The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-04-26
INVESTIGATION
HAS COMMENCED
PROBING OF WOOD PULP AND
PAPER COMBINATION BE-
GINS IN CONGRESS.
MANN MADE CHAT sMAN.
OF investigating Committee--opera-
tions of Paper Trust Dclved in
Newspaper Representa-.
tiyes Present.

Washington, Aprif 25.-Actual in
vestigation of the wood pulp and print
paper question, involving the pros
Ipect of an examination into the af
fairs of the paper trust to determine
whether or not 1t is, as alleged by
the American Newspaper Publishers
Association, combination in re-
straint OF trade and maintaining
in the United States, was begun To-
day by select committee appointed
by Speaker Cannon. whose chairman
lis Representative Mann, Of Illinois.
Norris Starts Proceedings,
Representative OF the committee
of fifty appointed by the American
Newspaper publishers Association
larriyed in Washington today in re.
sponse to a telegram sent by Chair
man Mann to President Ridder of
the association, and General Manager
Melville H. Stone, OF the Associated
Press, inviting testimony. The dele
CATION appeared before the Investigate.
ing body this afternoon and the pre-
sentation Of the publishers case was
at once begun by John Norris, bust
ness manager of the New York Times.
Represent All Papers"
Norris said he and his associates
had come before the COMMITTEES "as
representatives of substantially all
the daily newspapers OF the United
States. We consume at least eighty
per cent Of the newspaper print
paper used In the United States We
appear here as representatives OF the.
seventh largest industry In the coun-
TRY, an industry that has been
| nsenaeed BY an extraordinary argre-
CATION of law breakers"
Plans For Delay.
Norris declared that the agsocia-
tion had appealed to tho house and
to the department of justice and con.
gress for immediate relief and for
months had been taking every oppor-
tunitey to tell their story to congress.
In reply, he said his association has
been told at least twenty times al in
various ways that they could not
look for anv relaxation of the oppres-
sions which the paper makers "as
objects of congressional fayofT had
imposed upon the vast public inter
ests of the country and that con
eress would not aid at this time In
correcting gross public wrong.
investigation is Late.
Therefore, he said the association
was apprehensiye that the investiea-
tion, because II had Deen started so
late, could only have on meaning.
delay. postponement and continu-
ance for another year ur conditions
which are intolefahle" Norris said
the association did not intend TO i'm
Il ply any mistrust OF the committees
intentions and he asked under what
program the committee will proceed.
Able to Prove Charges.
Norris asserted his ability "to pro
lduce evidence of broken promises 10
| congress, Of deception practiced upon
YOU oppression upon the public,
wrongs to labor and damage 10 the
country without a particle Of com
pensating advantage I'VE will" he
continued produce figures TO prove
our assertions that the paper makers
plan to add sixty million dollars per
annum to the burdens of the paper
consumers"
What Norris viii Show.
Norris statement, though in the
nature of asking the range of the
committee inquiry. went into details
and made it known to the committee
that the association was ready TO
prove all its charges. II could show
how the price of paper to Balti-
more publisher was arbitrarily raised
s12 a ton and the Bangor publisher
who was made to put up s2.50 per
ton more because he was within
seven miles of the paper mill; how
certain papers were refused quota
tions. and forced To go to Canada
for paper. of the flooding of Canadian
mills with orders by the trust so that
they could not fill orders from Am
erican publishers; of the purchase Cf
vast quantities of Canadian timber
used in the manufacture Of wood
pulp; of the rise og si2 per ton in
paper while an increase in the cost
of labor in producing IL was but a
provision of the division of territory
by trusts and scores of other facts
contained in hundreds of letters from
publishers in his possession.
Ready For Facts.
After Norris had concluded his pre-
| liminary statement, Representative
Mann. chairman OF the committee.
said in answer TO several questions
that what the committee wanted was
information. and he added. that 1t
was ready to receive any facts which
the association had TO present He
declared that for one he would not
sign report without having tbor
Concluded on Sixth Page)