The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-20
FACED RUIN
Small Publisher Hard Hit in
Paper Problem.
Secretary of Agriculture Issues
His Statement.
FEDERAL COMMISSIONS WORK
Relief Has Been Offered to
Newspapers Over U. S.
This Country Depends on Can
ada for Its Supply.
FEDERAL COMMISSIONS WORK

Washington, March 20.-The secre-
tary of agriculture, D. F. Houston, has
issued the following statement:
Conditions in the paper industry
have constituted one of the most serl-
Gus of our domestic problems during
the last year Due to the exorbltant
prices charged for news print, the
profits of the great dailies were either
wiped out entirely or else reduced to
a minimum, while the small publishers
were brought face to face with sus-
pension and even absolute ruin. Peri
odical publishers have Jared no less
badly, the profits of book publishers
have changed to losses in many cases,
and the price of paper of every KIND
has risen by leaps and bounds.
1.-The federal trade commission has
brought some measure of relief to the
newspaper publishers. Competition mas
been freed from restraint. prices have
been made to bear a closer relation to
the cost of production, and a more
equitable system of distribution has
been devised SO that the little fellows
will get their fair share of the manu-
featured product. But, While the IN
o11irv of the commission developed
artificial control it developed also that
there is almost an equal balance be-
tween supply and demand in the pa
per industry.
Increase in Demand.
.In 1914 we used about 5000 tons
of news print every day. Our present
use has reached 5000 tons day ana
the demand appears to be increasing
at the rate of 10 per cent year, ma
terially faster than the increase in
population. To supply our presses
with news print requires annually
about 100000 cords of pulp wood.
To meet our requirements for maya
zine and book paper, stationery ana
business papers of all forms. wrap
ping papers, wall papers, cardboard.
cords more of pulp wood are con-
sumed annually. Production barely
keeps pace with this consumption.
For instance, the estimated demand
for news print for the first six months
of 1917 is SS8,0OO tons. Against this
is placed an estimated supply of $780,
900 tons.
Depend Upon Canada.
LAS if this close balance was not
peril enough, there is the added fact
that the United States depends upon
Canada for third of its news-print
paper, either in the form of finished
product or raw material. This pro-
portion is increasing rapidly. The
pressure of economic conditions and
lack of foresight in cutting the forests
have so depleted the available private
supply of pulp woods in many
of the paper manufacturing states that
there is not enough left to last more
than ten or fifteen years. AS a con-
sequence, Canada is more and more
called upon for pulp woods, and Amer
lean manufacturers are showing an
increasing disposition to slip across
the border into the virgin forests of
the Dominion.
1T is this condition of dependence
that should be ended. Changes in
Canadian policy might at any time
cut off our newspapers from this
| source of supply or make it available
| only at excessive cost. On the other
hand. our own forest resources are
ample to meet all the paper require
ments of the country. Aside from the
waste materials produced in the
manufacture of lumber and the pos
sible growth on 100000 or TO-
100000 acres of cut-over forest lands
in the northern states. the publicly
owned national forests contain enough
pulp wood to supply the entire paper
next eighty years. Cut intelligently.
! it constitutes virtually an ineXhaust-
fble supply for all time.
Pulp Wood Supply.
THE forest service has estimated
the pulp wood in the national forests
at 00,000,0 100000 feet. This means
| 500, 100000 cords, and for all paper of
all kinds we use but 100000 cords
| a year There are other large supplies
of pulp wood on privately owned lands
| in the west. These western raw ma
| terials are much cheaper than the
woods now used by paper mills in the
| northeast. While pulp-wood stump
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