The Washington herald., 1908-04-26
PAPER PROBE BEGINS
Publishers Invade House and
See Speaker Cannon.
COMMITTEE HEARS MR.. NORRIS
Investigators Appointed TO Find
Cause of High Price of Print
Manager OF New York DaiIy-MnnD
Says Committee Wants Only Facts.

The delegation of the American News
paper Publishers Association made things
lively about the House end Of the Capitol
yesterday IN behalf Of the campaign for
the removal of the tariff on wood pulp
and print paper.
Just to show that there was no truth
in the implication that they were hesitat-
ing 20 appear before the House committee
appointed to investigate the price Of print
paper. they demanded that they be heard.
and that at once. A meeting Of the com
mittee was called and the ball started
rolling.
Not only was the demand to be heard
made to Chairman Mann. Of the Select
Committee, but to Speaker Cannon. Her
mann Ridder, president Of the associa-
tion, had a memorable interview with the
Speaker.
''Ridder. you have been advertising ne
around the country as fake exclaimed
Cannon, when he caught sight Of the Ger
man, and he employed a few adjectives
TO add spice.
Bring out stevens BiII.v
Bring out the Stevens bill and let the
House vote On taking of the duty on
print paper, and I shall apologize on
bended knee" responded Ridder He
added that the publishers were in Wash
ington to get the duty of and they in
tended 10 succeed.
When the committee OF publishers. in
cluding Ridder, John D. Norris. business
manager of the New York Times; E H
Baker. Medill Mccormick. OF the Chi
cago Tribune, and Frank G. Noyes, Of
the Chicago Record-Herald, appeared be-
fore the committee. IL had a hard time
getting started
Given a free rein. Norris made an
eloquent argument On the price Of print
paper, referring 10 C0nspiracies OF man
ufacturers and attacking the policy OF
appointing the select committee at such
| a late day in Congress as one that would
result only in delay in the change OF
conditions now intolerable."
Representative Miller was riled by the
attack. He said the mistrust Of the COM
mittee was something that he could not
understand. and pointed TO the fact that
/ be had said. If given an opportunity. he
would vote for the removal Of the tariff.
Chairman Mann interrupted Norris ar
guments by saying that the committee
did not want TO make a newspaper" re-
port 10 the House that It could be con-
tradicted the next day; it wanted facts.
Brings in DingIey Tariff.
Norris began to tell what he knew Of
the newspaper combination, organized in
1855 after the enactment Of the Ding
ley tariff" The persons inclined to ae-
count for the high price Of paper as the
result Of q monopoly got little satisfac-
tion out OF the statement that the
trust controls only g per cent OF the
outpat Of paper.
Finally the committee pinned Norris
down 10 a detailed description OF what
the New York Times pays for its paper.
III l had known this. l would not
have come" Norris exclaimed when he
was compelled to go into details. He said
In 1906 the Times made a contract with
the international Paper Company by
which Il had secured paper for $3S a ton
until last October. Since then the price
had been in arbitration but this contract
was based on the cost Of production. He
believed eventually the Times would have
10 pay about $40 q ton
He said at present publishers cannot
get paper for less than 50 a ton, and
that only on One-year contracts
He was asked how much the price 10
the publishers would be reduced by the
removal Of the tariff. He replied at least
s. The effect OF such action, he said,
would be 10 encourage the establishment
Of new mills in Canada TO compete with
those in the United States.
Why don't the newspaper men go into
the manufacture Of paper for them
selves?" Chairman Mann inquired. ''They
seem well organized"
Norris responded that they had troubles
enough, and that the water-power Of the
country had been taken up, Mann dis
puted the latter statement