The sun., 1918-07-10
LACK OF PAPER LAID
TORAIL CONGESTION
High Prices Due to War Con.
ditiOns Cause Unrest.
in Market.

Railroad congestion. especially since
| the Government took tho roads over, and
increasing high prices due to war con-
dtions are the two principal causes
| for the shortage and somewhat chaotic
| condition of the commercial paper mar
| ket. according to several wholesale paper
| dealers Above all, the difficulty of
getting stock. owing to the railroad con-
dtions, appears to be the principal
cause.
w. Sherman winslow, sales manager
of the j. L. Linde Paper Company. an
| organization that deals In all sorts of
| paper in both this country and South
America, had some interesting facts to
give yesterday relative to the situation.
His tone, on the whole, was one of opti-
mism, and this is reflected by practically
all the paper dealers
Mr.. Winslow said many OF the mills
| were booked up with Government orders.
many of which appeared needless Thou
sands Of pounds of paper are used In cir
| culars. printed on one side only. and
| mailed in large envelopes. that are
thrown in the waste paper basket as
soon as they are received.
During June. Mr.. Winslow said, there
| were increases in price of 10 to % per
cent. on every fine paper made, Since
the war the cost Of these papers has prac-
! tiSdiiS uouuleu MANY HILLS Will IlOI thhe
! orders at all, owing TO the fact that they
are booked so far ahead. Others will
take orders to be delivered in two to
three months time at the price then OBJ
| tanning. 1t takes twice as long to de-
| liver paper as II used to, and one OF the
causes Of this, according to Mr. Winslow
was because OF the frequent embargos
put on the freight cars. He cited the
case of the American Writing Paper
Company of Holyoke. Mass. which for
some time was allowed to ship but one
| car a day when II was anxious to ship
| ten.
Many suggestions have been brought
| forward as the best means OF easing up
| the paper market and manufacturers
and wholesalers are looking with OPP
| timism TO a meeting tomorrow in Wash
| ington of representatives OF the paper
trade with the stationery division OF the
War Industries Board. when the prob
lens confronting the paper men will be
discussed and probable action taken to
| aid them.
Among the suggestions brought for.
ward lately by paper men for aiding the
market Is that all laid papers be elimi.
mated. that special finishes such as linen
or Tellum be dispensed with, that bond
! papers be limited to five grades, tina,
| colors be reduced, that maximum weigh,
! bases be established and that all special
| making orders shall be made only on a
| substance weight basis and only or
/ orders for 10000 pounds or more Of q
| special size.
One paper man stated that rags have
| gone up and that this had a lot to dc
with the higher cosrs OF manufacture
| People are wearing their clothes for
longer periods and are not so willing "a
toss away linen and other cloths as they
were Rag pickers are doing a bit OF
war profiteering of their own apparently
The waste OF paper is great. accord
/ Ing to many dealers. Writing on one
side OF note paper, for instance, and
using long sheets when short ones would
do Is practised everywhere. Wrapping
| paper Is tossed away after being used
once and the pieces are practically toe
| large for the bundles When a butcher
slaps a minute bit OF steak into a sheet
OF paper big enough to carpet a parlor
| floor he may be making the package
| look as though II were worth the small
fortune paid for 1t. but he certainly IL
! not conserving paper.
| 1t IL the consensus OF opinion that (,
Is impossible to arrive at any definite
conclusion as to the amount of cur.
tailment that the paper business must
undergo in order to keep its head well
| above water. Many dealers look for.
ward confidently to some meas ures taken
| by the Government which will make
such substantial saving in transporta.
ton that the actual requirements of the
paper business may be nlled.