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Show PAPER IS CALLED "NON-ESSENTIAL" Government Itullnt: T.lkely to Ag- grnvntu Unsettled Condition of Market. Chicago. Government officials have ruled that the manufacture of paper 1b not essential to tho"success-ful tho"success-ful conduct of tho war. Tho ruling means thnt publishers need look for no docrenso lntho price -of .print paper with the possibility of a, market mar-ket shortage If the was Is of long duration. Ono of tho prominent pulp and paper' pa-per' manufacturing companies notified noti-fied Jobbers In n recent letter that because of tho administration ruling and other conditions committments could not be hold for over two months, cabling attention to the unsettled un-settled condition of tho market In tho following: "Tho federal government, as a war-tlmo measure has placed the paper trado In the 'non-essential' i list. In plain English this means, ! that the manufacture of paper is not necessary to tho carrying on of the j war. Such action does not, upon its fnco, look serious, but the conse-j quences are llablo to be of very much greater amount than we Just now realize. "With selective conscription In force, It means that men between tho prescribed ages, In paper mills and. othor non-cssentlal lines, will be first chosen for military and naval duty: ' or they mny bo transferred to essen-' tlal Industries. I "It will mean, that If thore be insufficient in-sufficient coal to meet nil neds, thati the non-essontlnl industries must go without, or take such lesser quantity below tholr requirements as may be alloted them, and at enormously Increased In-creased cost. "It will mean that transportation of essentials will be given preforenco over non-essentials, with the result that freight car both incoming and outgoing will not bo obtainable at all, or their availability will bo greatly great-ly curtailed. "Itjvlll mean that the supply of sulphur may bo Interfered with. This for two reasonu, (1) tho commandeering comman-deering by tho government of the vessels now used by the sulphur companies, com-panies, and the putting of thoso vessels ves-sels to uso in other trade; and (2) tho diverting of sulphur now coming to sulphite mills, for use in the manufacture man-ufacture of fertllliers, which diversion diver-sion has already, we are advised, been requested. "Whllo the wood supply may not be diverted for other uses, yet the largely decreased cut, during the past winter, makes tho danger of a shortage with many mills rery acute; this because of labor and transportation difficulties. This company hns been compelled to Invest In-vest exceeding $100,000 In boats, thus further partially Insuring de livery of wood to tho mill. "Upon tho whole the outlook Is I anything but encouraging. Costs of production If full production bo even possible are bound to Increase. In-crease. "Bellovlng it n patriotic duty, wo will absorb theso Increased costs to the fullest extent of our ability In order that tho burden upon the ultimate ul-timate consumer may bo as light aa possible. However, for ; our own protection, we will hold commltt-monts commltt-monts to not over 60 days ahead, letting the future direct our course as it may. "We think it is only fair that the situation from the manufacturers' standpoint should, for.thelr information informa-tion and protection, be presented to our consumers, and we are therefore advising you accordingly." |
