Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-23
7O SHOW CONGRESS
Wood Pulp Committee, Selected
as a Joke, Promises to
Make Good
MES SERIOUS MATTER
Committee Proposes to Give Congress
Actual Demonstrations and Facts
Regarding Wood Pulp, Paper Max
ing and Necessity for Reforestation
limited States Largest Consumer.
Especial Correspondence.


Mann. of Chicago, who is chairman Of
the special house committee to inves-
tigate the pulp wood, wood pulp, print
paper and paper tariff questions. is
thinking of setting up miniature
paper making plant on the floor of the
house one of these days, and showing
the processes of making pulp and paper
and of rejuvenating paper that has
once been used
Mr.. Mann's special committee will be
at work much of the time during the
recess, trying to get it's work completed.
There is no knowing when 1T will re-
port, however, as Mr.. Mann has no
hope of getting serious attention dur
ing the short session.
The committee is expected to make
remarkable report, and to propose some
rather startling legislation. 1T has been
doing huge work. investigating the
whole worlds available supplies of tim
Der fit for making paper, studying the
question of using other materials, OF
conserving and restoring forests, the
relation of the tariff to all aspects or
the paper industry, and many other
problems.
First Of Its Kind.
No such investigation of the worlds
supply of paper-making woods mas
ever been made These supplies, so far
as they are known and may be consld-
cred at all available, are mainly In the
United States Canada and Scandina-
via. A very careful and detailed inves-
tigation has been made in this coun-
try and Canada, the result being more
complete and accurate appraisal or
these resources than has ever been un-
dertaken before The Canadian govern
ment, as we'll as the different provin-
cial administrations, gave the commit
tee much assistance. for the Canadians
feel that their interest in such an In
quiry is hardly second to that OF the
United States The committee went
thru the Canadian. Minnesota. Wlscon-
sin and Pennsylvania forests in order
thoroughly to familiarize themselves
with conditions Paper mills were WIS.,
tied and processes studied. Everything
that is being done in the way or re-
forestation, either by governments or
by big corporations which own LANDS,
has been investigated with great care,
and some very important material mas
been gathered as a result. At present
the forests and the paper industry OF
Norway and Sweden are being investl-
gated with especial care.
United States Consumes Most.
The tremendous and progressive In
creases in the consumption OF paper.
and the huge share OF the worlds con-
sumption which goes to the United
States, are among the really startling
features which the Investigations Will
develop Nowhere else is there any such
demand for paper as here; nowhere
else it is wasted as in America.
Mr.. Mann absolutely refuses to intl-
mate what his report will say about
the available supply of paper mater
ials. 1t isy-anderstood that the report
will be rather startling, on this point.
1t will show first that there is certain
to be a series of sharp advances In
price in the next few years, and sec
ond that unless greater economics are
affected, by printing smaller newspa.
ers, ETC., the supply Of materials VIII
not keep pace with consumption
Some of the big paper companies IN
this country have established refores-
tation works. and are now producing
second growths of timber on tracts
once cut over. These concerns own
immense tracts of land, which unless
reforested in this way have almost no
value after being once cut over. Left
to nature, the second growth Of trees
| is generally worthless for paper maxi
ing. The lands must be planted and
cared for to secure a second crop of
the desired growth.
Old Paper May Be Reused.
There is one thing, however, which
one day may prove of the utmost I'M
portance. This is the possibility of US
| ing the same paper repeatedly. Pro-
cesses have been perfected by which
old news print is washed Of it's ink,
and made into material for boxboard,
| etc. 1t can be made into second print
paper, too; but it is not so strong as
the first time, and the process OF
bleaching it ito get all the ink out is
so expensive as to make it CONNER
cially Improbable at present. But
with new print paper considerable adj
yanced in price, it is considered inev-
liable that this process will be further
perfected, and that the newspaper of
today will return again as the news
paper of day after tomorrow, and
maybe indefinitely thereafter This
would give old papers a pretty definite
commercial value, and the business Of
saving and gathering them would be-
come important.
Mann is No Joker.
| The Mann committee has been wide
Iy regarded as a joke. 1t was appoint
ed as a means to lodging immediate
and frank consideration of the publish
ers' demand for reduction of the tar
iff on pulp and pulp wood. Speaker
Cannon himself took the floor and in
/ troduced the resolution under Which It
was named; and the committee he APP
pointed is composed of his especial
aides. Mr.. Mann takes his work mighty
seriously. He will have enough testi-
mony and documentary stuff, by the
time it is all in print, to destroy a very
respectable forest furnishing paper to
print it; and some mean and unkind