Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-28

sent to the house next session nf Con-
sress definite recommendations based
upoti complete information thoroughly
considered. '''''
The decreased consumption of paper
consequent upon the general busincgs
conditions Of the country means n loss.
Sned demand for pulp wood and we be-
| prices"
THE MINORITY REPORT.
=. The minority report endorses tho
| stevens bill in It's entirety and recon-
niehds lts passage. Discussing the is
sues between the publishers and the pa
| per manufacturers. the report states
! .hat an acute situation which might be
| termed trade hysteria" was preCipitat-
| go IN 1907. in news print paper manu-
iacture when a group Of 10 Wisconsin
| mills, known as the Wisconsin wood
| pulp association, bought $4,000 cords of
| pulp wood In the province of Quebec.
canada. which purchase entailed a
transportation of that material dis
lance of 1900 miles.
1t introduced a new and unlocked
for factor into what was more or less
Of speculative operation says the
report.
WOOD PULP MARKETS DEMORAL-
IZED.
1T demoralized the wood pulp mar
kets of the United States as well of
Canada, where nearly 100000 cords
of pulp wood are bought for export
to the United States.
ut started paper quotations upward
until one paper trade journal report
ed that the current prices for news
print paper on July !, 1907, ranged
from $500 to $1,000 per ton. This adj
vance had been foretold by paper
statesmen and others nearly year pri-
or to a so-called paper famine
WOOD FROM CANADA.
The report points out the fact that
more than one half of the produce wood
used in American mills for making
news print paper comes from Canada.
ana states that at the time the Wis
consin purchase of Quebec wood caus-
ed the trade furry, the officials of
the International Paper company, Ca
certain corporation producing about
one third of the supply of news print
paper manufactured I'm the United
States) computed that the United
cost of their labor by reason of shorter
hours had added 100000 per annum,
or DO cents per ton, to their
expenses and that their wood cost
ton of paper produced. a total of 81
per ton upon their entire output of
about 100000 tons for news. Manila and
other varieties of paper. They also
figured that of their news print paper
output, only So per cent could be taxed
with these burdens because the other
40 per cent of their news print pro-
duction had been tied up with low
priced contracts covering the year. Ac-
cordingly they decided upon $50 per
ton delivered as their minimum upon
all future sales which substantially
liked that price for the entire market
rms figure carried with 1t an advance
Of $40 per ton in a period of two year.
me action was too abrupt. 1t pro-
voked trouble and resentment at time
when newspaper revenues were shrink
ing because of depressed business con-
ditions. 1t brought to the attention
OF the country situation that demands
rectification.
Immediately following the panic of
october, 1907. it is stated. newspaper
publishers fought to offset their losses
caused by diminished advertising
revenues and by increased cost
OF paper. by reducing the
number of pages OF their paper
resulting in a diminution of consume
ton. In consequence. the paper mills
which had been taxed to supply the
HiaThet soon FOUND their stocks accuInu-
lating with a decreasing demand for
their product. The market was soon
glutted. Confronted with the alterna.
tive of reducing their prices or closing
their mills and discharging their labor,
the paper manufacturers. ii is stated.
chose To maintain the high prices.
They kept their prices so far above the
normal level" says the report, that
Canadian mills We're able to pay the
duty of SO n ton and undersell Ameri-
can mills in the American market. do
ing this while paying wages for labor
that compared favorably with the
wages paid by the American mills"
The maintenance OF high prices under
such conditions. 1t is stated, brought
about the unlocked for result of giving
to Canadian lebor some Of that work
production which otherwise would have
gone to American labor.
Many cases of hardship among pub
fishers in consequence of the notifica-
ton of a proposed increase in price are
cited. 1t is pointed out that these pa,
pers were forced to the alternative of
contracting at the higher price or
suspension of publication.