The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-29
ROLL CALLS IN HOUSE.
Continue to Disturb the Work Of Mr..
Mann's Committees.

Mann'S Committees.
Washington, April 29.-Upon resum-
ing his testimony today before the Sc
lect committee of the house on WOOD
pulp and print paper, John Norris, BUS
mess manager of the New York Times
furnished the committee with data
showing that H. G. Craig & Co. con-
trolled the output of seven Independent
mills. Until these mills were combin-
ed into one selling agency, Mr.. MOTIFS
said. there was no concentration or
control Of news print paper mills Re
spending to series of questions from
Chairman Mann, Mr.. Norris said that
the mills controlled by Craig Co..
did not undertake to make sales indie
pendent.
us it your claim" Mr.. Mann asked,
that all these mills agree upon price
which Craig & Co., carry out or after
conference they decided upon the price
which they carry out, so that there is
no variation in price-no competition!
1.-The claim of the publishers" the
witness replied, lis that in some way,
either by direction of Craig & Co., or
by arrangement with them common
price is agreed on among all the
mills
Several original letters from publish
ers were put in evidence giving indica-
lions of the existence of the paper
trust. One of these was written in
November, 1907, by w. S. McClatchy,
publisher of the Evening Bee, Sacra-
mento, Ca, who spoke of contract
he had with hte Willamette mill Tor
paper at $3.50 per hundred but which
price was raised to $3.50 at the ex-
piration of the contract. At the same
time Mr.. McClatchy said he had a bid
from F. M. Ledbetter on behalf OF the
Columbia River Paper company FOR
81 % for Portland, which would mean
$3.50 at Sacramento, but that prior to
the operation of the mill it was proved
that the paper would be furnished by
the Crown Columbia mills. From
those Crown Columbia mills. MT.
McClatchy wrote, 1--WE had at times
been supplied with paper under the
Willamette contract as there was some
sort of working agreement between the
two"
The result was. he said, that the
Willamette people objected and Mr..
Ledbetter asked permission to fill his
contract from eastern mills, which
was granted and for sometime he was
supplied by the Rhinelander, Wis,
mills, Mr.. Ledbetter paying 10 cents
per hundred more than his contract
price.
HE was thus apparently discipline
ed" said Mr.. McClatchy. ''for having
interfered to take from the William
cite customer whom they regarded
as their own"
BY way of fixing the date when the
paper companies refused to make
quotations Mr.. Norris placed IN evil
dence a number of letters from pa
per manufacturers in response to re-
quests for prices.
was that because they did not
have any paper on hand to meet the
newspapers needs?" Mr.. Stafford in
Quired.
1T shows" replied Mr.. Norris. that
in some way which we have not yet
uncovered, it was part OF pro
gram by which they would not make
quotations"
| or July 1907.
AS a part of the formulation OF the
testimony with respect to complna-
tions of the various groups OF paper
makers, Mr.. Norris at this point put
| in evidence a list of officers and oy
citation which were published Novem-
Der %, 1907. These by laws prov1oeo
for the tabulation of monthly con-
fdential report on tonnage asreee
prices, names of buyers. terms OF
calls, etc. The association, he said,
had been in the habit of holding
meetings at the Hotel Aston, New
york. at which prices were fixed.
| .aThesc new by laws said Mr.. Nor
ris "Were devised SO we charge ana
| expect to prove Immediately following
| the complaints of the publishers and
| in order that this association might
| come within the federal statutes
Responding to question by MI MI;
Mann, Mr.. Norris said he DID not
| know in what proportion sulph1te
pulp was made by news print paper
/ manufacturers for themselves. He
thought, however, that most or the
news print manufacturers did make
their own sulphite pulp.
| "Our contention is" said he, that
to the extent the Sulphite association
f~v- fI,n a r 1
| AFFECT the cost of material enter
ing into news print paper"
The witness was unable to state the
amount of sulphite pulp manuIacc
| tured in Canada When at 11:3C
O'Clock three bells announced thai
| there was no quorum in the house
| Mr. Mann remarked:
well Mr.. Norris, you may suspend
We are again interrupted in the midst
of the hearing by the demand in the
house for the senseless roll call. we
are required to go over to the capito
all of MS in order to make a quorum.