The Sentinel=record., 1913-01-18
NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS URGE COMMITTEE TO PUT PAPER
 ON THE FREE LIST.
WILL ADMIT BIBLES FREE
Committee Reaches Agreement That Tariff on Tobacco Shall Remain in the Same as the Weed is
 Regarded as Luxury.

Washington, Jan. 17.-Substantial reduction Of the tariff all along the line in the wood pulp and print pa per schedule and retention of approxi- mately the existing duties on tobac. co. cigars and similar articles, con stitute part of the Democratic tariff revision program to be presented to the incoming extra session of con gress This was the situation as viewed by Democratic leaders after two sessions today and another to- night in the marshalling of testimony on schedules 'M," pubs, papers and books, and "t'', tobacco and it's man. ufactures.
 Just how far the Democratic mem bers will go in cutting the paper sche- dule is problematical. So far they have not had a conference on the subject, but the consensus of their sentiment favors reduction wherever possible in this part Of the tariff law.
 Of the incidental portions of the schedule it is probably assured that the committee will provide for free admission of bibles and of other re- ligious works. A plea for elimina- tion of the 25 per cent duty on bibles was made today by the Presbyterian committee of publication, through k. E. Magill of Richmond, Va, it's sec retary. . A
 Most of the Democratic members of the committee regard the items in the tobacco schedule as luxuries, and one of the schedules most easily adapted to revenue raising purposes.
 Chief interest of the day centered in presentation of arguments of the spokesmen of the newspaper publish CTS and the diametrically opposed paper manufacturers. John Norris of New York, chairman of the commit tee on paper of the American News paper Publishers association, repre- senting consumers who pay $55,000,- 900 year for news print lpaper-the newspapers throughout the country presented testimony frequently marked by colloqule with Republi- can members Of the committee in favor of letting down the tariff bars that shut out Canadian paper, and the cutting off of all restrictions upon the importation of the cheaper grades of paper and wood pulp enter ing into paper manufacture.
 The American paper and pulp as- sociation through Arthur c. Hast ings of New York city, it's president representing, he said the paper in- dustry with an investment of $4O0,- 000,000 and an annual business Of $500 100000 voiced opposition to change in the present tariff
 representatives of the wall paper industry through Robert Graves Of New York urged an increase from 35 to 40 per cent on foreign wall paper which he said comes into competition with the higher grades of domestic wall paper.
 MT. Norris in his plea for news print paper from across the Canadian border, said that tho American news paper publishers wanted congress to insure the procurement of a per manent and adequate supply of cheap paper by broadening the paper mar ket to the utmost" he asserted that the paper makers had been coddled and enervated by the tariff; that the international Paper company had falsified and juggled the figures and had starved the market, that there had been fixed prices for years among the paper manufacturers and that he could not buy ton from the paper mills at price within reason. He charged that the paper makers had attacked the credit of projectors of new enterprises and had urged banks to refuse them loans, and that since 1898, when the Inter national Paper company was form the paper makers in substantially all groups, had been trying to regu- late the market by combinations and to maintain prices.
 Mir. Norris further stated that ex- ports of the paper trade in 1912 ex- ceeded the 1911 imports by more than S2, 900 900.
 MT Hastings, speaking for the American Paper and Pulp associa- tion, said that in the industry there were 500 establishments in 32 states, S0,O00 persons. He said at least S5 per cent of products of the mills is of quality that could be imported into this country of value of not over four cents pound at