Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-15
COWLES Is REBUKED
PUBLISHERS CHARGED WITH
THREATENING CoNGRESSMEN.

Congress has been asked to take or
the duty to punish the American manu-
facturers of print paper for being in an
Illegal restraint of trade. So far as
know there is absolutely no such thing.
here is as broad competition today as
there ever was or as there is ever likely
to be-" said Mr.. Davids Cowles. president
% the American Paper and Pulp Associa-
ton. today before the House committee
investigating the cost of print paper. Pro-
ceeding, he told what the newspapers are
doing to obtain their demands, declaring
they have threatened to defeat congress
men if they did not vote the way the
newspapers desired.
Are you prepared to prove that?" asked
Chairman Mann. do you charge that
the newspapers generally have made any
such threat as that. and do you think
YOU are In position to know as much
about that as members of Congress do
themselves?'
be admitted in evidence where the rules
of evidence were rigidly enforced ina.
would bstantiate that charge, repileu
Mr. Cowles, but that is the general tax
That is the general belief. and THINK II
is fact
1T seems to me. Mr.. Cowles." said MI
Mann lit would be better If You would
state things which you know about In the
paper and pulp industry. The members OF
Congress as rule, are better posted
about what threats have been made TO
them than you are. So far as l am con.
cerned I can say 1 never have received
anything which considered a threat from
the newspapers in reference to this mat
ter in any way whatever.
Mr.. Cowles told of the purposes OF the
American Paper and Pulp Association
which, he said, is an unincorporated OF
ganization 1T is a mere shell. ne
stated. land practically amounts 10 noun
ing 1t does no business"
Yesterday Afternoons Session.
Mr.. Norris was excused temporarily at
the beginning of yesterday afternoon
session and George c. Sherman, treasurer
of the ST. Regis Paper Company and Tag
CARTS PAPER Company and president Of
the Brownsville Paper Company. was ex-
amired. He produced a synopsis OF
tn. books of the St Regis Com
pany for the past six years. with
cos. prices. showing the complete
cost by months of the manufacture OF
ground wood sulphite and paper In all
details: also trial balance OF pronts. or
the month of March, 1908. the BOOKS
showed that II cost the company S3J.SO
ton to manufacture paper. and that II re
ceived something over So for It, pront
of about 81 ton This. Mr. Sherman
said, was exclusive of interest.
Mr.. Sherman said there had been quite
an increase in the cost Of pulp wood. and
that longtime contracts made between
the lumber companies and paper manu-
factories have proved Improbable as
have longtime contracts for the sale OF
paper proved Improbable for the paper
manufacturers. There had been an in
crease of nearly $3.50 a cord in pulp wood
Runs Four Days a Week.
The ST. Regis mill was run bat four
days week during the month of March.
said Mr. Sherman. because of lack of or
ders. Except for one other occasion the
mill has run full time from its organiza-
ton up to last January, since when 1t has
been on a two-third production. The ca
pacity of the mill. which the witness said
did not belong to the International Paper
Company. is 125 tons a day.
The net profit to the st. Regis company
for the month of March according to
the books was 1878.
Chairman Mann had placed in the rec
ord State Department advices showing
the price of paper In Canada, London and
Paris. In Ottawa, nj the latter part OF
aged $1.D per hundred pounds, with the
present demand dull. In Montreal the
price f1uctuated. From 1902 to 1907 i.
was from $1.99 to $2.2j per hundred
pounds for large contracts and 81 10 to
$50 for small ones. In London the price
was from ~ to cents a pound with a
) per cent discount. In Paris the price
or paper equals a fraction over cents
per pound. Tables also were read from
the bureau of statistics showing the i'm
ports of wood pulp into the United States
from Canada for the past ten years.