Newspapers / The Wilmington Dispatch (Wilmington, … / Oct. 15, 1916, edition 1 / Page 12
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3$ rmWii Kington PAGE TWELVE NEWS PRINT CRISES IS I -WEE I PAPER ;5W 5 NOWN A 4 1-7 Secretary Steele, of the News Print Manufacturers' Asso ciation, in Interview for The Editor and Publisher, De clares Shortage Has Reach ed the Danger Point and That Publishers Will be Forced to Standardize Econ- - omies and Raise Advertising Rates in Self-Protection. (The article below will prove not only interesting, but enlightening, now that the news print situation has reached a critical stage. With prices far advanced and still being raised, with no limit in sight, it seems, a fore gone conclusion that the newspapers will have to raise their rates, Jome advertising and some subscription, and some, possibly, both, as nearly all contracts for paper expire January 1, 1917. These contracts cannot be renewed at the old price; in fact, paper houses are declining to renew at all, and paper will likely have to be purchased in the open market, at ex ceedingly high figures.) Mr. Steele inform The Editor and Publisher that the bottom of the re serve, supply of news print has been reached, and that, whether they wish Uo or not, publishers must reduce consumption to avoid shortage, other wise some of them will have to sus pend. He states that at. the conference between publishers and paper manu facturers held last April, at the re questof the paper makers, the atti tude of the latter was resented, and the warning of the identical condition that now faces the publishers was ig nored. The remedy for the present situa tion, he states, lies in a radical re duction in the size of newspapers, to bring the demand within the limit of the mills, and, in order to aid in this matter, he suggests an increase in ad vertising rates to keep down the size of the advertisements, the standardi zation of the . newspaper business alojig the lines suggested editorially by The Editor and Publisher last week, and the utilization of the va- anxious to obtain a conference with, of the burden to which they were be the publishers to discuss plans for cooperation in the conservation of the supply of the supply of news print paper, but we are entirely willing to meet a committee of responsible pub lishers and so stated our position to Mr. Hurley. We liave notv forgotten the": conference which was brought about at our request on April 5 last. Manufacturers Foresaw Paper Short .. y age. "Earlv in the year we foresaw the, present shortage. The demand for ing forced, Hx order that the supply might be, if not in excess of the de mand, at least equal to it. That was the thought that prompted the news print manufacturer vwlien Xfty call ed for a conference. It was our idea Jhat we would state the case frankly and seek from the newspapers, the co operation necessary to..' prevent . the very condition that now confronts the press of the United, States. "We made formal application to-the management of the American News- white paper was increasing at an enormous rate, in many cases in ex cess of contracts. The supply of sul phite or chemical pulp was greately reduced, and our mius were running to capacity, with no sign of a decrease in consumption. The news print manufacturers, whoalways sought to accumulate a surplus during the sum mer months, to protect publishers dur ing the fair and winter months, when the demand is greater than at any oth er period in the year, became alarmed. rious editorial associations as busi-lThe situation was grave. We were For the first time since the news print situation has become acute, G. F. Steel, s.gcretary of the News Print manufacturers' Association, has con sented to discuss the problem of white paper shortage which now confronts every newspaper publisher in the United States. Mr. Steele's position with the news print manufacturing interests is analogogus to that of Lin coln B. Palmer as manager of the Am erican Newspaper Publishers' Associa- newspapers irvn o-nr? V4r il,.'- xi j ness organizations through which all supplies may be purchased. Mr. Steele's attention was called to some comments in various papers re garding the- conference between the executive committee of his association and Edward N. Hurley, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, at the Union League Club, in this city, Thurs day, September 14, and he was asked to comment on them. Replying, he said : "The report of the interview given out by the Federal Trade Commission in Washington is correct and proper in every way, but some of the com ments and explanations made by have enlarged unduly tion, and his ideas at this critical time i on some of the things which occurred of the utmost importance, since they embody thejyiewpoint of the men on whom -the publishers must rely for at this meeting. For example, it is approaching a crisis, and, UHless some thing was done tq curtail the demand, to conserve the supply, we could see that there would be a shortage that would seriously affect newspapers, not only with regard to the quantity they might desire-; but as to the price for it must be perfectly apparent to any reasonable man, that where there j is "a shortage of material a demand in excess of the supply, with first one and then the other bidding at a higher rate to get what the other fellow wants and must have, that Increased prices naturally result. That was what we thought we could see in the future, and it was a condition we wanted to prevent. "We thought the best way would be to call a conference of the publish- the white paper they will use in the i interview with the newspaper pub- 1ULUre- ! Ushers. It is not true that we stated that the news print paper man- i ers, and state the case