Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-12-17
|PAPER PROBLEM
| STILL UNSETTLED
Joint Meeting of Publishers,
Manufacturers and Others
Ends; No Agreement.
NO AID FROM THE MILLS

After an executive session which
lasted all afternoon in an effort TO
reach an agreement for an equitable
distribution of news print paper, tho
Joint meeting of the federal TRADE
commission and committees represent
ing news print paper manufacturers.
the large publishers. small publishers
and jobbers ended without any definite
agreement. However. an official of the
federal trade commission described the
situation as hopeful"
Information gained from those at
tending the session behind the closed
doors indicates that the manufacturers
have conceded nothing, and are at
tempting to get the publishers to ad-
just their requirements among them
selves.
Five Per Cent of Total.
The representatives of the manufac-
turers made proposition to sell q
sufficient amount of paper to supply
the small publishers at the average
contract price to be paid in 1917 by
the large publishers, provided the lat
ter will release from their contracts
an amount necessary to do this. The
amount was said by an official OF the
commission to be approximately pei
cent of the total amount contracted
for in 1917 by the large publishers.
which includes papers having a eircu-
lation of 10000 or more.
There was considerable discussion OF
the proposition, and no proposition
whatever was submitted by the pub
fishers, the consensus of opinion being
that they could not bind the large pub
fishers to give up a part OF their sup
ply. They now are being forced to re-
duce their tonnage Of 1917 as compared
with previous years.
The representatives of the jobbers
said that they would take this supply
which would be pooled by the large
reasonable charge for the benefit of the
small publishers. This reasonable
charge, il was said. is slightly less than
a cent pound over the average price
that would be paid at the mill
To Reach Every Publisher.
After considerable discussion II was
decided to have committees represent
ing the parties interested meet the fed
eral trade commission at its offices in
the Commerce building tomorrow for
the purpose of preparing a question
naire which would be sent TO every
publisher in the country in an effort To
ascertain their requirements.
This committee is to consist of Frank
z. Glass and l.. Il. Palmer. representing
the large publishers; Arthur II. Dunn
and ]. Raymond Hoover of this city,
representing the small publishers. and
J. Boyd Potter and a. T. Houck. repre-
serti"cr the anu ia rtrrerg
1t was the general view of the pub
fishers at the meeting that the propo-
sition did not act as full solution OF
the problem, and there is some doubt
as to it's feasibility.
+ Points to Difficulties.
Following the adjournment, it was
pointed out by one publisher that the
large users of news print have been
practicing economies by scaling down
everything for some time, and that they
are being forced to take less paper in
1917 than before Yet the manufac-
turers are asking them to poo part
of this for the benefit of the smaller
publishers.
The publishers. il was further pointed
out are put in the position of having to
increase their advertising, both in ratio
and volume. To increase the volume
in order to meet the increased cost
they will have to increase the size OF
their papers, and yet the manufactur-
are asking them to cut down the
size
While it was said in the session that
the manufacturers pointed out that
they were increasing the number of
news print machines in their mills,
nevertheless it was stated that the
increase was not sufficient to take the
place of the number of machines trans
ferred to the manufacture of other
grades of paper. although the consump-
ton of news print paper is increasing
annually