The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1920-07-23
DEPLETION OF
FORESTS CAUSES
PAPER SHORTAGE
SMALL PAPERS ARE HARD HIT;
ALASKA TIMBER OFFERS
SOME RELIEF

I WASHINGTON, d. C., July 2i.-Thc
fundamental cause for the present
shortage of newsprint paper is the
serious depletion OF the forests of the
northeastern and the lake states
+ where there is an oyerdeyelopmenl
oil the pulp and paper industries, ac
cording to report TO the senate by
the forest service, United States de
partment OF agriculture, in response
TO request for information on timber
depletion, prices, exports and owner
ship. The report, watch has recently
been made public, is one OF the most
comprehensive ever prepared dealing
with The lumber resources OF the
nation.
! Since the requirements OF paper
making restrict the kinds of wooC
that can be advantageously used iT
making newsprint, four species
spruce, hemlock, balsam and poplar
supplied "a per cent of the tota
amount manufactured in 1917, accord
ing TO the report The occurrence oil
these species chiefly in the Lake
states and New England, has led tc
the Decentralization OF the paper
making industry tnefe.
Paying Penalty for Depletion.
Until recently, when abnormal de
mands, short supplies and resulting
high prices led to increased news
print production through the utiliZa
ton OF plants designed for and for
merly used in making other kinds
OF paper there has been no expan
sion in the newsprint industry IN
the United States since 1909 and We
have had to import large quantities
OF pulpwood and paper, the report
points out. The demand, however, mas
greatly increased, and because of ex
cessive depletion of our own resources
this country now is dependent upon
foreign sources for two-thirds of It's
newsprint or its raw material.
Even with the imports the supply
has been far short of the needs OF
the newspapers of the country in the
past two years. The contract price
has increased more than 200 per cent
while spot market prices are 500 per
cent more than 1915. Prior to the
war says tide report, 1.-The larger
newspapers secured all or practically
all OF their supplies under contract,
and relatively small percentage oil
the total newsprint consumption was
ha4-lled on spot market basis Dur
ing the last year the larger papers
have found 1t increasingly difficult to
secure all of their supplies under con-
tract and have been forced to secure
the remainder ir the open market. 1t
is in the open market that the fun
nI -,
supplies is shown, and this is reflected
in the much higher prices.
Small Papers Suffer Most.
unfortunately it is upon the spot
market that The smaller newspapers,
least able to increase returns by in
creasing advertising and raising their
rates. mast depend" The result hos
been that many of these small papers
have been forccl to curtail their Issues
and have had the greatest difficulty
In securing enough newsprint to con
tinue publication
II has been possible for The lumber
industry to move to more remote tim
Der lands as forests have been cut
away but The heavy Investment re.
quiled for paper plants has made tt
impossible for the paper industry to
do this. The result is that existing
mills are finding ii necessary to So
cure their Hppljes Of wood from in
oreasins distances. Spruce from Min
neaota and Canada for example Is
being hauled from REQ u 1900 mites
10 paper mills 10 Wisconsin,
The Timber is going fast. the
raPort says, 1t is reported thai in
Rev York. whore nearly so por cent
az onr neWsprlnt Is produced. co rer
cent ct the pnlp and paper mills have
absolutely M timber supplies Of their
own, For these muls there seer3s 10
re no other prospect shat To close
down in a comparatively few wears
In New Hampshire The cnniferops
paipwood has been eut heavily and
ten or tNslve years viii see the ond
OF The supply Aside from the stsfe
preserve in New York. in which 10
cutting 5 allowed. the bulk of HE
cohltefous pulpwocd In the east Is
located IN Maine. One company there
mas enough timber for forty to sjytv
years cut Others are estimated To
nave enough Go last fifteen 10 twenty
Yeats hui there are about fifteen coo.
pahles ea'ch nave no lands Of .heir
own and which viii haze diff4emIfy
IN purchasing material within teS
years.
In general tho palp ana paser Minis
q The northeast are becoming moTa
and more dependent upon Canadian
y cod. Saeh dependence. tha tenorf
points cat Is extremely dangerous
AL exports 81 pulpwood are Drohfb.
,Sed from Newfoundland. The Cana.
it3n provinces have prohibited The
EXPORT OF pulpwood from crown lands
y htcn form a very considerable par4
western Canada.
On The whole, the situation az tAe
lSWsp.int industry in The eastern
mites Stats is very unfayorable ans
kere Is little chance OF its hecominr
better tie report states. The onlT
htnga that can assure production az
wen approximate domestic require.
nehts are concerted effort to in
'feasa tbe production Of pulpwools in
he northeast and the development ri
ne neWspEint industry in the wesf
.ad in Alaska.
Alaska Offers Some Relief.
Fha timber OF The Toncass national
osest lin ALASKA Is said ~ the reno,.