Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1908-02-25
paper MILLS
ALMOST idle
PAPER TRUST, ALTHOUGH NOT
WORKING FACTORIES, AD-
vANCEs PRICES.

New York. Feb. 22.--It is import
ant that newspaper publishers who
are paying excessive prices for news
print paper, should know that during
the month OF January, the paper mills
in this country in the aggregate have
not been running more than 60 to 6o
per cent Of the usual time. The In
ternational Paper company has shut
down. Wilder Mill. Franklin Mill and
Umbagog, Piercefield and Herkimer
had been shut down in 1907. Dis
patches from these places say similar
orders have been sent to numerous
other mills of the company in New
England, and that the adoption of this
general policy Of curtailment is due
to the fact that store houses have
been filled with the finished product,
and that for time the production
has been greater than the needs of
the trade. The fact is that newspa-
per publishers everywhere have been
reducing the size of their issues and
have been looping off returns to pre-
vent waste. In addition, the enforce
ment of the new postal regulations
against illegitimate mail order publi-
cations, has materially reduced the
consumption of newsprint paper.
Canadian mills are pushing their ca
pacity to the utmost and are under
selling American mills in the United
States market notwithstanding the
duty of Sc per ton against the Canad
ian mills.
The Fibre and Manila association in
December, 1907, curtailed the output
Of o,,t1 TO No nvfn n
900 tons In an efforts to maintain the
inflated prices Of last year. Jobbers
who had refused to replenish their
stocks at the high prices were asked
to place new orders upon a guarantee
that the high prices would be main
tained for 60 days. Other divisions of
the American Paper and Pulp associ-
alton making other kinds of paper
have been holding meetings and de-
vising means to curtail production and
to maintain the high prices obtained
by combination. Nevertheless the
president of the American Paper and
Pulp association, Mr.. David 8. Cowles,
in opening the annual meeting of that
body on Thursday, Feb, 6, 1908, said:
"The present condition Of business
is one which requires very careful
handling. 1t has been plunged from
a great condition of prosperity to a
condition of great depression Trade
authorities concede that the domestic
pulp market is demoralized and that
the agreements of some of the groups
necessary to maintain paper prices are
things of the past.
The proceedings at the recent meet
ings Of the various groups of paper
makers have not been disclosed to the
public but the effort to maintain ex-
cessive newsprint prices are continued
| in face of considerable declines in the
prices of raw materiols. The pro-
gram thus far indicated provides for
runninr on mart time and for adher-
ence to combination prices, upon the
calculation that the savings In the
| lower cost of raw materials will Off
| set the losses due 10 running the mills
on part time. Thousands Of paper
makers have been thrown OUT OF em-
| ployment while this scheme Of en-
| barrassed, or sickly operation, OF
complete suspension is carried out
Paper makers might revive their bust.
ness by reducir~ prices. They Nigh
relieve the distress of their own labor
ers for whose benefit they obtained {
tariff on paper. They have decided
upon the policy of curtailment in pro
duction, high prices to customers ant
idleness for their employees.