 OF
SfSS 900 on "A plant with stock valua.
tion Of S5000OO but which really COS,
to equip new and with an modern i'm
pruYemeuts, Sl25.000.
one Maine mill had been closed for
five years and was old. worn and
WHOLLY useless when the trust took ID
Ia the price of 100000. issued bond
agalnst ID for Sz500O0. and now pays
dividends of Sl25,00o annually on this
machinery ry-thirty miles from water
aud 300 miles from pulp Of any value
This mill however, Is located IN The
district represented By Congressmah
littlefield, and he is stoekhOlder In
the Concern.
fho international Paper Company
lis the producer and the General Paper
Company the selling agent of the con
Germ There Is not In America suffi-
Client mills TO supply the press with
out aid from these companies. and
they have openly stated they would
refuse to fill orders of newspapers re-
fpsing 10 purchase the majority OF
stock from their companies
This same paper trust took the
supply houses by the throat and
forced them 20 consolidate. so that
there Is no place for the country pub