Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-12-30
y y ApIrttR pIt,I+ PROBE is
SUDDENLY ENDED
Manufacturers Flatly Refuse
to Discuss Price Increases;
Closes Session.
PUBLISHERS FIX THE BLAME
Neclare Jobbers Try to Take
Advantage of Shortage Pc
ports to Get Raises.
PUBLISHERS FIX THE BLAME

WASHINGTON. Dec. %. Hearings
rcoponcd here today bv the federal
trade commission IN its ncwsprilt
paper investigation came to "A sudden
cnd when paper manufacturers re-
fused TO discuss the rcasouabcnecs OF
ncwsprut paper prices- Both uuL-
lisherc and iohbcrs had been heard.
Tho manufacturers declared they
mad not had time TO study tables pre-
rared b. the commissions investiga-
torS, purpoTting to show huge profits
Members OF the trade commission an
n"unccd that despite IN apparent un-
Willingness by the manufacturers to
keen In the Investigation, the com,
missions report would be issued prob
ably in about ten days, and that such
recommendations To congress wou q
be made as were thot necessary. Al
the same time II was said the com
mission would be in position probably
hy tomorrow night To announce
whether its consideration of a paper
distribution plan showed an actual
hution under supervision of the COM
mission.
To Score Manufacturers.
1t was strongly intimatcd during the
day that facts uncovered by the COM
mission would be turned over to the
department of Justice. 1t was an.
nounced that IL the commission faile !
10 relieve conditions some other gov
crnmcntal agency might he able t.
help, The report to congress, Il - un-
dcrstood. will score manufacturers for
raising prices TO the extent Of forcing
many small publishers out of bust
ness.
Manufacturers proposed the dlstri-
Va - ut hAn nptEN. 4. q.
ago. Today's hearing was resump-
ton of that proceeding. interrupted TO
study the plan and give the manufac-
turers time to go over the commits
siun's cost OF production figures.
Blame l. Placed.
Publishers testifying today blamed
both manufacturers and jobbers for
prevailing conditions IN the newspaper
world 1t was declared that iobbcrs
mad taken advantage of the last two
weeks to try to frightcn publisher :
into paying high prices by claimine
q shortage existed which would pre-
vent many publishers filling their
reeds during the coming year More
testimony was brought out also CON
ccrnipg alleged rcfusals TO sell to pub
lishers and regarding different prices
quoted by the same MANUFACTURES. 1t
vas charged that an effort was being
made u discourage buvirg associa-
tons thru which publishers hope 90
purchase their paper more cheaply.
Publishers II was said during the
day, are going ahead rapidly with
their plans for constructing paper
making plants of their own. by the
middle of 1918. said A. j. Mcintyre.
paper expert Of the Newspaper Pub
fishers association, the publishers will
be virtually independent of the paper
makers.
Glass Gives Statement.
statement given out tonight 10y
Frank l.. Glass. chairman OF the eX-
ecutive committee of the committee
on paper of the American Newspaper
Publishers association, said in part:
This investigation has been going
on for over five months having been
initiated by request of the News
Print Manufacturers association for
such an investigation, the manufac-
turers claiming that an investigation
would show that they had been con-
ducting their business in the proper
way. The federal trade commission
has apparently pursued the investiga-
tion more seriously and has gone fur
thor than the manufacturers antici-
patcd when they made this request.
Delay: No Benefit
"rhc practical result is precisely
that which | predicted in my state
ment to the commission on December
10. There has been "A delay of II days
and nothing beenficial To the suffer
ing newspapers has followed so far.
In the meantime many contracts for
tonnage for 1917 have been closed at
the prevalent high prices resulting
from the fright of publishers over the
belief that dangerous paper famine
exists and this Notwithstanding the
trade commission earnestly requested
the manufacturers to suspend making
contracts until the hearings were