The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-10-17
PRINT PAPER SHORTAGE
SITUATION is SERIOUS;
HIGHER COST
Publishers Will Have To Raise
Selling Price, Declares S. :
S. CarvaIho

New York, October 15.-"The con-
sumption of newsprint paper is
greater at present than ever before
known in the newspaper industry.
The shortage of paper is felt every
where, and as result there is a
runaway mar'-et in the matter OF
price. Calculations are geneaily
higher than they were year ago,
land the size of newspapers, espe-
Chilly in the larger centers, have
grown out OF al proportion to the
amount of paper that is being manu-
featured"
This sums up 4 statement~on the
,newsprint situation made b. S. S.
Calyalho, noted newspaper authority,
this week. in which he most ems,
phatically impressed that grave sit
uation faces newspaper publishers
and most radical protective meas:
ures are needed to meet it, Mr..
GarvalhO declared:
No Reserve Paper.
st is no eXaggeration to say that
there is being used from fifteen to
thirty per cent more newsprint than
the mills can turn out. And there
/ is little or no reserve to make up
the deficiency.
| unless there are found ways of
cultailing paper consumption some
OF the bigger newspapers will soon
find difficulty in getting out at all.
And advertising is pouring into
the business offices with little or no
solicitation. The publishers cannot
afford to reject it, as they need all
the, revenue they can get TO meet the
extraordinary expenses and costs
they are up against.
Indeed. if this wave of advertis-
ing should subside. scores of papers
would have to go olt of business al
together.
Il The publishers win, have to raise
their selling price and do good
many other things, il they want to
core out whole
Higher Prices Must Come.
- "a r..y Crinion, in addition to the
Gaiiy papers SONG to- three cents the
price OF the Sunday papers should be
raised 10 ten cents. This does not
Nf~an ten cents in the country and
cYC-. o. eight COTS in the city, but
tea CO.. n the city and in the coun-
Try.
14'Paper will have to be saved by
.ccnders:hE the reading matter from
ten 10 twenty five per cent.
Shortage Was Predicted.
at might be well to here make a
brief presentation OF the newsprint
situation as it stands today News
paper publishers are face to face
with the shortage in print paper
which was predicted early in the
summer. More paper is being used
than is manufactured, and the mills
have little or no reserve. Inde2,
the demand is SO far ahead OF the
HIpply that many paper manufactur-
e-S, taking advantage of the short
Ttge. have already rcised the price of
srot paper far beyond anything in
the minds of the most pessimistic.
1.-THE squeeze was predicted for
November and December, but it be-
gan ahead of time in September, and
is daily growing more serious. The
paper cCr:ra!7i0r ere making contract
deliveric3 % . beet of their ability.
but many cf tier. are behind; and
besides this. Fhcfe is hardly big
newspaper in the country that is not
using a great deal more newsprint
than its contract calls for
Little New Production.
There is little new production in
Atnnf Nd IA r
new Canadian paper will be used for
export. The Canadian exporters are
after the higher .prices which the
European and South American and
other countries are Offering
Il am not sure that raising dailies
to three cents, and Sunday papers
10 ten cents, will cure the situation.
Ii should reduce consumption some
what. II will give the publishers adj
ditional> revenue TO help meet the
higher cost of print paper, labor and
other extraordinary increases, which
they are up against
II also recomn end substantial in
creases in advertising rates, not & a
cent or two a line, but increases bas-
ed On the increased cost of producing
the publication. This may reduce the
volume advertising a little, but even
that would help the print paper stu
ation.
sThe advertisers could not Justly
complain. The value of dollar
compared with several years ago is
around fifty cents, and even if the
rates were doubled the advertisers
would really pay no more than for.>
merly. The publisher is now bearing
the burden