Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-15

where 10 the NeW1p11nI NOluin8
From?
The most important question before the
country II mot how to get more rail facilities.
q practical method Of dealing with radicaAsm.
ratification OF the League OF Nations, nor yee
the high cost Of living; it's newsprint, and II
you don't believe it ask the nrst Newspaper
publisher you meet Scores, yes hundreds OF
daily papers are not sure that they will be able
to issue any longer than day after tomorrow,
and it isn't necessary to go thousand miles
from Rock Island to find some that are in this
very FIX
Last year the consumption IN this country
was a good many thousands Of tons greater
than production in the United States and for
eign demand began to pick up. besides. Use
Of white paper is a pretty accurate guage OF
the amount OF business done. and business ad-
mittedly has been good. Publishers. at numer-
Gus conferences among themselves and with
paper manufacturers, have come to the con-
clusion that they may be able to pull through
by mutually cutting down 10 per cent on con-
sumption till American mill facilities are in
creased, or the European pulp industry gets
once more upon its feet.
That may take care Of the situation tenn
porarily, but radical changes in the paper max
ing business in this country, either along the
line OF development of new sources OF timber
supply or the substitution Of some other mate
rial for fibre is going to be necessary before
many years. After a survey Of the situation
the forest service Of the department of agricul-
ture predicts that in less than 20 years s. per
cent OF the pulp and paper mills in the country
mainly those in the east, will have practically
exhausted their supplies of spruce, hemlock
and fr-the principal woods from which the
paper on which newspapers are printed is
made.
The annual cutting of these woods in the
New England states and New York is approx
mately 3.262,000 cords and at this rate the sup
ply will last approximately II years. The esti-
mated annual cutting in the lake states is
100000 cords, and if continued will exhaust
the supply in tina. region within Is years.
! Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North
Carolina with their smaller forest resources,
are even worse Off the annual cutting being
calculated at 1,470,O00 cords, at which rate
the spruce. hemlock and fir will last but 10
years. Only in Alaska, Washington, Oregon
and California are the reserves in no immedi-
ate danger of exhaustion il the cutting con-
tinues at the present rate of 2,21S,O 900 cords
a year.
Even il the country's hemlock, spruce and
fir resources, including the vast forests Of far
off Alaska, are Jumped together, the supply Of
these woods will be sufficient to meet the lum-
Der and paper demands for less than three
fourths Of a century, assuming that the present
rate of cutting continues. At first glance it
might seem that national supply for three
fourths of century makes it unnecessary to
worry over the paper question for some time.
But, as already stated, 95 per cent of the pulp
and paper mills are located in the east these
are very expensive establishments, often cost
ing millions of dollars, and cannot be moved
conveniently to new locations, nor wood
be shipped to them economically from great
| distances. Consequently talk OF easily utilizing
the far-off reserves is impracticable unless the
present mills are to be scrapped and new ones
built nearer the source of supply.
Up to 10 years ago the United States was
| selfsupporting with regard to nemsprint, but
| within the last decade the consumption has ex-
ceeded home production and promises to do
| so increasingly In view Of this situation two
| alternatives present themselves, according to
| forest service experts and representatives OF
large wood using industries The country must
| depend increasingly upon Canada eventually
abandoning many of its mills, or the nation s
| policy with regard to its private forests must
| be radically changed.
The forest service points out, however, tina,
whether paper interests rely increasingly upon
Canada. or upon increased use of our western
resources, in either case these are temporary
| expedients. In the long run the country mus,
solve the paper problem on the basis of a per-
manent wood supply. To this end it is urged
that the mill waste be utilized for paper max
ing and that the forests of this country be re-
generated and administered on a more pro-
! ductive basis.