Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-15
Reprned from
5,
WILL PAPER PRICES GO HIGHER OR LOWER?
Explanations Opinions BY Paper Manufacturer
Explanations and Opinions by a Paper Manufacturer
BY B. A. FRANKLIN

But consider material probably the largest ele-
ment of cost advance.
Let the who feels that there is nothing in the
advance of materials warranting such increase
in the price of paper attempt buy pulp for less
than six cents per pound where it formerly cost less
than half of this. All grades of rags have gone up
from seventy to hundred and fifty per cent over
the prices of 1915.
Consider the color situation also It is notorious of
course that there has been great scarcity in the
color Market and yet with the exception of very
few the manufacturers have been able to purchase
most of their coors but certainly not without substan
a increase in the cost, any who buys inks to-
day will readily realize.
Paper has advanced in the higher grades forty to
fifty per cent and yet with the exception of labor
which has increased some ten per cent practically
yhng that enters into the cost of paper has gone up
very much more
There are two statements that can safely be made:
First that the price of paper today is not too high
as compared with the cost of the elements that enter
into it.
Second that the facts above, coupled with the law
of supply and demand, have created the present
dition.
WHAT OF THE FUTURE7
Taking the facts recorded into consideration it
would certainly unlikely that labor is liable to be
any cheaper until the is over.
There can be no question that there is an actual
shortage of materials entering into the manufacture
of paper in the United States today This shortage is
brought about because of the absolute soppage of rags
coming from other countries and because of the con-
siderable decrease in pulp.
Moreover, this shortage is aggravated by the added
of rags in other than paper industries such as
celluloid, moving picture films, etc.
Add to this shortage the naturally large demand of
duet 10 he In1sin n
is very plain that without the cessation of the
war, recession in the general volume of business
nothing be expected in the way Of reduced prices
of paper.
Conditions which have brought about the increased
cost of labor and of all supplies be changed be-
fore the result of these conditions will change And it
very likely that the solution of the problem will
be apparent to all sufficiently in advance so that
any predictions to the future can believe safely
be based on the facts as stated.
Such conclusion would be that there would be no
recession in the price of papers until the conditions
change, and with the booming demand in the fall it
may be fair prediction that prices will go up further
Moreover think that more attention should be
paid to making that that paper used which best
expresses the intent of the message thai to the cost of
the paper. Many of realize that too often cheap
paper has been used and while few dollars have been
saved paper, if the facts really known it might
be discovered that the consumer has lost money by re-
ducng the result getting value of his printed matter
He has saved little at the spigot and lost the bung
hole, merely because he has particular method of
recording what he is losing at the bunghole.
We do advise, then, that prices are unlikely to 90
down until known conditions change that with the
booming business in the fall they may go up; that
the printer buy the paper fitted to the purpose of his
job giving his customer thereby the best service and
that he buy his paper at the market price the time
of obtaining the job.
The general conditions unusual, but it seems to
us that nothing is to be gained by aggravating them
They must be met until the situation eases up, and
when that time comes shall probably have received
advance notice of it.