Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-22
American Publishers Reasons
for Urging Free Wood Pulp.
CHAIRMAN NORRIS REPORT
Facts and Figures Presented to the
Senate Finance Committee.
AMERICAN METHODS BEHIND
Present Conditions Declared to Be
Costing Newspapers Of Country
100000 a Year.

Costing Newspapers Of Country
$e,ooo,ooo a Year.
The Senate committee on finance,
which is conducting hearings on the
Mccall bill to carry out the provisions
of the Canadian reciprocity agreement
today took UP the wood pulp and print
paper provisions of the bill.
The first witness was Representative
SWasey of Maine, who protested against
the passage Of the bill. He spoke on
behalf of eleven paper mills in his dis
trict. Responding to questions pro-
pounded by Senator Taiiaferro. it was
paper trust" He declared that there
is no need to open up Canadian forests.
because there is pulp wood enough in
this country to supply all demands.
Arthur c. Hastings Of New York, rep
resenting the American Paper and Pulp
Association. embracing 235 manufactur-
ers. read letters signed by John Norris
and Herman Ridder OF New York, rep
resenting the American Newspaper Pub
fishers Association, directed to newspa-
pers in various sections OF the country.
The purpose of Mr.. Hastings was to
show that the newspapers were united
to compel lowering OF prices of
paper, and to answer the charge that
there is paper trust" and that it is
under investigation by the Department
OF Justice because of curtailing pro-
duction.
Denies There Is Trust.
I'VE have been criticised for ship
ping large supplies of paper abroad"
said Mr.. Hastings. But we do that
because the market is stable. the laws
of the foreign countries are not so
varying. We have not known peace
here for two years and have been pill
grims to Washington regularly" He
said there Is no paper trust and that
the books Of all the big mills now are
open to the tariff board. IF this
agreement should go into force" said
Mr.. Hastings. capital would rush into
Canada and soon there would be an
overproduction."
There is not mill In the United
States that could compete with Cana
dian mills. according to Mr.. Hastings.
Mr.. Taliaferro, reverting to the sale of
paper abroad by American mills, was
told by Mr.. Hastings that it was done
because the Canadians find the Ameri-
European.
Chairman Norris Statement.
John Norris, chairman of the COM
mittee on paper Of the American News
paper Publishers Association, presented
the request of daily newspapers for the
approval Of the paper clause in the reci-
procity bill as it passed the House. He
said he spoke on behalf of the ultimate
consumers. the newspapers. which must
bear the burden of every increase in the
cost of pulp wood, or pulp, or paper. He
spoke for the newspapers which pay
$o5OOO.OOO per annum for their print pa
per and which pay $1,000. 900 per annum
more than they would pay II normal con-
ditfons were permitted. He summarized
his conclusions under these headings:
Il. The increase of $3.50 per ton in
the price of print paper by paper makers
since the passage of the Payne law. not
wiithstanding q reduction of $225 per
ton in the rate of duty on print paper.
81 The increase Of price from $50 per
ton to S45 per ton. or nearly fifty per
cent, since thirty-two mills were merged
into the International Paper Company.
j. The efforts Of paper makers to
starve the paper market and increase
paper prices.
Il. Our complete dependence upon
Canada for pulp wood to keep our paper
mills going.
IS. The meaning Of the paper clause OF
the treaty, and its application to the Sc
rious situation that now confronts paper
users.
IS. THE failure of efforts to obtain pulp
wood from Canada by bulldozing.
II. The inaccurate Information which
has been furnished to senators about the
supply of pulp wood in various parts Of
the Union.
g. The labor cost Of making q ton of
news print paper Is slightly higher in
Canada than in the United States.
-. Modern print paper mills in the
United States make paper cheaper than
do Canadian mills.
List of Mills and Their Output.
AS exhibits to his statement he submit
ted a list of the fifty print paper mills
OF the country, showing their location
and their daily capacity;
Extracts from figures furnished to the
bureau Of corporations, showing how the
papers makers are restricting the supply
of print paper. also that January ], 1911.
there was only an eight-day supply Of
paper at the mills;
Data from the bureau OF statistics.
showing that for the month of December,
country more print paper than Canada
had shipped into the United States.
A letter from Mr.. Hastings. the presi-
dent OF the American Paper and Pulp
Association. dated July IL, 1910. urging
paper makers to curtail production:
A statement by Mr.. Edgar G. Barrett,
president of the Union Bag and Paper
Company. printed in London in August,
1910, declaring that the larger paper con-
Germs in the United States were reducing
their output to 35 per cent of their ca
pacity in order that weaker mills might
get the market,
Letter addressed by me to the Depart
ment Of Justice, giving details OF ap-
proximately 40 contracts for news print
paper used by approximately all but two
of the fifty print paper mills of the coun-
try. restricting the use to which the
print paper sold by them could be put
and doing this in direct violation OF the
Sherman law.
Copies Of Proceedings.
Mr. Norris said:
.In 1909 1 furnished to you copy OF
the proceedings against the General Pa
per Company, an organization of print