frankly, and suggest that they put into practice economies that would lessen the de mand upon the mills, and relieve them ufacturers are anxious to have another are - WHITE LINE RADIATOR Silent Sliding Sleeve Type Motor No Valves . I No Seat Grinding I No Loss of Power I - Utmost Flexibility I Eternally Silent I I Improves With Age " I 1917 Models Ready For Delivery Now 19171 Five Passenger 4-Cylinder Touring Car $1450 I Seven Passenger 8-Cylinder Touring Car $2 1 50 I F. OB. Factory v I All styles of bodies for both models. jj FRANK HERBST State Distributor WILMINGTON, N. C. MM i b 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ii i 1 1 1 ti 1 1 1 1 in in ill ii 1 1 1 ii 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 paper Publishers' Association, re questing: thata committee of that As sociation meet-with the executive com- Imittee of our Association for the dis cussion of common, problems. After some delay we were informed that the directors of the American Newspaper Publishers Association would not ap point a committee to meet us, and that any conference which might be held would have to be an informal confer ence of individuals. We pocketed our pride on this proposition and consent ed to this plan, and on April 5th a meeting was held, at which time there were present- for -the -newspaper pub lishers the following men: At The April Conference. "Herbert Bridgman, of the Brooklyn Standard Union; Hopewell Rogers, of the Chicago Daily News; John Stuart Bryan, of the Richmond, (Va.), News Leader; E. P.-'Call, of the New York Journal of Commerce; J. F. MaeKay, of the Toronto, (Cana.) Globe; J. E. Atkinson, of the Toronto Daily Star; W. S. Jones,' of the Minneapolis Jour nal; R. B. McCormlck, of the Chicago Tribune; Bradford Merrill, of the Newl York American; Jason Rogers, of the New York Globe, and Lincoln B . Palm eF, manager of the American Newspa per Publishers'. Association, and on the part of the news print paper manu facturers there were present: P. T. Dodge, president, International Paper Co., New York; George Chahoon, president, Laur.entide Co., Ltd Grand Mere, Canada; G. H. P. Gould, presi dent, St. Regis Paper Company, Water town, New York; E. W. Backus,'spresi- dent, Minnesota & Ontario Power Co., Minneapolis, Minn.; George H. Mead, president, Spanish River Pulp & Paper Mills, Ltd., Dayton, O., and myself. "We explained the situation careful-j ly, frankly, and with the utmost can dor. There was nothing to conceal then there is nothing to conceal now. We asked the-publishers at that conference to cooperate, and suggest ed then that they adopt the identical measures that they are advocating now, to prevent the very condition with which they are at the present time confronted. . -We thought that that was the proper way. "Imagine our surprise, when we learned that the attitude of the pub lishers was one of resentment! There were 'members present who gave us plainly to understand that they con sidered that we were interfering with their business, attempting to dictate to them on matters of policy and to tell them how they should conduct their affairs. Our suggestions were coldly received. "We -explained that the larger pub lishers would not be affected to the same extent as the smaller, but in evitable all would be affected to some extent, and we gave facts of produc tion and demand to back up our state ments, but, as I have stated, our sug gestions were not taken seriously, were not adopted were even re sented. Bradford Merrill Foresaw Shortage. "I want to say, in this respect, that Bradford Merrill, publisher of the New York American, who was present at that meeting, wlfh rare judgment and keen insight, grasped the situation and fully appreciated the dangers ahead . He could read the future in the figures we presented, could foretell it by the history of the past, and he coincided with us. Had the sentiment of that meeting been Jn accord witfi the thought of Mr. Merrill,, publishers would not -today be confronted by such a serious condition, which is of their own making and for which thejr have only themselves to blame. So, having in mind the couftrence of April 3, called at our request, and remem bering the coldness of our reception and the fact that our suggestions were treated not only lightly, but were re sented, you cannot blame us if we are not anxious to seek another meet ing. We asked for that conference, prompted by the r best of motives, and in order that we might prevent the very thing for which we are now blam- t led, and which might have been avoid- 1.1 n 1 S 1 1- X. T- 1. . ' .T eu, anu which uiigui iiave ueen avoiu ed if the publishers Iiad taken at that time the steps which necessity is con pelling them to take now." 4'There is a normal increase of about 6 per cent, in consumption, and, ac cording to figures given out by the A. N. P. A., an annual increase in pro duction ;Qf: only ,8.10 of one per cent. Why hafen't1 the mills increased their output to a point equal to the demand, in order to have in admeasure prevent ed this condition??" Dine at Open Greysto All ne Inn Today the Year As an added attraction an OYSTER ROAST lias been in stalled, where cnoice MYRTLE GROVE SOUND- Oysters will be properlu served through the winter. It is a well known fact that the flavor of the Murtle Grove Ouster is far above the average, on account of the fact that there is just the right mixture of-- Fresh arid Salt Water In Myrtle Grove Sound A fresh supplu of Selected Ousters alwaus on hand. . . .f . Motorists Are Especially Invited Grey s toitie Carolina Beach, N. C. Inn A. W. PATE. Owner cised and fought the mills, have urged legislation adverse to the interest of the mill owners, and have carried on campaigns of antagonism, not only during the present