The Republican journal., 1920-05-06
SAVE WASTE PAPER.

This country is rapidly nearing the
time when there will be scarcity of
trees from which paper is made, and
consequently lack of paper which seems
1t is urged that we adopt settled and
vigorous system of forestry and reforesti-
cation with view of keeping up sup
ply, at least to such extent as is really
needful. This is a wise thing to do, not
only for the above purpose but also to
provide forest area sufficiently large
and so located as to preserve our valuable
water power supply and to prevent dis
astrous floods. Many years must pass
before forestry can produce adequate! re-
suits Something more should be done,
something which can be done in the very
near future. Our people, if they will,
can stop the waste of waste paper at
once which would in one year do more to
prevent paper shortage THAI forestry
which we can rely, show that the United
States annually produce 100000 tons of
paper. We import 100000 tons andsex-
port ITO, 900 tons. 1t will thus be seen
that we use annually 6,424,000 tons of
paper About 1000, 900 tons of used pa
per finds its way back to the mills where
the better grades are used for making
writing paper of some sort. Newspapers,
magazines, ETC., are worked into print
paper and the miscellaneous waste goes
into wrapping paper, pasteboard boxes,
commercial containers and other articles
which are made from paper stock. 1t is
safe to say that the amount of used
paper and articles made of paper stock,
which is burned in back yards, stoves
and furnaces, or otherwise wasted is
fully equal to the amount which now is
returned to the mills. Here is a waste
which ought not to continue. A greater
waste than this is seen in initial waste of
paper. 1t is safe to assert that more than
a million tons are wasted each year in
publications, circulars and propaganda,
none of which are Of benefit to the gen.
eral public, while many are misleading
and some are mischievous. The govern
ment wastes an immense amount of pa
per. This waste began long time ago
and has grown with the years, whatever
party has been in power, till a few
months ago government agencies were
issuing zoo different publications, some
large and some small. Quite recently I,
Congressional committee on printing sus-
pended iii of these, and even now we
have personal knowlege of several which |
are of no benefit to the public. We have
one before US as we write which is issued
by the U. S. Bureau of Markets, giving
the market quotations of the prices of
live stock. 1t is printed on a sheet of
excellent paper, Is inches long and
inches wide. The printed quotations &C.
cupy about one-seventh of one page. The
rest of the sheet is blank and we are
writing part off this itoriaI on the
back of it. These quotations come to
hand from two to four days after they
have been printed in the daily newspa-
pers. This and all other glaringly mex
cusable government wastes should be
stopped at once. BY far the greater part
of the initial waste of paper is chargeable
to private individuals and to corporations |
and We fear that waste will continue,
until the crafty cease to set snares for
the credulous. This waste can be offset
som ewhat by sending their propaganda
to the mills. To do this has become
public duty. Save waste paper