SHORTAGE OF PAPER.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 16 April 1920, Page 3

SHORTAGE OF PAPER.

A CRITICAL POSITION. A conference of newspaper proprietors front Dunedin, Christ church, Auckland and Wellington was held in Wellington to consider what steps should be takcu to meet the critical situation arising out of the difficulty of securing newsprint paper supplies. Mr V. iSelig presided. it was reporied thai in ti number of rases ilie position of newspapers in the Dominion was serious. Stocks of paper in hand were perilously low, r.nd future supplies scarce and uncertain. Not only was there a world scarcity of newsprint, but prices had .-oared to unprircedi mod heights. Last week the only paper proem able for early delivery was quote! at £OS a ten. as against the prewar figure s( £ll 10s per ton, and some proprietors had been cunpel'.fd to puri hase at this extravagant figure. Owing to the situation in Canada it was practically impossible to place orders there. witli any hope of having their, tilled this year, and Scandinavian paper could only be procured in small lots.

;uid with uncertain delivery. The question of reducing the size, of the city paper? was discussed, and it was agreed that measures in this direction were urgently necessary, and that all economies possible to ensure a reduction in the quantity of paper used should be practised.

It was decided to recommend to newspaper proprietors in the four chief centres of population that steps should be taken immediately to curtail as severely as possible the space devoted to di-play advertising. A deputation was appointed to waij on the Prime Minister, to yrge that until paper supplies sufficient to meet ■he needs of the .newspapers of New Zealand were procurable from Canada. 1 >...i . i F.; '..;-._jvi- '}"■'•-i"-" 1- >iiOU-.i