Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-01-18
Vice-PresidentOf Great Northern Com.
pany Defines Causes Of Advance
in Cost OF Its Product.

varied phases. This company Is the
largest single producer of paper in
the world, except the International
Paper Company with its more than a
score OF mills.
Mr.. Dillon advanced the conten-
ton that, with the present trend of
conditions, newspaper publishers
should base the price OF their pubIi-
cations on the cost of raw material
used, Just as does the manufacturer
in any section of the Industrial field.
The newspaper publisher, he assert
ed, is literally purveyor to the pub
lie in practically the same way as the
proprietor of a general store or any
dealer who sells wares that meet a
public demand or necessity.
Under conditions which have been
caused by the progress of recent
years Mr.. Dillon believes that the
day of cheap newspapers is drawing
to a close. For several years, he
stated, paper makers have been alb
sorbing losses on long contracts i'm
posed by these altering conditions
and methods. Now, however, the
point has been reached where the
paper manufacturer cannot afford to
assume these losses, and a readjuBt-
ment in the field is necessary.
Cause Of Higher Prices.
"The increased selling price OF
white paper" said Mr.. Dillon, lis
due solely to the demands of natural
conditions. These altering conditions
have affected practically every other
field of supply and demand, as the
people well know. A number of the
foremost causes which have demand.
ed this price advance may be briefly
enumerated.
First, cost of labor has increased
Wages paid now are much higher
than few years ago.
Second, cost of obtaining pull
wood has increased. Land on which
cutting rights could be procured fol
five dollars an acre eight or nine
years ago now calls for ten dollars
an acre.
Third, there is a great Increase
in the cost of maintaining cutting
crews in the woods At one time
men could be hired for work in the
forests at from fifteen to sixteen dol
lars week and board. Now theN
must be paid from thirty to thirty
five dollars week with their board
provided. AS to the food, there hat
been an increased cost, too. Bacor
costs more. Cost of flour, molasse!
and beans has gone up. This means
a big item of additional expense.
Fourth, the various mills are nov
required to use three shifts of men
where formerly but two shifts wer,
employed. In addition, we are re
CURED to assign more men than for
merly to handle the paper making
machines, and this, too, with an ad
Vanced scale Of wages in effect.
Fifth, freight rates have ad
vanced. There is no need of com
ment here. The general public, a
well as the manufacturer and dealer
A@ACW9 WA0b SAAAS
Sixth, warehouse charges have ad
vanced. This has brought abou
another and important item of In
creased cost.
Resources Not Wasted.
"of all the timber cut in this coun
try less than five per cent. is use
In making wood pulp. The remain
der, or ninety-five per cent, zoe
chiefly to the lumberman. The tim
Der which we cut can, of course. b
used for building as well as for pul
making purposes. Therefore, whe
the pulp-maker and the lumberma
are competing for cutting rights /
any district the man who owns tn
acres in question naturally takes nd
vantage of this combination and tn
price goes up. 1t is this conditio
which has advanced the cost of oil
tanning pulp wood.
The company with which I al
connected" continued Mr.. Dillo1
owns 100000 acres of timber LAND
Now, scientific investigation hs
shown that If timber is cut unde
the regulations and rules advance
by the Forestry Department at Wasf
ington 1000 acres will produce on
ton OF paper day for-well, fo
eternity. Therefore If we had 45O
600 acres of timber land we woul
be enabled to meet our present on
put of $50 tons of paper a da,
So you can see we have large MAJ
gin beyond our actual requirement.
We need not cut a single tree this
is less than twelve inches in diamete
breast high, as the Forestry Depar
ment recommends. / merely eli
these figures as one example to di
prove any charges that there hs
been a wanton waste of forest r,
sources"
There has been much argument
various quarters that Congress shout
remove the duty on white paper fro
Canada, 1t being held that this woul
relieve conditions in the Unite
States. Mr.. Dillon believes such
step would bring no relief whateve
Parliament enact an export duty @
pulp logs. The American pap,
maker is not getting raw matters
from Canada because his field of SUI
ply is exhausted. II such an expo
duty were imposed there it wouI
merely mean that the cutting
American forests would be increase
Then again, such a step {
Canada's part would mean probab
that American capital would Gro
the border and build its mills Their
thus distributing It's money throuf
payrolls in the Dominion rather thi
In the United States, That would NJ
be a step Of benefit to our own cou
try and its people. believe"