Evening star., 1909-02-19
CHEAPER PRINT PAPER.
Tariff Reduction of Two
Thirds Is Recommended.
subcommittee REPORT
Unanimous Finding Is Submitted to
the House.
GROUND WOOD ON FREE LIST
Appeal Made for the Conservation of
Forests and the Protection of
Pulp.-Producing Spruce.
GROUND WOOD ON FREE LIST

:, reduction in the duty on news print
paper from S. ton to 81 ton: the plac-
Ing of ground wood on the free list and
the establishment of a duty of one
twelfth cent per pound on mechanically
ground wood pulp are the recommended
tions of the select committee on pulp and
paper investigation which made its report
TO the House today. The report states
tha, it presents the unanimous report of
the entire committee.
There are three processes generally
used in this country for the production
of pulp or fiber from wood says the re-
port. These are the ground wood pro-
cess Sulphte process and the soda pro-
cess. The cheaper grades of paper are
usually produced by mechanically mixing
ground wood pulp with other kinds of pulp
in different degrees of percentage. The
ordinary news print paper is generally pro-
duced by the use of about so per cent of
ground wood and about 20 per cent of sui
phte fiber Whether other kind of wood
besides spruce can be profftably used for
the production of cheap print paper is a
matter concerning which there is some
difference of opinion.
Dependent on Spruce Product.
The committees report states that it
would seem that the production of news
print paper or the other very cheap grades
of paper are today dependent upon the
continuation of cheap ground wood pro-
duced from spruce trees, and that condi-
tion is likely to prevail in the future. The
amount of spruce consumed in the United
States in 1907 according to the report
was about 126O.WO cords of ground
wood. about $4,000 cords of sulphite
fiber and about 3, ,43O, 900 cords of lumber.
The amount of standing spruce is vari
ously estimated. but is roughly guessed
to be about 7O,OOO,OOO cords east of the
Rockies.
An appeal is made for the conservation
of the forests, the committee urging that
an organized fire department should be
maintained to fight fire in every consider
able forest in the country and that young
trees should be exempted by the various
states from the ordinary rates of taxa
ton. 1t is also suggested that the ma
tional government start large tracts of
young spruce forests.
The paragraph recommended for inSer-
tion In the tariff bill placing a duty of
ope-twelfth of cent per pound on me-
chanically ground wood pulp provides that
this article shall be admitted free OF duty
from any country. dependency or other
subdivision of a government which does
not forbid or restrict the expectation of
or does not impose export duty or
charge upon mechanically ground wood or
pulp for use in the manufacture OF wood
pulp.
The Duties Recommended.
The duties recommended for print paper
are: On print paper valued at not over
2A cents per pound, lilo cent pound;
and on paper valued at over 2h cents
pound and not over 2k cents pound.
2-lO of a cent per pound.
The committee also recommends that
the bureau Of plant industry make inves-
legations in the procurement and breed
of niol roJo in
the endeavor to find some plant which
through breeding to that end can be
pro1tably used for the commercial manu-
facture of paper.
1t also recommends that the forest serv-
ice investigate the question of the pro-
duction Of ground wood and sulphite fiber
from other kinds of wood than those now
used.