The sun., 1917-10-08
SENATORS URGE
US. CONTR0L0F
PAPER PLANTS
Operation of News Print
Mills Held Essential by
Committee Report.
PRESS FACES DISASTER
Dealers Said to Be About to
Exact Additional Tribute
of S17.5OO.OOO.

WAsHfN6roN, Oct. "A report recon-
mending Government operation Of the
print paper and pulp industries during
the war and arraignlng what 1t calls the
defiant attitude of print paper producers
was filed to-day by the Senate Printing
Committee. II will await action at the
December session.
The report says the Federal Trade
Commissions findings Snow beyond any
question that the print paper industry.
in its gieed for excessive profits, has
imposed n most unjust burden on the
American press, which faces serious
disaster II relief cannot speedily be had
from the oppressive prices now exacted
for prin. paper
II adds that the commission in its
recent investigation exhausted every
resource at It's command to obtain relief
for the publishers but has been able to
get only a small measure Of relief owing
ito the defiant attitude assumed by the
principal producers OF print paper and
lack OF authority OF the commission to
| enforce It's findings as to a fair and
| reasonable price"
Products to Re Pooled.
! Under a resolution introduced by Sen
! ator Smith Of Arizona and reported BY
! the committee for adoption the Trade
/ Commi sson would be empowered to con-
troll the production and distribution OF
print paper and mechanical and chemi-
/ cal pulp in the United States. All print
paper and pulp mills and agencies would
, be operated on Government account and
their products pooled in the commits
sions hands during the war emergenc!
and eQuitably distributed at price
based on production and distributor
cost. plus a fair profit a ton. to b
determined by the commission
Provision is made in the resolution
for cooperation with the Canadian Gov
ernment and for limiting imports int
the United States during the war *
shipments for Government account.
Seven Manufacturers Indicted.
The committee report points out ths
as a result of the commissions investi
cations seven leading news print manu-
facturers have been indicted for violat
ing the Sherman antitrust law, and tn
commission has entered formal com
plaint against the book paper manufac
turers bureau Of statistics and twenty
three member companies Of that bureau
but that up to this time neither tn
indictments nor the complaints hav
afforded any measure of protection t
the publishers.
Most of the newspapers of the coun
try, the report says, are now up to tn
point where they must soon renew con
tracts. and II adequate relief Is to b
had II must be without waiting for tn
prosecution OF the Indictments and com
plant.
THE committee" II concludes, "sut
mits to the Senate whether il is bette
TO safeguard the continuance Of a FIRE
press in this country by assuring it a
adequate supply OF prrt paper at fai
and reasonable price or whether to per
init a further increase IN the eycessiv
profits OF the paper Industry. which tn
Federal Trade Commission declares
about to exact $1,000, 600 more in eS
cessive profits from the American pub
, fishers. who are Loyalty and pakioticall
= supporting their Government In th
fateful hour"