NEWS-PRINT PAPER.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 July 1920, Page 9

NEWS-PRINT PAPER.

WORLD FAMINE AHEAD. PUBLISHERS GRAVELY EMBARRASSED. The problem of the world's newspaper supply has rapidly increased in difficulty during the past three months. ' All over tlits world the concern of consumers has deepened into alarm. Everywhere publishers are most gravely embarrassed by high prices and failure of supplies. Commenting on the general situation, the Sydney Morning Herald of June 22 pointed out that the United States papers are full of reports of plans for saving paper, for adjusting demands to existing supplies, and for adjusting revenue to the enormous expenditure involved. Advertising associations are advocating the use of smaller spaces, and are rapidly gaining the co-operation of enlightened advertisers and far-seeing publishers. The Press Association and Publishers' Associations are getting their members to leave out advertisements, to cut down unnecessary reading matter, to cut down the size of their papers, and to eliminate returns and waste circulation.

Wliile the North American mills are straining their resources to increase production, and publishers are trying to cut down their consumption, there is still a shortage of many thousands of tons. Publishers with contracts are ing high prices for paper, but outside these, in what is called the "spot" market, prices are soaring. '£ 100 PER TON. Even in the United States, which is close to the source of the world's greatest production! of newsprint, many publishers have had to pay up to £IOO a ton for paper that before the war would have cost £lO. In the circumstances it ig not surprising that many publishers have gone bankrupt, while many more have gone out of business. The imminent risk of a wholesale shutting down of newspapers is regarded as a social danger, and the United States Congress has been investigating the underlying cause from various points of view. Until recently the limit of price for duty-free paper was 5 .cents per pound. With the increased cost the cheap newsprint became dutiable, and an emergency bill was passed raising the limit to 8 cents. There is no doubt that should prices continue to advance further relief will be given, ALARM IN ENGLAND. Great Britain is getting alarmed. There is a shortage of 200,000 tons of paper in prospect this year. Efforts to curtail consumption have been indecisive and ineffective. Expected supplies have not come to hand from Canada. Swedish paper largely goes to the Continent of Europe, -niiich is desperately short of paper. Norway threatens to limit exportation unless and until her own newspapers have been supplied at a reasonable rate. Finland is in tlie throes of communistic strikes, whicli may tie up industry for months.

The world is therefore faced with a paper famine, and as production cannot be increased for two or three years ■consumption will have ,to be Teduced and as manufacturers are looking up as long as two or three years ahead, no reduction of price can be looked for inside tlmt time. The strictest economy in the use of paper will be ma.de necessary by foTce of circumstances.