The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-20
DUTYON PRINT PAPER
HOUSE COMMITTEE FILES FULL
 REPORT.
Makes An Appeal For Conservation of Forests And Investfgation Info
 sub5eet--The - Members s Are Umanfm0ua

Washington. Feb. 1s--A reduction on the news print paper from SC a ton to s2 ton; the placing Of ground wood on the free list; and the establishment of g duty of one-twelfth cent per pound on mechanically ground wood pulp are the recommendations of the select committee on pulp and paper in- vesdgafion which made its report to the House today. The report vtates that 1t presents the unanimous report of the entire committee.
 There are three processes generally used in this country for the product Ion of pulp or fibre wood." says the re- port These are the gound wood pros cess. sulphite process and the soda pro- cess The cheaper grades of paper are usually produced by mechanically mix. Ing ground wood pulp with other Kinda of pulp in different degrees or per- centage. The ordinary news print paper is generally produced by the use of about 80 per cent of ground wood ana about 20 per cent of sulphite fiber. Whether other kinds of wood besidea spruce can be profitably used for the production of cheap print paper is a matter concerning which there Is some difference of opinion."
 The committees report states that if would seem that the production of news print paper or the othee very cheap grades of paper are today de- pendent upon the continuation of cheap ground wood produced from spruce trees and that the condition IS likely to prevail in the future. The amount of spruce consumed in the United States in41907, according. to the report, was 1,260.000 cords for ground wood; about kz20.000 cords for sui- phite nber and about s.450.0O0 cords for lumber. The amount of standing spruce Is varionsly estimated but Is roughly guessed to be about 70.O0o. GOO cords east oE the Rockies.
 An appeal Is made for the conserv- alton of forests, the committee urging that an organized fire department should be. formed to fight fire in every forest in the country and that young trees should be formed to fight fire in every forest in the country and that young trees should be exempted by the various States from the ordinary rates of taxation. It is also suggested that the. national government staSt large tracts of young spruce forests.
 The paragraph recommended for in. sertiou in the tariff bill, placing a duty of one-twelfth of cent per pound on mechanicaiiy ground wood pulp pro- vides that the article shall be admitted free of duty from any country, depend-. ency or other subdivision of a gov. ernmeut which does not forbid or re- strict the axporation of or does not impose an export duty or charge upon mechanically ground wood or pulp for use in the manufacture of wood puln--
 The duties recommended for print paper are: On print paper valued at not over two and one-qparter cents per pound one-tenth of one cent a pound. and on paper valued at over two and one quarter cents a pound an dnot over two and one-half cents pound, two-tenths Of a cent per pound.
 The committee also recommends that the Bureau of Plant Industry make in- vestigations in the procurement and breeding of annua and perennial plants in the endeayor to fnd some plant which, through breeding to that end. can be prohtably> used for the commercial manufacture of paper.
 It also recommends that the forest service Investigating the question of the production of ground wood and sulphite fiber from other kinds of wood than those now used.
 On motion of MT. Mann CHI. the re. port was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.