SIZE OF DOMINION NEWSPAPER MAY BE REDUCED

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 April 1947, Page 8

SIZE OF DOMINION NEWSPAPER MAY BE REDUCED

. The.; acute shortage of newsprint in New Zealand is likely to be intensified before the end of The year, according to recent cables received from Canada iby the Newspaper 'Proprietors’ Association. . . Y ‘At.the beginning of .the year Canada allowed New Zealand -sufficient papfer to toaintain newspapers at their present size, but cable messages received-from the Newsprint Association of Canada last week said that it was highly probable that the full original allocation would not be shipped,” says a statement from the association. “It is only with the mostrigid economy that newspapers in New Zealand can maintain their present size, and then only ,if the full 19'47 tonnage.is received.-Any reduction in the tonnage' b’riginally promised would mean the introduction of further economies. “The only other source of supply to New Zealand is Newfoundland. There the position is worse than it is in Canada. Newfoundland .had to reduce its tonnage to NeW Zealand this year to a figure below that received in 1946. During the war, to conserve available supplies, a rationing scheme was instituted by the newspapers in New Zealand, and that scheme is still in force. After the w*ar some’ newspapers increased their size with the belief that newsprint supplies would be more plentiful in 1947. They are now faced with diminishing stocks and to ensure continuity of publication they will, in many cases, have to reduce the number of their pages to conform with the restricted quota that will be received during the year. “A hope of increased supplies was raised by a recent cablegram from Canberra which quoted Mr C. M. Croftf- senior Canadian Trade Commissioner in Australia, as saying that New Zealand, Australia, and Britain were likely to receive increased supplies this year. When confirmation of this was sought from Canada the reply stated that there would be no increase for New Zealand on the tonnage already allotted, and that there was every probability of a decrease. The record output from the Canadian mills as outlined by Mr Croft, besides maintaining existing Canadian markets at approximately their present levels, is going to Britain and other European countries to enable them to produce skeleton papers. “Before the war these countries were drawing the.bulk of their newsprint supplies from Finland, Sweden, Norway and Germany, but it will be several years yet before those mills are in a position to meet the requirements of their old customers. The chief drawback to their operation is the lack of coal in Europe and a shortage of labour. At the present time almost the full weight of the world’s newsprint demand has fallen on Canada, and until that position is eased the rationing of newsprint m New Zealand will continue.”