Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-18
Cost of Production There is Greater
Than in This Country,
TnLMAN wHACKs NEWSPAPERS
scowls, Stamps His Foot and Cries
"Humbugsw
MAINE SENATORS TO THE FORE
Hale and Frye Quick 10 Defend wood
Pulp Manufacturers of Their own
state - story of Days
TariH Debate.

WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE battle to
place wood pulp and prin; paper upon the
free list was opened up in the senate to-
day under the leadership of Senator Brown
of Nebraska. Going over to the portion
OF the chamber In which Senators Aldrich
Hale, Frye, Lodge, Gallinget Smoot and
other leaders have their seats, the Ne
braskan stood in the midst Of the oppos-
ing force, and with good nature banded
thrusts that came to him from all quar-
ters as he delivered a telling speech in
behalf of the cause he has espoused
Showing familiarity with all available
Information on the wood pulp and paper
schedule, Mr.. Brown frequently quoted
from various authorities to sustain his
contention that wood pulp and print pa
per are both produced in the United states
with cheaper labor and cheaper materials,
resulting in cheaper product than can
be obtained in the Dominion Of Canada
| Citing rates of wages in this country and
| in Canada, he undertook to show that the
! United States had an advantage I'm that
! respect. Turning to his republican col
! leagues he asked them how, In view of
that fact they could Justify a duty on
! the products for the protection of labor
Without divulging the source of their
I IT.
ators Aldrich and Hale flatly contradloted
these statements in reference to wages
and cost of production. They insisted that
the Mann committee of the house OF rep
| resentatives, from which Mr. Brown
quoted was lacking In accurate testimony,
and contended that, even accepting that
report, 1t could not be maintained that
the United States had an advantage in
the production.
Mr.. Browns Speech.
| 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 mem
tioning.
This question depends on the cost OF
production at home and abroad II foreign
ers can manufacture print paper for less
than It costs Americans, that amendment
of the finance committee might find justi-
fication. II the fact be, as I shall prove il
is, that print paper can be made and Is
being made at less cost here than else
where then any duty in any amount is
wholly wrong in principle and utterly un-
endurable and extortionate in practice.
Canada had investigation into the
subject in 1901. The testimony in that In
vestigation showed that the American mills
had an advantage of S. per ton in the cost
OF production of print paper Following
that report the manufacturers OF Canada
petitioned their government to continue the
Is per cent ad valorem duty on paper i'm
portations
Wages Higher I'm Canada.
"our consul in the province of Quebec
reported that the laborers in the Canadian
| rapaiyad as hiph bIahar
than those in American mills. II is undis-
puted by the testimony taken by this SOM
mittee that many of the workmen In the
Canadian mills are American citizens and
receive higher wages than when in the
United States"
Senator Brown drew the following con-
clusions at the end of his argument:
"Our pulp wood supply is nearly ex-
hausted
THE pulp wood supply OF Canada is ap-
parently inexhaustible
Free pulp wood would tend to conserve
our pulp wood.
"The production cost of print paper Is
less in the United states than It is ia
Canada.
"A ton of news print paper costs in
Canada s2s.54 to manufacture, in the United
States It costs $27.74 per ton.
THE print paper market is controlled In
the United States by combination. and
whatever duty the law may fix. will assist
the combination in that control in violation
OF the law In competition to the injury and
| outrage Of the public
by reason OF such control, the cost Of
print paper to the consumer has been arbi-
trarily advanced to an unreasonable and
uncomfortable profit TO the manufacturer
Print paper advanced from fSs in 1907 TO
$42 and $50 per ton in 1908.
THE importation OF print paper for all
time has been negllble.
The proposed duty on pulp and print
paper is therefore not necessary for pro-
tective purposes, nor useful for revenue
purposes 1t is an outlaw duty and should
be stricken from the bill"
Brown and Frye ArEus.
Mr.. Frye Interjected that the average
cost of spruce wood from Canada deliv-
cred at Maine paper mills $l0.O2 a
cord MIR. Brown replied he would abandon
his contentious and vote for IS a ton on
print paper II the testimony OF one respon-
slble witness in support Of Mr.. Fryes
statement could be cited
| In opposition to Mr.. Browns statement
that print paper can be manufactured as
cheaply in the United States as in Canada
/ Mr.. Frye said that while skilled labor in
! Canada is paid as much as In the United
/ States, unskiled labor. which. he said, is
10 per cent Of the whole labor involved, is
paid 90 per cent less in Canada.
Mr.. Aldrich said the house committee,
in recommending the 81 rate on print paper,
did not take into consideration the differ
ence In cost OF wood at mills in Canada
and the United states and the senate COM
mittee had added 81 a ton on that account
! Mr.. Brown asked Mr. Hale II the results
! OF a ten months investigation by the house
committee we're less reliable than ten
weeks consideration by the finance com
mittee Of the senate. Mr. Hale said the
| facts brought out By Lhs finance commit