New Britain herald., 1918-01-10

1 newspaper victories don't contribute l much to results"
 l Senators King of Utah and Sher-
 man of Illinois asked Senator Smith
 why it was any more necessary to have government control of print pa 1 per- for public safety and defense, i than of any other business. Senator l Smith replied that the print paper industry was truly controlled, and 1 that the government should inter- vene if the president believed it de- sirable.
 Senator Sherman criticised the reso- lution as tending to broaden the pow CT of autocratic government We've too much circumlo cution in l office now" he said. We have too much bureaucracy. I fail to see l where congress has the right to gov ern the news print trade any more ! than it has to assume control of the potato patches of the country" The measure was vigorously defend- ed by Senator Owen, who said such 2 step was necessary to break the pow CT held by the alleged paper monopoly over the press. He charged that the papermakers now could dictate to the press Of the country by withholding supplies.
 One of the greatest evils in the world is the effort to suppress the press." said the Oklahoma Senator. ''This was one of the means used by Germany to maintain a monarchy and autocracy. If we allow this to occur we will let a condition arise, the re- suit of which no one can foresee."
 Senator Wadsworth asked if by placing control of print paper with the Government a similar danger would not result in the United States.
 "No," replied Senator Owen, i've can cIothe our Government with pow CT without fear, because the people control this Government"
 Senator GaIlinger the Republican leader urged that no effort be made to rusk the measure through the Sen ate. Senator Smith of Arizona agreed to give adequate time for discussion before bringing it to a final vote, which probably will not be reached for several days as many speechs are to be made.
 News print paper jobbers told the federal trade commission that they would be forcer out of business if the commission undertook to supply small publishers with paper, as was QOne last year, and asked that Inelr status in the trade be defined when the commission fixed prices under an agreement by the manufacturers with the department of justice
 Commissioner Colver said the com- mission did not expect to undertake distribution again and called attention to the fact that an emergency which threatened to stop publication of many papers caused the commission to the court decree in the paper case de- fined their position, as it provided for regulation of the margin on paper sold by jobbers.
 Dr. F. o. Merchant. the commis- sion's paper expert, asked $. l.. Wilson of St. Louis, one of the jobbers, if he did not think the publisher had the right to buy wherever he chose.
 "Certainly," MT. Wilson replied. "but we do not want business diverted that belongs to the jobber."
 Specific questions of cost entered in to the discussion only once, when George E. TIosmr of Denver, Col, pro- tested for the National Editorial as- sociation, against a differential of 50 cents a hundred pounds between the cost of sheet and roll paper in tenta- tive prices effective until final prices are fixed. He said sheet paper should be from 15 to 25 cents higher.
 The commissions hearing was ad- journed until February 9 to allow the jobbers to produce data as to the cost If iStr