The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-05-02
Condition 10 tho Most Alarming That
Has Ever Confronted the News
paper Publishers Of the
United States.
GOVERNMENT WARNING
Sends Out Appeal for the Saving Of
Waste Paper and Request to
Cut Down Supply to the
Lowest Point.

The Gate City has recently men
toned the acute situation in this
country affecting the print paper
supply and in last evenings issue
gave local illustration of how the
increased price and the limited sup
ply is affecting The Gate City. The
statements made by this paper are
confirmed from all parts of the coun.
try and even the government admits
the seriousness OF the situation and
appeals for economy in the use OF
paper. Mr.. p. P. Adler, publisher Of
the Davenport Times and director Of
the Lee newspaper syndicate. has
just returned from trip to New
York City where he attended the
meeting of the American Newspaper
Publishers association and the print
paper question was the one theme
that received most careful considera-
ton. On Mr.. Adler's return to Dav-
export the Times carried the follow
ing story:
E. P. Adler. publisher of the Times,
returned Saturday night from ten
days trip to New York, where he at
tended the annual meeting of the AS
ISOLATED Press and the American
Newspaper Publishers association,
and reports that the print paper sit
uatfon is one of the most alarming
things that has ever confronted the
newspaper business, and affects, of
course, every other line of business
in the country which uses any kind
of paper in its business
The paper famine is SO serious that
the government has sent out warnings
to the public all over the country to
save waste paper and make every
possible effort to cut down their sup
ply. While the war is partially re-
sponsible for the present situation, 1t
is caused by two things: one is the
fact that the paper mills were not
prepared for the increased business
which began last fall and had not
laid In a surplus supply during the
summer; and the other Is the fact
that on account OF the war not only
are the larger European cities cry
ing for print paper. but American
manufacturers are compelled to pay
fancy prices for chemicals. sulphite.
wood pulp and coloring matter which
enter into the manufacture OF paper,
and which in some cases has adj
cause It cannot be secured from
abroad. The chemicals particularly
are scarce, and as most of the supply
OF chemicals for the manufacture of
paper has come from Germany, and
nothing is now coming over, it will.
easily be seen that this situation is
extremely precarious.
Manufacturers Get Together.
On the other hand, the paper manu-
facturers have gotten together and
by reason Of the high prices offered
for paper by foreign consumers they
have stiffened up and decided to take
advantage Of the situation, so mucn
so that it is impossible now for any
publisher to secure even pound OF
paper from any mill except the mill
with which he has been doing bust
ness, and this mill sets it's own price.
An entire day was devoted at the
publishers meeting to the print paper
situation, and the experiences told
there by some OF the big consumers
of print paper in the larger cities
were decidedly spectacular. Several
publishers reported that they only had
paper supply from day to day and
had been begging for paper in the
open market but were unable to
get any.
Representatives OF big newspa pers
in France, England, and South
America are in New York now beg
ging for paper and offering to pay an
advance of 100 per cent f. o. b. New
York for anything they can get. I'll
is natural that paper mills should
want to take advantage of this stu
alton, and they are not selling any
paper for local consumption that does
not bring high price.
A large Illinois publisher stated
that he had written sixteen letters to
paper mills asking them to give him
price on his supply for the coming
year and every one refused except the
mill with which he had been dealing,
and the management there told him
that 1t would quote him price later.
II was stated at the meeting that the
mills in this country did not have al /
together ten days supply of print (!
paper on hand, when it has been the