The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-01-03
COST OF WOOD FOR PAPER

To-day there is general complaint
among publishers that printing paper
is constantly growing dearer. In the
middle west many local papers are
raising their subscription price fifty
per cent in order to pay for the paper.
From the time when Gutenberg first
used movable type, made to wood, to
the present day of metropolitan papers,
some of which consume the product
of acres of spruce in single edition,
printing has in very large degree de-
pended upon the forest. In the face
of threatened shortage of timber, the
amount of wood consumed each year
for pulp has increased since 1899 two
=. million to three and one-half million
cords. The year 1906 marked an IN
crease of $4,000 cords in the imports
of pulpwood, the highest average value
per cord for all kinds, and consump-
ton greater by 469,053 cords than
that of any previous year.
Spruce. the wood from which in 1899
three. fourths of the pulp was manu-
featured, is still the leading wood,
hut it now produces little less than
seventy per cent of the total. How
well spruce is suited TO the manufac-
ture of pulp is shown by the fact that
during period in which the total
quantity of wood used has doubled
and many new woods have been intro
duced, the proposition of spruce pulp
wood has remained nearly constant
in spite of the drains upon the spruce
forests for other purposes. During
this time three different woods, from
widely separated regions, have in turn
held the rank of leader in the lumber
supply. Since 1899 polar, which for
years was. used in Connection with
spruce to the exclusion of all other
paper woods, has increased in total
quantity less than 100000 cords, and
is now outranked by hemlock. Pine,
balsam, and cottonwood are used IN
much smaller amounts.
New York alone consumes each
year over 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, Pennsylvania, and
Michigan follow in the order given.
Sixty per cent of the wood used in
New York was imported from els
where, and even so the supply appears
TO be waning, since the total con-
ha on CHI
decrease since 1905, whereas the other
states named have all increased their
consumption. Other state important
in the production of pulp are; Massa-
chusettes, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Yer
mont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The average cost of pulp delivered
at the mill was 1921. The total
value of the wood consumed in 1906
was SIG, 100000. The chief item deter
mining 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 daily in the middle
west, who recently paid $1,000 for a
carload of paper. The same quantity
and grade of paper cost a year ago
but $500. The chemical processes OF
paper making, which better preserve
the wood fiber, are gaining over the
mechanical process. In 1899, sixty-five
per cent of the wood was reduced by
the mechanical process; in 1906, less
than fifty per cent. All importations
of wood for, pulp are from Canada,
and comprised in 1906, 10000 cords,
nearly all of which was spruce. -Four
and half million dollars worth of
S50O,OO0,OOO were authorized, butt near
ly $4O0,000,444 of these appear to have
been issued. r
The outlook abroad is certainly more
assuring. Our panic imposed a heavy
strain in London, Berlin and Paris
pulp was imported in 1906, q slight
falling off from 1905.