The following information furnished by United States consuls and
published in the United States Commerce Reports, will be of interest to
the Canadian paper trade:--
Government May Take Action to Relieve Brazilian Situation.
The scarcity of paper, and particularly of news-print paper, in Rio de
Janeiro is still a serious matter. While stocks have been replenished,
there are signs that another crisis is approaching. The “Jornal do
Commercio”, the leading daily paper of the city, in an editorial on
July 7, seriously proposed that unless the Brazilian Congress saw fit
to reduce the import duties on news-print paper for a time, all the
newspapers of the country should begin to eliminate news that was
superfluous and print smaller daily editions so as to save paper.
The matter has attracted widespread attention, perhaps on account of
the impressions that importers usually profit by a scarcity on the
local market to make exorbitant demands for what stocks they may have
on hand. Although the serious situation now confronting the country has
been looming up threateningly for a long time past, no effort seems to
have been made to save paper or to collect waste paper and rags.
Senhor Dunshee de Abrantee, of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies,
himself a man familiar with journalism and the needs of the paper
trade, has already presented to Congress a proposed amendment to the
forthcoming budget law, providing that imported paper shall pay no duty
and only the expediente tax on entering the country.
Spanish Government Asked To Seek Remedy.
The scarcity of paper in Spain has caused some anxiety, and
representatives of Spanish publishers, printers, and manufacturers of
paper and cardboard have informed the Government of their willingness
to postpone filling export orders until after the domestic demand for
their products has been fully met. They also expressed a desire that
the Government fix prices and conditions to control the export of
raw materials used in paper manufacture. Accordingly, a royal order,
published June 15, 1916, appointed a commission, a representative of
the Government presiding, formed of three delegates chosen from each
interested group, namely, paper manufacturers, newspaper publishers,
and those engaged in bookmaking arts.
This commission is to pass on all complaints formulated, proposing,
if necessary, such methods as it judges opportune with respect to
the export of paper and un-manufactured cardboard. The custom house
authorities must submit to this commission a sample of every class of
paper or cardboard exported, its origin, and the name of the exporter.
The paper-making interests in Spain employs chiefly wood-pulp, and its
price has increased about 85 per cent since the war began. Imports of
wood-pulp in 1913 amounted to 61,000 metric tons of 2,204.6 pounds
each; in 1914 to 40,000 tons, and in 1915 to 50,000 tons. More than
half of this supply comes from Sweden; other sources are Germany and
Norway.
Wood-pulp and logs for making pulp coming from foreign countries were
exempted from the transport tax in March last, and an export duty of 18
pesetas gold per 100 kilograms ($1.58 per 100 pounds) levied on endless
paper weighing from 41 to 50 grams per square metre and containing
mechanical pulp.