The Cairo bulletin., 1908-04-28
HUGE COMBINE
RAISED PRICES
EVIDENCE SUBMITTED TO IN.
VESTlGATORS OF PRINT
PAPER QUESTION.
THE RATE OF INCREASE
imposed Upon Publishers Throughout
Country Submitted in List by
John Norris, Of Publish
ers' Association.

Washington. April Evidence
Itending to show that there has been
united action among the paper mills
in the matter of fixing the price oi
paper as well as an understanding
THAT none of them shall sell to the
cuatomer of another; that contracts
for paper could not be obtained for
a period longer than one year, and
that mills had arbitrarily shut down
or restricted their output, was pre-
sented today by John Norris. of the
American Newspaper publishers as.
sociation. before the house commit
tee investigating the price of print
paper, affected by the tariff, and the
Question of whether or not there 10
a combination in restraint OF trade.
Norris ONLY Witness.
Norris was the only witness and
was on the stand the entire day
The evidence Norris offered was
in the shape of replies by members
of the Publishers association to a
number of questions propounded to
them by the association.
This evidence Included statement
Of the variation IN tho price of paper
of 81 ton to $i7 ton and induced
Chairman Mann to make the asser-
ton that IT disclosed Just the reverse
.of The contention that there Is com
hinaton to maintain uniform prices.
Norris. however declared 1t was the
|avowed purpose of the paper makers
TO regulate the price at the time OF
mittee in 1886 He contonded that
thefr present coarse was In harmony
with that avowaI Towards the eicHe
% the day Norris laid before the
committee large number OF reports
Of newspapers to the query:
Query and Answers.
Have agents or mills Withdrawn
quotations previously made to you or
have they neglected or refused tn
quote prices to you, or have they
changed previous olfers?'
These replies intended to show
that some paper companies had de-
Clined to make offers. others had
withdraw or changed quotations. and
others had announces the product en-
tireIy sold.
The fact that there was unity Of
action by selling agents or a uni
formity of the price of paper was at
tested by several hundred papers in
reply to the queries by the asgocia
tion.
Amounts OF increase.
Norris furnished a list of papers 10
which the price of paper had been
raised and the amounts of increase
per ton to each, These Include:
Iowa-Crescent Advertiser-Gazette
tl3; Burlington Hawkeye, s1o40;
Clinton Herald. $t0 Davenport
Times. $40; Des Moines Capital $40;
Dubuque Telegraph SO; Waterloo
Courier $3.50
Illinois Danyille Press Sl3i
Springfield News, s10,2l, Aurora
News. $40. Elgin Courier $40; Mo
line Dispatch. $40; Peoria Journal,
1910. Danville Commercial-News.
$3.50: Peoria Herald TRANSCRIPT
IS co, Chicago Journal. So; joliet
News. sS; Rockford Star. $72e;
Toilet Herald, 81; Rockford Register.
Gazette. $3.50 Decatur Herald, $40;
Strcator Free Press, So, Lincoln
Courier. $3.50: Danville Democrat.
$3.50: Quincy Herald $3.50.
Michigan - Monominee Heara'd-
Leader. $tI4ots: Adrain Telegram.
s11iS; Kalamazoo Telegram. 80;
Jackson Patriot, 500, Kalamazoo
Gazette, $44l; Savlte ste. Maize
News. 81
Minnesota-St Paul Dispatch
S11.70, Minneapolis Journal, $40 40;
Winona Republican Herald. $40. Du-
luth Herald. s940. Duluth News
Tribune. $780, Winoua Independ
eut s5.SS
South Dakota-Deadwcod Pioneer
Times. s14. Aberdeen American. $40
Wisconsin Madison state Journal
t10. Milwaukee Sentinel SI2.