Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-12-14

Nobody knows when print paper
will come down In price to its per-
manent price level but It Is likely to
break sometime during the coming
year. Print paper. however, will
never again sell at It's pre-war price.
Standing timber gets farther ana
farther away from the mills with
zach years out ana freight rates on
the pulp and tho paper are likely to
stay up for long time. So Is the
price Of coal and the price OF
lumber Jack labor likely to remain
somewhere above prs-war levels but
print paper is higher now than II
viii be In the future.
Before the war paper cost $40 per
ton at the mill and $3.50 freight to
Marshalltown; ta2.Sl7 for the T.-R.' 8
one years supply. Subscribers paid
then "a per year by mail.
During the war paper went to SOS
per ton at the mill plus 50 for freight
and war tax and the cost Of one
years white paper supply for the
T.-R. jumped to 3A6.Sa6. Subscrip-
ton price by mali then rose from 81
to IS and $3.50 net cash In advance
or an average increase less than Is
per cent to meet an increase OF 100
per cent In the cost OF paper. Sub
scriptions should have gone up TO $40
had not the advertiser absorbed
the major part OF increased expense.
In the meantime printers wages
doubled.
The lowest contract price offered
for next year 10 $i+l per ton at the
mill plus So for freight and tax but
the T.-R. Is now paying $50 per ton
at the mill on the open market and
thereby hangs tale.
Manufacturers Ten Year 0ouae.
Last summer when contract paper
was SOS per ton and the open market
price was s240~ per ton the mill man
ayers OF the five largest mills in
North America controlling Is per
cent OF the total tonnage OF paper
produced in this country knowing Of
new mills that were being built and
fearing an overproduction decided to
contracts. Mississippi valley pub
fishers were assembled in Chicago
and told that they must get ready to
sign long time contracts or be
thrown on an open market for their
supply which was then practically
unobtainable. The T.-R. was covered
with q contract for its supply well
up to this last Thanksgiving and de-
cided to gamble that paper was go
ing to break in price or else manu-
facturers would not be so anxious to
contract ahead.
In November tho contracts were
sent out requiring publishers to sign
for ten years. price to be fixed by the
mill but to be governed by the aver
age Of the five mills who were all do
ing the same thing to their customers
and containing clause that would
have given the mill the right to col
lect $40 per ton liquidated damages
to the end Of the ten year contract If
the publisher should violate his
agreement. The open market price
Of paper then had come down from
$240 per ton to $500. The T.-R. re-
fused to sign but IS per cent Of the
mills customers signed that ten year
one sided contract. Today the T.-R.
is paying $3.50 per ton on the open
market and next years price to those
who signed the ten year contract has
been fixed by the mill at $141 per ton
at the mill. This is an increase Of 40
per cent over the price paid by
Mississippi valley publishers this
year and So subscription prices have
gone up to Sc per year by mail, an
advance OF 20 per cent in subscrip-
ton prices to meet a second advance
Of 40 per cent in print paper and adj
vertising rates have remained un-
changed.
A Far-sighted Policy.
"How is the publisher to get by? is