The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-06-18
AGAINST DUTY ON
WOOD PULP
SENATOR BROWN OF NEBRASKA
MAKES STRONG ARGUMENT.
COMMITTEES POSITION WRONG
Denounces Proposition to Increase the
Rate Fixed by the House on Print
Paper as inexcusable and lndefens-


Washington, June 17.-After dispos.
ing of a number of disputed para.
graphs in the tariff bill, the senate to-
day began the consideration of the
print paper and wood pulp provisions.
The subject was introduced by Sen.
ator Aldrich, who presented the fl.
nance committee amendment increas.
ing the duty on print paper from one
tenth to two-tenths of cent per pound
and which he said equalled 81 ton.
Senator Brown of Nebraska spoke
on the subject. Offering an amend
ment to place print paper on the free
list, Mr.. Brown declared that the pa
per industry did not need the protec-
ton of a duty. AT the risk of Great.
ing a panic" he said, he would read
from President Roosevelt's message to
congress in response to which the
house had undertaken to investigate
the wood pulp and paper business. He
then proceeded to read from the mes
sage receiving careful attention.
Denouncing as indefensible any
as inexcusable and indefensible any
proposition of the finance committee
to increase the low rate fixed by the
house bill for the protection of the
print paper industry, Senator Brown
declared that that industry needs no
protection. These paper mills, he in
sisted, have an advantage over every
foreign print mill whether they are in
Scandinavia, Germany or Canada.
Canada is our only competitor in
this market" said Mr.. Brown. "The
seas and the inferior product of other
countries than Canada protect the
mills of the United States against all
competition worth mentioning.
"This question depends on the cost
of production at home and abroad. If
foreigners can manufacture print
paper for less than it costs Americans
that amendment of the finance COM
mittee might find justification. If the
fact be, as l shall prove 1t is, that
print paper can be made and Is being
made at less cost here than elsewhere,
then any duty in any amount is wholly
WIODs anu uSSOiiy uhNh
durable and extortionate in practice.
Canada had an investigation into
the subject in 1901. The testimony in
that investigation showed that the
American mills had an advantage Of
SIS per ton in the cost of production
Of print paper.
Following that report the manufac-
turers of Canada petitioned their gov
eminent to continue the 25 per cent
advalorem duty on paper importations.
1.-THE statement of the Booth mills
in Canada SHOWS the cost of produc-
tion to be SS4.11 per ton. The testi-
mony before the house committee
shows the cost per ton of the print
paper made by the International Paper
company, of the United States to be
$27.74. Another significant fact shown
in the hearings before the house COM
mittee Is that western publishers testi-
fed that they bought paper from the
Booth mills in Canada and paid the
duty and then got it for less than they
could have purchased it from the
trust.
"Our consul In the province of
Quebec reported that the laborers in
the Canadian mills received as high
If not higher wages than those in
American mills. 1t is undisputed by
the testimony taken by this commit
tee that many of the workmen in the
Canadian mills are American citizens
and receive higher wages than when
in the United States"
In fifty-nine news print paper mills
in this country he said there are 49,
449 employees, while the newspapers
and periodicals using their output en-
ploy 1858 persons. Every one of
these newspaper employees he said is
affected by the increase in rate of
paper which has taken place in the
last few years. The print paper mills
in 1908 had an annual pay roll of
SIC, 330,632, while the pay roll of the
and periodicals in 1905 was
$106, 949, 1873.
"The testimony before the house
committee" said Mr.. Brown, Shows
that the International Paper company
itself went into Canada and purchased
large amount of print paper to keep
the American publishers from buying
II and this they parceIed out among
their foreign customers. Because of
this purchase of foreign paper the
trust had too great supply on hand
and was compelled to shut down
twenty-four paper machines, while the
surplus was being consumed in Ameri'
can presses. And the protected labor
ers on these twenty-four machines
were compelled to find other jobs"
Senator Brown entered into discus
sion of paper making and the progress
that has been made in the manufac'
ture since the discovery that 1t could
be made from wood. The industry has
grown and prospered. he said, until
today American mills produce more
than 100000 tons of print paper an
nually and are able to supply the
American market.
Ground wood pulp Is made very
largely from the spruce tree with Q
limited amount from the hemloci
tree, he said. The spruce Is already