Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-05-29
Findings of Special Commit.
tee of House of Rep
resertatives.
COMBINATION is NOT PROVED
Majority Report Is Against I'm.
mediate Removal OF Tariff
on Wood Pulp.
Recommends That Legislation BE Nca
Enacted Before tho Commit
too Has Investigated
. Further.


committee Of six members OF the house
appointed upon the complaint of the
American Newspaper Publishers as.
sociatton to Investigate the wood pulp
aud print paper situation in relation to
the tariff and with regard to an alleged
conspiracy in restraint OF trade, has
just submitted a majority and a
minority report
The majority report signed by Rep
rerentatives Mann, of Illinois; Miller,
of Kansas; Stafford, OF Wisconsin, and
Bannon, Of Ohio. recommends that leg.
islation be not enacted before the COM
ntttee has Investigated further.
FAvors Passage OF Stevens Bill.
! The minority report, signed by Rep
resentatives Sims, Of Tennessee, and
Ryan, Of New York, recommends the
passage Of the Stevens bill to place
wood pulp and print paper on the free
list. Ths majority report is summed
up in the following words:
LAS the present price of paper would
not be Immediately affected to any
considerable degree by the repeal of
the tariff, and as the passage OF the
Stevens bill in it's present form might
spoil ruin In the paper industry and
ruinously high prices for paper in the
near future, your committee believes
1t the part OF wisdom before making
recommended tions for positive legisla-
tion to walt until It's investigation has
been completed and thoroughly di-
gested."
Tolls How Carefully IL Listened.
1.-THE committee listened with inter
est, attention and care from April 25
to May H." says the report, ito wit
nesses appearing in behalf of the con-
teutions Of the American Newspaper
Publishers association and followed
with painstaking care the statements
made and the evidence presented by
John Norris, who appeared as special
representative of the association.
Every opportunity has been given to
the newspaper publishers to presen
evidence before the committee, though
not all OF the publishers who offered
to appear or whom the committee
would like to hear have been exam
ined."
The report says that the tabulation
of returned schedules Of newspapers
by the census office covers few Of the
metropolitan daiiies, which are the
heavy consumers.
Average Price at Present.
'From these returns the average
price at present, including In many
cases freight charges, to 919 newspa.
pers, Is $2.S6 hundred: Of those 361,
using paper in rolls, have an average
Of $a.01 for paper In sheets. 1t seems
probable that publishers paying high
prices responded most readily to the
inquiries Of the committee.
while there appears to have been
complaint on the part Of the paper
manufacturers that the selling price
for 1906 was too low to be fairly re-
munerative, vet we are inclined to
think II was not before the summer Of
1907 that there was a general Increase
in print paper prices. That a general
increase was, in fact, put into effect
on naw ontracts seems to be un-
questioned"
No Proof OF ombination.
As to the charge that a combination
exists in restraint Of trade the report
says:
1.-THE evidence before the committee
no far fails to prove any combination
of print paper manufacturers to ad'
vance prices, or otherwise in restrain.
of trade, but considerable evidence
was presented which might excite sus.
picon that such a combination had
been made and was In existence. Such
OF the paper manufacturers as hav.
appeared before the committee during
its hearing have strenuously and com
pletely denied under oath the existence
Of any combination, agreement or un
derstanding Of any nature whatever
among the paper manufacturers ol
their selling agents to regulate, control
or advance the price Of paper or thu
assignment Of customers, or for any
other purpose in restraint Of trade"