Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-23
OPINION OF JOHN NORRIS
Cheap Paper and Retention of Amer
ican Industry Involved.
PULP MONOPOLY IN CANADA
Provinces Trying to Force Manu-
facturers in United States to
Move Across Line.

Only by the adoption of the paper
clause OF the reciprocity agreement with
Canada can cheap paper and the reten-
fion Of the print paper industry in the
United States be secured, according TO
John Norris. representing the American
Newspaper Publishers Association. who
appeared before the Senate finance com
mittee today. Mr.. Norris said that from
present Indications these results cannot
be obtained In any other way
The Canadian provinces which control
the raw material of paper manufacture"
Mr.. Norris said. "are trying to force
American paper mills to move to the
other side of the boundary line. They
have prohibited the expectation OF pulp
they can starve out the American paper
makers. whose domestic supplies are
nearly exhausted"
Provinces in Control.
Mr.. Norris said that the dominion gov
ernment of Canada has not adopted this
policy of starvation. but that ''the domin-
ion government is as powerless to stop
the provinces from working out their pol
icies OF prohibition as the American gov
ernment is with respect to the Pacific
coast states in the matter OF japanese ex-
cluson. or the state Of Minnesota in the
regulation of its swamp lands
I'm 1901 declared Mr.. Norris, the
American papermakers had chance to
consummate an arrangement with Can
ada whereby the supply Of wood from the
province of Quebec would be continued
indefinitely. But the American Senate at
the instigation of ex-senator Hale and
Of the extreme 'standpatters' among the
papermakers, upset that arrangement
and undertook to bulldoze the Canadian
provinces SO that 1t could force them by
the imposition of retaliatory duties to let
their pulp wood come into the United
States without restriction. Instead of
composing the situation. they provoked
an ugly complication, to which the paper
clause OF the reciprocity treaty offers
the only immediate and promising solu-
tion.''
Determined to Dictate Terms.
Mr.. Norris said the duty of 81 per ton
proposed by the Mann committee, which
was satisfactory at that time to the
Canadians. would not now be considered
by them. He said that the provincial au-
thorities show grim determination in that
the province of Quebec recently refused
to consider a proposition Of free paper
i'm exchange for free wood.
They believe they have precipitated a
situation which has put the American
paper maker at their mercy. and they
propose to bring the paper industry to
that province upon terms dictated by
them
ris. own over 1900 square miles of tim
ber rights on the crown lands of Quebec.
from which they cannot now ship wood
pulp because of the prohibition Of May
1. 1910
Mr. Norris referred to Clifford Pinchot's
estimate three years ago OF the available
supply of wood pulp timber In the United
States, which would last, as follows: New
York state. eight and one-half years;
Pennsylvania nine years: Minnesota, nine
years; Vermont, eleven years: New
Hampshire. twenty-five years. and Maine.
twenty-eight and one-hah years.
Pulp Obtained Abroad.
Concluding, Mr.. Norris said that nearly
~ per cent Of the wood and pulp which
the United States now as the raw
material OF cheap paper comes from
abroad. The paper industry, he said.
paid $19 4O6.O4 to foreigners in the cal
endar year 1910 for pulp woods and pulp
to keep American paper mills going. The
consumers pdlQ peHdltleS VI SI.D.'tO III
retaliatory duty because there was an
adequate supply OF free wood in Canada
available for the needs of this market
Questioned by Senators.
Mr.. Norris was questioned by various
members Of the committee as TO the pur-
roses OF the American Newspaper Pub
fishers Association. He declared that his
work as chairman Of the paper commit
tee had been to do missionary work
among senator's and In other places" The
work all had been in the open he added,
no effort having been made to conceal
anything.
When Senator Smoot asked him IL his
bureau had not sent out various PAM
phlets urging the passage OF the reel
procity bill Senator Williams interrupted
by asking:
"You did not consider it any crime, did
you, Mr.. Norris. to send out literature in
favor of placing things on the free list?'
"On the contrary" replied Mr.. Norris
When Mr. Norris declared that the
American Senate undertook to buldoze
the Canadian provinces" Senators Bailey
and Hepburn objected to the word bull
doze'' and had il stricken from the rec
ord.