The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1920-08-25

OF PULPWOOD
FROM CANADA
TO UNITED STATES FOR JUDI.
CIAL DETERMINATION RATH-
ER THAN POLITICAL
AGITATION.

| OF Jhe canadian PUP ana Paper AS
sociation, told forestry conference
here today that the question of re-
moving restrictions upon the expor-
tation of pulp wood from the crown
lands of Canada to the United States
was one for judicial determination
rather than for political agitation.
The conference was held under the
auspices of the Society for the Pro-
lection Of New Hampshire Forests
and was attended by forestry experts
] and paper makers from the United
States and Canada. Mr. Beck was in
vited to present Canadas side of the
pulp controversy brought to notice
by the passage in Congress of the
Underwood resolution calling for an
American commission to visit Canada
with the view of obtaining the re-
moval restrictions on pulpwood eX-
ports.
Mr.. Beck declared that Canada had
no reason to avoid inquiry into the
equity of its timber laws by any inn
partial tribunal. He said it was not
true that the present shortage Of
printing paper in the United States
was chargeable to the Canadian TIM
Der regulations but that it was due
to world wide conditions, aggreyat-
ed by the "inordinate use Of paper
by both American and Canadian pub
fishers" He declared that free ac-
cess Ito Canada's pulp wood would
not give American publishers chea-
per or more abundant paper, as had
been claimed.
| Mr.. Beck asserted that the Cana
dian pulp-wood restrictions did not
apply to privately-owned lands from
which more than 100000, cords of
pulp wood were annually exported
to the United States. In addition, ne
said, Canada exports nearly 100000
tons of pulp and about $4,000 tons
of paper to the United States every
year, comprising approximately one
ninth of the American pulp consump-
ton and one-third of all the news
print paper consumed in or exported
| e..,z ILo IT,;+oJ G+atac
Restrictions on the exports Of pulp
wood from the crown lands, he de-
clared, were brought about solely by
the desire to conserve the pulpwood
resources and utilize thir products for
the up-building of the pulp and paper
industries within the Canadian pro-
vinces and with no intent to inJure
American industries.
"The real question at issue" ne
said. "is not whether this material
shall be available for the use of Am
erican publishers, but whether the
material cut from these lands shall
20 in the form of raw pulpwood to
the United States or shall be put
through at least one stage of manu-
facture in Canada" So far as Can
ada's pulpwood is being cut high
nercentage of it already was going to
the United States in one form or an
other. "Withput a very heavy IN
crease in the rate of cutting, invoIv-
ing the early destruction of the sup
ply, any relief to American publish
ers from this means would be impos-
sible" said Mr.. Beck. Quebec's pulp
wood is now being consumed at the
rate of over 100000, cords a year
and the best informed expert opinion
estimated the resources Of that pro-
vince would last not more than oO
wears at the present rate OF consump-
ton, said the speaker who declared
that Quebec's forests already are
threatened with early exhaustion.
Canada's great need today, said
Mr.. Beck, like that of the New Eng
land states, is for the inauguration
of reforestation policy that will IN
sure a permanent supply of timber
FOR her wood-consuming industries
Without it, he predicted the same
fate for the Canadian pulp paper in
d,st,v that is now threatening the
American. To open the crown lands
Of this time to Unrestricted exploita
tiop he said, would only hasten sucf
. condition and in the end benefit no
hodv.