The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1920-08-28

only our own knowledge of what is
going on in the world, but the educa-
ton of our children. Indeed, were
this industry to decay and disappear,
we would revert toward the dark ages.
The outlook is tremendously grave.
Yet not a thought is given to it by the
mar who opens his newspaper at the
breakfast table or by heads Of great
business organizations depending upon
nationwide markets or by those re-
sponsible for the education of the
coming generation.
1t is time to sound a tocdn.
The threatened calamity is already
creeping-yes, dashing-toward US. We
have begun, but just begun, to feel
the effects, in the form Of the doubling
or trebling of the price of our news
papers, the sharp rise in the price of
most magazines and other periodicals,
the advance in the price of books of
all kinds. including school books, and
the additional charge made for many
ARTICLES sold in paper, cardboard and
such like containers.
Presidential nominee Harding re-
ferred to It the other day during a
conference with editors. The words
he used were:
know how intimately you are
thinking of the problem of news
print, the cost of which has added
so excessively to the expense ac-
count of every newspaper. Men
speak of immediate relief. but the
problem is too big for that. Per-
manent and ample relief must
come by going to the underlying
causes. 1t is obvious that we must
have q forest policy which shall
make US self-rel.ant once more.
Forest conservation is a neces-
sary accompaniment to printing
expansion, and a matter of COM
mon concern to all the people.
go
Yes, this is matter of common
concern to all the people. this alarm
ingly rapid using up, without replen-
ishment, of the timber supplies of the
United States and other countries nee
essary for the manufacture of paper.
The facts are unbelievably serious, far
more serious even than is indicated by
the rise in newsprfnt from two cents a
pound to six, eight or ten cents a
pound--one very large publisher has
offered to pay ten cents a pound for
enormous tonnage for next year.
Notwithstanding the threatened ca
lamity. the United States has taken no
steps to avert it. Forests are being
lad waste at unprecedented speed
without adequate efforts to replant
them so as to insure fresh supplies
hereafter. Some airy opimists glibly
dispose of the whole matter by re-
marking oracularly, "Oh, some substi-
tue for wood pulp will be found.
That doesn't help one iota. The stern
reality Is that no substitute has been
found calculated to solve the problem.
I asked Thomas e. Edison whether
he had ever given the publishing in
dustry serious study with a view to
devisins greatly improved processes.
Mr.. Edison whose motto Is Excel
sior," gave me the characteristic re-
ply that he looks for revolutionary de-
velopments in the printing, as well as
in most other industries-in time He
confided that he had been working in
tently on one phase of it, and was
hopeful that he could by and by bring
forward something of practical inter-
est to publishers.
But not even Edison is at adj sure OF
discovering anything which will avert
the oncoming calamity.
have used superlatives in discuss
ing this subject because the facts more
than warrant them and because there
is infinite need for arouesing the people
and the governme to the gravity OF
the situation, for this is not at all g
matter concerning only publishers, bu
vitality affects the whole social, politi
cal, educational and industrial struc
ture of the republic. Obviously, if pa
per becomes unobtainable, except
many times the cost of today, anc
even then is available only in rela
lively small quantities, newspap err
and magazines and trade journals will
disappear right and left school book
will go beyond the reach of our chill
dren, books will become rare; il
short. ignorance will take the place o
knowledge, darkn ess will take th
place of understanding, isolation vii
take the place of fraternity, sectional
ism will take the place of patriotism
and the very life of the commonwealth
will be threatened.
Ponder these facts:
The total American production @
wood pulp for 1918 amounted to 3,31S,
s61 tons.
On n pre-vvar basis, newsprint pape
sold for about 81 Per 100 pounds, wrap
ping for 81 to So, book for 81 to Sc, an
writing for So to s16 and up. The 10y
cost of newsprint made the one-cer
American newspaper and the low
priced periodicals and cheap schoc
books possible.
In 1899 our newsprint consumr
ton was $4,000 tons. In 1918
had increased to 1,760,000 tons, al
proximately 200 per cent, and alnc;
regularly at the rate of 10 per cen
a year. During the same period oil
population increased only approx
nately 20 per cent. The use
newsprint paper has been increasin
therefore, much more rapidly tha
the population.
Up to 1909 the. United States pr
duced its entire Nnewsprint suppl
In 1919 we had become dependel
upon foreign sources, chiefly Ca
ada, for two-thirds of our newspri
or it's raw materials Only one-thil
of the American newspapers ISSUE
in 1919 were printed upon the pr
duct of American forests. TIL
startling change has taken place
ten years. So far as timber suppl
are concerned, we are in a mus
worse position than we were t
years ago, and our consumption h
increased 100 per cent, while o
newsprint manufacturing indust