Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-11-27
ABNORMAL WEATHER CONDITIONS
MAY CAUSE MANY NEwSPA-
PERS TO SUSPEND.
PLANTS RUN ON HALF TIME.
Scarcity of Wood Pulp, Due to Mills
Closing, Has Caused Finished Prod
uct to Jump in Price.
RAIN NEEDED BEFORE FREEzE-UP.

APPLETON, Wis, Nov. 21.-lSpe-
riaI. UNLESS altogether abnormal
weather conditions prevail practically
throughout the United States between
now and the first Of the new year, this
country within six weeks will face
print paper famine that will surely re-
suit in the serious curtailing in the size
Of metropolitan newspapers and the pos
sibe suspension Of publication OF hum
dreds of smaller interior-town newspa-
pers throughout the country, according
to the best judgment of the largest pa
per manufacturers of Wisconsin. Condi-
lions in the paper industry have never
before been so dubious as at present and
the constantly depicting water power
streams throughout paper making DIS
tricts in both east and west are adding
daily to the threatening aspect.
Need Water Supply.
Unlike paper mills, pulp mills cannot
be operated without an ample supply
of water, and it is the lack Of water,
because of the prolonged drought, that IS
causing the intense apprehension among
the manufacturers. Paper mills for the
most part are equipped with auxiliary
steam power plants so that when water
power goes back on them they can re-
sort to steam power and continue opera
ton. Auxiliary steam power plants Ill
wood pulp mills are of no avail if there
is not enough water in the rivers to sup
ply the engines. And without wood pulp,
paper mills cannot be operated nor can
print paper be produced, wood pulp be-
ing the principal ingredient in news
paper.
Several weeks ago manufacturers were
declaring that the lack of rain would
soon make wood pulp worth its weight
in gold. Today they are claiming that
even for it's weight in gold the wood pulp
in a few weeks more will not be obtain
able. Wood pulp mills of the Fox and
Wisconsin river valleys are at present
running at less than half capacity, and
several of them are shut down entirely,
because of q lack of water. The wood
pulp mills of this state and Minnesota
supply only one-half of the total required
by the paper mills of these two states.
Wisconsin and Minnesota paper manu-
facturers are making heavy demands on
wood pulp mills in the east and in Can
ada. Pulp mills in the east and Can
next four months and western mills es-
pecially, as well as many of the eastern
mills, will within few weeks be unable
to procure stock for the manufacture of
paper.
Curtailment Has Begun.
The Spanish River Pulp company at
Espinola, Canada, controlled by e. A.
diamonds of Appleton, announced yes
terday that it's production has been cut
to one-half the capacity of the plant
owing to the low water conditions in
the Spanish river. A report reached
paper manufacturers here q few days
ago to the effect that there is a strong
likelihood that the pulp mill at the 500,
the largest in this country, will proba-
bly, have to curtail it's production with
in another week. While the 500 mill
has Lake Superior for its mill pond, it
is reported that this vast body of water
is getting dangerous near the low wa
ter level where the government will call
Il halt on further draw for power pur-
poses, and when this order comes the
greatest source of pulp will be shut off
to the manufacturers.
The scarcity of wood pulp has al
ready caused a decided advance in the
price of that commodity and n further
advance Ia looked for at any time. With
the jump in the price of wood pulp comes
the advance in the prince of print paper,
two increases in this commodity having
been made during the last two weeks.
Manufacturers declare that it will be no
surprise to them if newspaper within
the next few weeks jumps to 5 cents per
pound, the present price being less than
half that amount.
Turning Down Orders.
"We are turning away all the way
from half dozen to fifteen telegraphic,
telephone and mail orders for print pa.
per every day." said the manager OF
one of the largest print paper mills IL
the Fox river valley today. "Our mill is
not running full capacity, but we are u.s.
ing up every scrap of wood pulp avail
able and the time is near at hand when
we will not be able to get enough to
keep the plant running on one shift, to
say nothing of two. Rain Is the only
thing that can save the country from
newspaper famine. Every print paper
manufacturing company is stocked to the
teeth with pulp wood but the lack Of
water in the rivers prevents the grinding
of it and without ground wood the print
paper mills are helpless. | have been in
the paper manufacturing business more
than q quarter of a century and | have
never seen a situation more threatening
than the present.