Evening star., 1944-05-22
Nelson Tells Senators
New Set Of Newsprint
Rules Are Cominq
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

Chairman Donald M. Nelson ol
the War Production Board told the
Senate Truman Committee today ht
believes proposed new set of rule.
to govern newsprint ALLEGATION nov
being considered will answer most OF
the criticisms directed at the board.
original standards.
Mr.. Nelson also told the commit.
tee that if the publishing industry
at any time feels the ALLEGATION o1
paper could be handled better by ar
independent agency, he will joir
them in recommending to Congress
legislation to take it out of WIPE
hands.
The industry, as whole has not
urged that, has it?" asked Senator
Hatch, Democrat, of New Mexico
Mr.. Nelson said it has not, but
recalled that Representative Mas
Republican, of Minnesota has sug-
gested it.
The new standards will continue
to be based on straight percent
age cut in tonnage, but with some
of the lessons learned In consider
ing hardship cases by the appeals
board in the past, written into the
rules, Mr. Nelson explained.
The text of the new rules will not
be announced until the industry
Advisory Committee has finished
studying them, after which they
will be subject to WPB approval.
In explaining why percentage
cuts in tonnage from the basis of
newSprint rationing, Mr.. Nelson
said that. since the printed word
involves freedom of speech, it has
not been possible to determine less
essential" uses of newSprint, as has
been done with steel, copper and
other commodities.
Mr.. Nelson said many suggestions
have been made by individuals as to
how paper could be saved by curtail-
ing Sunday papers, cutting down
comics and in similar ways, but he
dismissed all such suggestions with
this comment:
I'VE are definite in our belief that
any attempt to say how the paper
should be used after allocated would
oe a form of censorship, and we
should avoid that at all costs. So,
we have adhered to tonnage allo-
cation figured from base period"
MIR. Nelson said that under the
proposed new policies, the reasons
will have to be announced in decid-
ing hardship cases. Referring to
criticism of failure to make public
all files in the past, Mr. Nelson said
WPB may have made a mistake in
accepting confidential information
from appellants, but explained that
was the only reason all the files
were not given out
Senator Hatch suggested that
failure to announce reasons may
have given rise to suspicion that
some were getting an advantage
over others in aliocations,
Senator. / didn't know until I
took this job how much suspicion
there is in the country" Mr.. Nelson
said.
Hugh Fulton, committee counsel,
revealed that under the proposed
new code, appeal cases would be
decided in two weeks, thereby elm
mating any suggestion that an ap-
peal was being denied merely
through the process of delay.
The committee has been making
private studies of the paper situ-
alton over an extended period.
In calling today's meeting several
weeks ago, Senator Truman said the
committee at that time was mot
satisfied that sufficient progress has
been made in improving the stand
ards for ALLEGATION. He added that
even where reasons for decisions
have been made public, their pub
hcation frequently has been DELAYED
for months"
Steps have been taken to ease the
manpower situation in the Maine
pulpwood industry, from which 60
per cent of the domestic newsprint
Is obtained. In addition to $500
workers obtained from Canada. ap-
proximately $500 German war pris-
oners have been assigned to logging
and other operations, according to
Senator Brewster.
The Truman Committee may con-
tmue its hearings on the paper sit
uatlon for two days.
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