Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-08

Ihe high price of paper is one Of She
really important questions OF the mo-
iheht lnpcr OF al! sorts is scare. nn,;
apparently o.itimp sCarccr. This ia az
heciaIlN true OF The paper that news-
papers and She cheaper magazines ;,r.
printed ON. which h;,S soare. In n man
h.r c"mparsbit Ia the sensational ny
tensions performed hy tho prices q,
dyes and chemicals And paper to-
day. especially news-rrin, pap.r. >
lao Injury ~ is "a ucCr.sty or ON,
daily IIfc.
The brer"s, consideration SHOW.
WHAT 81 part paper plays ia the mod =
cin scheme If Things. You are CON
1inuhlN buying and using paper of one
sort or another iiom the time Won -,
up ana read e morning paper at break
fast To IN" time when Won lay aside
your book or magazine ana go 10 sleeu
~ night The amount Of paper that n
tiS city consumes In day ls .ror-
nous. Raise the pric" OF paper 40 OF
700 per cent and score of industrie.
are vitality affected.
The Nric" ~ paper has ris-u I'M.
HH""sel since the EuropcaU war hees:I.
"n@ partly I" HIGHER costs OF certain
chemicals. hut chi-ny To tic fact tha,
trad" with Norwa, ana Sw eden ~ DIS.
"ruEn!1ed. and FROM ihes. countries
"" h"d been importing yreat tuau,i-
Toe "f wood pull FOR paper manulac.
,
or tn" situation 10 nuy crcrt extent
=" TAR. IL - because tn. !nen who use
he paper IN their business AMI pay The
mus hiN" been holding ON ard hopin.
10. return % normal conditions
In the meantime wo ar. b.-iu
hinS TO economic. Oh paper IN ever,
l"ssihle way. More vast. paper, H..
beng saved and sold 10 be used o..,r
7""n III manufacture than aver be-
!"rt Advertisers have actually been
A-kch 10 hold ioxn tn s.2" Of their
advertisements In new Spapers IN order
ia uSc az little papc- as possible in yet
ing results. y congressional iny.sti-
Lation into the price OF paper has been
held. Som. OF the less wealth. pc.
riodicals are appearing printed ON pa
per OF ne" ana startling hue and sur
face The situation is unprcce in
~" history OF the paper industry
" all this = simply a result Of war
Conditions, the general sentiment is
that We snail just have 10 weather the
srinccncy as hes, as we can AMI he
li,tle more careful or our paper. !iut
II has been suggested that ne pres
"nt hiGh prices hr. at least in part q
result Of Increased demand, as weil as
OF Tie cutting on OF foreign supplies
In which ease the end OF the war win
not settle The question.
VAST Wuuh puip NuunI,
Ana this view. which has led us to
take stock of our national resources.
has drawn attention To the immense
ana ie-known stretches Of pare:
material in Alaska. News print and
similar parers are made trorn wood
pdlp. II is the steady depletion OF our
Timber lands that makes US deoeudent
ON foreign countries for any pulp stock
at all. And in Southeastern Alaska w..
nave, on government land. the prop.
"rtv of the nation. one Of tho .,reateat
supplies Of raw material for papcr.
making in the world
IL Is only recently that any atten-
i'on has been paid to these Alaskan
national forests. Great stretches OF
them are stili To I've explored. Eut We
know that they contain billions on
billions OF feet Of virgin timber Ma.
'ure seems 10 have laid them out es-
pectally with a view to Keeping the
American public amply supplied with
reading matter They are distinctly
what lumbermen know pulp
proposition: that il, they would natur-
ally and normally be worked for paper
rather than FOR lumber The trees are
large, often running up TO six feet in
diameter. but the quality Of the wood
is not the highest for building pur-
poses. They are capable, however Of
b"inr worked into paper equal to tho
h.si
Norway has made Of herself large
cxporter Of pulp and pulpwood. She
mas done this because her own natural
resources arc not Of tho most varied,
and. on looking them over. she found
that this particular industry was one
Tor which nature had fitted her she
had great stretches OF timber OF the
Erndc and species used in per manu-
faciurc. She has large rivers plunG-
INK down The steep grades from the
mountains to tie coast within few
Inlrs. and generating great power in
their low Her deep fords fun far in
ls...
rivers. 40 that dccp-sea vessels can
load AT the very mills. And Norway
ships pulp wood not only TO America.
hat through The Sucz Canal TO India
nnh China
Norway Duplicated There.
Now. in our own Southeastern Alaska
territory We have these very condi-
tons duplicated on a larger scale.
'rhrr" is the same juXtaposition of
water power, timber aud deep nords
running far inland where steamers can
load at the mill itself. The Alaskan
forests arc exceedingly dense and lux
urant. The rainfall is very heavy
twice as great rs that OF tho Eastern
tuitcd States---and the result is Il
prodiEal luNuriance Of vegetation hard
I" reconcile with the popular idcr. Of
Alaska. The forests are chOkcd with
lush undcrbrnsh. carpcted with moss,
and so ShadOwcd by the roof az spruce
and hcmlock foliage that the li;:ht in
them is :: half-twIlight AT noon.
Through this forest run many
streams, falling hundreds nf feet In
the course Of conlparat!vclv few
miles. which means speed II water
and resulting power. Tho American
Canadian boundary runs along the
crest Of the coast ranec--its location
was defined by tho treaty or pur-
chase from Russia aDd from that
crest to the very edge Or tho soa the
earth is clothed with trees
Tho coast line Ia worry irregular.
fringed with Islands. indonthd by doop.
narrow channels. Tho lnrgcnt steam