The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-20
TARIFF ON
 PULP AND PAPER
Committee of Investigation
 Makes Report to House
DUTY MUST BE TAKEN OFF
Conservation of Forests Is Also Urged Since Great Wastefulness Prevails in Cutting Timber To Make
 Into Paper.

Washington. February 19.-A reduction on the newsprint paper from $6 ton to S2 a ton; the placing 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 recommendations of the select com mittee on pulp and paper investigation which made its report to the house today. | The report states it presents the unan- imous report of the entire committee.
 There are three processes generally used in this country for the production of pulp or fibre from wood," says the report ''These are the ground wood pro- 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 kind of pulp in different degrees of percen- tage. The ordinary news print paper is generally produced by the use of about 80 per cent of ground wood and about 20 per cent of sulphite fibre. Whether other kind of wood besides spruce can be profit ably used for the production of cheap print paper is a matter concerning which there is some difference of opinion"
 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 continuation of cheap ground wood produced from spruce trees and that the condition is likely to prevail in the fu- ture. The amount of spruce consumed in the United States in 1907 according to the report was 100000 cords for ground wood about 1,420,000 cords for sulphite fiber and about 3,450,000 cords for lum- Der. The amount of standing spruce is variously estimated, but is roughly guessed to be about 7OO0O,000 cords east of the Rockies.
 An appeal Is made for the conservation 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 exempted by the various states from the ordinary rates of taxation. It is also suggested that the national government start large tracts of young spruce for estS.
 The paragraph recommended for inser- ton in the tariff bill, placing a duty of one-twefth of a cent per pound on me chanically ground wood pulp provides that the article shall be admitted free of duty from any country, dependency or other subdivision of government which does not forbid or restrict the exportation Of or does not impose an import duty or charge upon mechanically ground wood or pulp for use in the manufacture of wood pulp. The duties recommended for print paper are:
 On print paper valued at not over 2A cents per pound, one-tenth of one cent pound; and on paper valued at over 2A cents a pound and not over 212 cents a pound, two-tenths of a cent per pound. The committee also recommends that the bureau of plant industry make inves- l tigation in the procurement and breeding of annual and perennial plants in the en- deavor to find some plant which, through breeding to that end, can be profitably used for the commercial manufacture of paper.
 It 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.