crisis, but for a number of years back. The manufac turers of newsprint have been given j more than one black eye by the news- i papers. j Increased Production Very Small. y, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiV ' ' . , I - 1 . v The figures ycu quote are absolute ly correct. The mills have not kept 1 pace with the supply, for the reason i that the manufacturers have been an tagonized so generally) by the news papers. The price ofHews print has' been very low fof. a great many years. Newspapers have squgTit constantly' to obtain a lower market, have eriti "In the face of this opposition, this resentment, and- antagonism, it is not strange that men have not em- barked on the construction of addi tional mills ,to supply an industry which held them at arms' length, that ! fought them at every turn," that advo cated adverse legislation, prosecution, tariff changes, and the like, that have constantly hampered, disturbed, and j kept the news print industry in a j state of business uncertainty. So, with , the natural increase in the demand for .paper on allsides, it is not to be won dered that the news print mills should' go into, the making of kraft and other grades of paper, in-which there is de j cidedly more profit and to which j profit there is no opposition on the .part of consumers, who are glad to get the supply at what they consider a reasonable price, who do not fight the manufacturers, and whose atti tude is one of appreciation, rather than one of antagonism. New mills constructed have been utilized for oth er grades of paper, to such an extent that, in the past seven years, there has only been an average increase in the production of news print of G7 tons a aay wnereas tne increase should have been at the rate of 6 per cent, a "year. v j "But, the publishers must not blame capitalists if they take the papers at their word, and decline to engage in a business that is constantly being dis turbed by the newspapers, and which the newspapers, by their attitude and opposition1, are endeavoring to make more unprofitable. j . " l Corroborates L. B. Palmer's Figures, i "In ibis respect,' I want to say that the figures compiled by Lincoln B. Palmer, manager of the American Newspaper Publishers' Association, are correct, and I want to say that I belive that Mr. Palmer is actuated by the best and highest 6f motives. He. has investigated this matter thor oughly, and from an impartial stand point He was one of the first to grasp the significance ofc the increas ing demand for white paper, and the failure of the mills to respond to the steady increase. Mr. Palmer, as man ager for his excellent , organizational ""I Willjr BilW SlLUaLlUU LUUI1LI1S aUU months ago, : but iie . warned. publishers, j Had the publishers) the members of ' , ' v - j e x - the American Newspaper Publishers' Association, given the matter the same thought, or had they considered the subject and concentrated on it as did Mr. Palmer, the present crisis might have been averted. "Evidently they did not accept his view of the situation, either, though events have proved that his calcula tions were accurate to a decimal. So, publishers have had not only the warning of their own manager, which they have ignored, but they -have had the warning of the manufacturers, who earnestly, honestly, and in a spirit of perfect candor, sought to impart it .to them in a conference, where the situ ation could be taken over in the friend liest manner. In the meantime, we have tried in . every way possible to speed up our mills to prevent the crisis which the publishers themselves have brought on, and which they could have averted. When we wanted coopera tion, they were hostile, they have been hostile since.and are hostile now." "What has been the increase in the price of white " paper, Mr. Steele?" Small Publishers Suffer Most. 'To the large newspapers, there has been, except in a few cases, very little increase, for the reason that they are protected by contract. The increase sion is added tp the price. The job- lisher the man who prints a small town daily, or a weekly, who has not contracted, or' who does not consume sufficient to make it to his interest to contract. These publishers buy in the open market, . at such times as their requirements necessitate, and usually through jobbers or agents. For that very reason, they pay a higher price. for, necessarily, the jobber's commis sion 'is added to the price. The pob- ber who supplies him must carryall sizes, for all newspapers are not of the same size. "Some jobbers must keep a large stock, 'to be in a position to give the printer who wants his supplies in bundles, the required amount on short notice ,and it is, frequently the case that of several papers published in a town, no two will use stock of the same size, color, or weight. All tins adds to the price and increases the production. Now. when there is actual shortage, the price is increased, and that exdains whv. in the present prisis, which is rapidly growing mre acute, the small publisher is pay111'' book paper prices for news (Continued on Page Thirteen) Fifty-Sixth North Carolina State Fair R A L II G H Ticke&Will be sold for all trains by the Atlantic Coat Line The Standard Railroad of the South dct7l4to 21 Inclusive 'if M V From Wilmington at $4.85 4 f or the round trip, including admission to the Fair, lim ited returning until midnight of October 23, 1916. Proportionate Fares from All Intermediate Stations. Children Half Fare. For schedules, tickets and any desired information apply to ' C. M. ACKER, Phone 1 102-W. Tieket Agent, Wilmington, N. C. V - .' v .
The Wilmington Dispatch (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Oct. 15, 1916, edition 1
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