The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-05-23
PAPER MAKERS
ON THE STAND
TESTIFY BEFORE COMMITTEE
INvE5 riGATiNG NEWS PRINT
QUESTION.
NO AGREEMENT PENDING
As to Price, Territory, Etc, Says One
New York Man States Price
Was Raised 10 Save
Ourselves"

Washington, May %. Western
Manufacturers OF news print papef
presented their side of the eontro-
!yersy today before the special com
mittee fthe house investigating
wood pulp and the paper question. 4
number OF these manufacturers were
members Of the Geenral Paper com
pany, which was dissolved by ordei.
Of the court. and they testified that
since this there had been no agree.
ment among the paper makers as TO
price, division Of territory, etc,
Clarence / McNalr manager Of ths
Northwest Paper company, stated that
an rsa.bus contract had been MAZE
with the scrlpps McRae league Of
papers, formerly customers OF the
Geenral Paper company. in January
1908 for s2.10 per hundred pounds da
liyered, excepting to the Pacific coast
papers and that the Geenray Pape.
company was party to this contra 4
as II had been a party TO the old cot
tract.
Before the dissolution of the cont
pany, the price was $3.50 hundred.
All mills manufacturing news print
paper belonging the Geenral Pap r
company. were parties 10 the contract
w. d. Hurlbut traffic manager OF
tho wisconsin pulp aud Paper Manu-
facturers. said that SS mills We're mem
hers of the association which had been
fofniea to facilitate shipments. The
association had nothing to do with the
selling OF paper or the llxlng OF prices.
George W. Meade. secretary Of the
Consolidated Waterpower and Paper
Company, Of Grand Rapids, Mis-, tes-
titled that his mill has capacity of
sixty tons a day and he gave the com.
mittee figures showing the profits
fits from 1904 to April 1908. This;
profit ranged from 1854 ton In 1905
to 1914 in January OF the present
year. He denied that his company
had any contract or agreement with
any other manufacturers respecting
price, territory, or allotment cf con
tracts
Meade said the Kansas City Star
and Toledo Blade which have mann
faetured their own paper, did so al a
loss. Recently, he said, the RlaI.
gave IT mp, and is now buying paper
from the WISCONSIN mill
A. G. Paine, Jr,, Of the New York
and Pennsylvania company. who was
on the stand yesterday when the
house wood pulp and print papers
committee adjourned. was recalled
when the committee met today He
was questioned closely as to the diff
ferent meetings held by the manulac
turers of book paper as to whether aF
not these meetings were for the pnr
pose of agreeing upon prices. He
stated that the general conditlnns If
the trade We're talked over hut said.
so far as he kuew. no agreehlent Of
had been REACHED
Was II not the general consensus
of opinion at the last meeting hehl in
New York that the only way out of
The difficulty would be TO increase thss
selling price of paper as long as the
cost of production had Increased SO
much and was likely To increass
more?" asked Chairman Mann
q can only give my own information
Of that" replied the witness. Il
think It was the consensus OF opinion.
and has been for some time among
paper manufacturers that the only sal
yation for the book paper maker was
to raise the price of his goods"
Was there not a general under
that YOU would have to raise
the price Of paper?"
That was my understanding /"