Newsprint Vital To British Way Of Life

Chronicle (Levin), 8 December 1948, Page 5

Newsprint Vital To British Way Of Life

(N.Z.P.A.-

- Reuter *

covvright)

Received Tuesday* 7 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 7. Neither the Government 'nor the public realised iiow vital to the British way of life newsprint really was, said Mr. F. P. Bishop, generaLnianager of tln: Newsprint Hupply Company, when ad drCssing the Lqndon Publicity Clnb. Hc said the British public suffered from a shortage of information and the Government underestimatcd the faet tliat the world shorlage of newsprint was a misconception.

"There is not a great excess ot de mand over supply," he said. "The Newsprint Association of Canada's estimate put it for 194S at less than 700,000 short tons or al>out 8 per cent. .Most of this unsatisfied demand is in America. World production of newsprint has already passed the pre-war ligure. Next year it will 1)6 more tha:i 400,000 tons greater than prewar. "The problem is a maldistribution of the available resources and there is maidistribution 'noth of production and supplies. In North America, mainly Ganada, production has groatjy increased and next year will exceed the prewar average by 1,750,000 tons, whilc in the rest of the world it still will be neafly 1,500,000 tons less than prewar. This is due to the faet that machines, especially in Britain, -are standing id e chiefiy through inability to obtain the necessarv Taw materials." Mr. Bishop said .that in 1948 Britai); was still tlie second largest consuiner of newsprint but the total had fallen to only 30 per cent. of prev\-ar consumption or less than 201bs per head. The United States was eonsuming G4 per i-ent. of the world 's supplv of newsprint and taking 84 per cent. of the Canadian production, and in addition ■to ethef supplies 'from its own mills and Newfoundland, it was drawing this year 270,000 short tons from Europe's redueed production. Mr. Bishop said: "Britain is among the paupers. We are receiving about 30 per cent. of prewar consumption whereas Franee rpceives about 70 per cent. and Germany more thaA 40 per cent. Britain is relativelv worse oif compai-ed with prewar than any other country in the World except Japan. The situation is due to Britain 's exchange problem and the effort made to over-'-ome it. Tlie Government, rightiv otwronglv, has given very low priority to the import fcf newsprint or pulp fiompared with other necessary imports.'''