New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-30
CONGRESS TO GET
NEWSPRnVT CASE
More Discrimination Is
Shown at Trade Commits
siOn's Final Session
SMALL PUBLISHERS
MAY HAVE TO QUIT
Manufacturers Offer No
Decentralization
Is Hinted AT

f ton, announced tndJ IL Would mhne al
carly report TO Congress and also fur
nish TO other government agencies I
facts brought out in the investigation, /
and declared that it would probably
make public tomorrow night state !
ment showing the amount OF newsprnt !
paper available for distribution and the (
amount needed b. the publishers who /
have not been taken care Of by con- /
tracts
+ Additional evidence Of discrimination /
was presented at the sessions to-day, .
rate as high as 10 cents a pound being /
demanded of many Of the smaller pub
( fishers. The commission was informed I
that unless some immediate relief was I
afforded many OF the small publishers /
would have TO shut down the first Of
( the year. Representatives Of these pub !
/ fishers declared that they were unable |
I TO purchase any paper whatever except /
By contracts, and that as the contract
price demanded by the jobbers from
whom they were compelled TO buy was
prohitibtive they would have to discon-
tinue publication.
Representative CHAMPION, OF Michi-
gan, declared that IL the Constitution
permitted n combination to control
necessity the trade commission should
certainly have the power TO fix prices
Of such necessity. He declared that
while certain papers had been able 70
get sufficient paper to meet their de-
mands they had had to pay dearly for
I il. II the trade commission has not the
power already to meet the situation,
declared Representative Champion, he
was certain Congress would pass the
necessary legislation giving it that
power.
No Defence by Manufacturers
Announcement by the commission
lust before tho close of the morning
session to-day that the manufacturers
would be heard in the afternoon
brought T. T. Ansberry, counsel for
manufacturers, to his feet with the
statement that they did not care TO
offer any testimony. He said that as
the commissioners, as well as the pub
fishers, were anxious to make an early |
report TO Congress, the manufacturers
ala not WISH 10 Ueldy the
Commissioner Hurley acquainted
Mr.. Ansberry with the fact that the /
hearings were granted at the request I
Of the manufacturers, and that, in view /
of the fact that they had seen mt to I
criticise the figures contained IN the
comissions preliminary report, MADE
public December ~, he believed II only J
fair that they either offer evidence /
showing them to be wrong or TO re- /
tract their criticism. Mr.. Ansberry re-
piled that the manufacturers had not
criticised the figures, but had not mad
ample time in which 70 examine them
in detail; that it would take months
in which to present the manufacturers
side of the case, and that, as they dld
not wish to delay the publication OIL
the commissions report, the manufact-
urers would not offer any testimony.
Commissioner Davies limited early in
the day that il the trade commission
failed 10 find relief for the publishers
some other governmental agency prob
ABLY could offer the aid asked. Pub
fishers believed he referred to the De-
partment Of Justice.
The unwillingness of the msnufac-
turers 10 testify drew sharp criticism
from publishers. Frank P. Glass,
chairman Of the paper committee OF
the American Newspaper Publishers
Association, told the commission the
manufacturers all along had declined
TO HELM solve the situation and that
their distribution plan was far from
concession, that 1t would not neon
venience paper makers, put the coun,
try's largest publishers, who would
have to relinqush paper to MI the
needs of the small publishers.
MIR. Glass's Statement
A statement given out tonight by
Mr. Glass said in part:
"This Investigation mas been gong
on for over five months, having been
initiated by a request OF the Newspfint
Manufacturers Association for such an
investigation, the manufacturers clam
ing that an investigation would snow
that they had been conducting their
business in the proper way. The Fed
oral trade commission apparently has
pursued the investigation more seri-
ouslv and has gone further than the
manufacturers anticipated when they
made this request.
"The practical result is precisely that
which | predicted in my statement TO
the commission on December II. There
has been q delay OF seventeen days
and nothing beneficial to the suffering
newspapers has followed so far. In the
mean time many contracts for tonnage
for 1917 have been closed at the preva-
lent high prices resulting from the
fright Of publishers over the belief
that a dangerous paper famine exists,
and this notwithstanding the Trade
Commission earnestly requested the
manufacturers to suspend making con-
, tracts until the hearings were finished.
az hope and believe that the commls-
sion will make such thorough report
of conditions and so distinctly hasten
the chief responsibility for conditions
mon those manufacturers concerned
hat either the Department Of Justice
or Congress. or both arms of the gov
} eminent. may be able TO devise sub
} stantial relief at an early day. II that
is done the price of paper will soften
materially in the next few months,
bringing il to a point in reasonable re-
lation to cost of production, which IS
not the case to-day in the judgment OF
the large majority Of publishers"
Tried TO Scare Publishers
Publishers testifying to-day blamed
both manufacturers and jobbers for
prevailing conditions in the newspaper
world Ii was declared that jobbers
had taken advantage Of the last two
weeks TO try TO brighten publishers
into paying high prices by claiming a
shortage existed which would prevent
many publishers filling their needs
during the coming year. More testi-
mony was brought out, also, concern
ing alleged refusals TO sell to pub
fishers, and regarding different prices
quoted by the same manufacturers. IL
was charged that an effort was being
made 10 discourage buying associa-