<B>Newsprint Production Climbs Modestly for October</B>

North American newsprint production increased a modest 1.3 percent for October, according to recent figures from the Pulp and Paper Products Council.

Total production for the month stands at 1.379 million metric tons, compared to last October’s figure of 1.362 million metric tons.

The improvement pushed the 10-month total to 13.305 million metric tons, a 1.7 percent increase from last year. The operating rate for both the month and year to date increased: for October the rate stands at 99 percent of capacity; for the first ten months the figure is at 98 percent of capacity.

The United States continues to be the dominant growth area in North America, with October’s figure at 586,000 metric tons, a 2.2 percent increase from the previous October, and 5.602 million metric tons over the first ten months, a 3.8 percent from last year.

Canadian newsprint production, while also increasing, posted a more limited improvement for both the month and first ten months. For October production stands at 793,000 metric tons, a 0.6 percent improvement from the same time last year. For the first ten months production stands at 7.703 million metric tons, a 0.3 percent increase from last year.

Shipments of finished newsprint from North American producers also strengthened, according to the PPPC. October’s shipment total stands at 1.383 million metric tons, a 2.9 percent improvement from last October.

The biggest gainer was newsprint shipments to the United States, which jumped 4.3 percent to 1.033 million metric tons for October. Other shipment regions posted declines for the month, while shipments to Canada down 1.8 percent and shipments overseas down 0.8 percent.

For the first ten months of the year shipments increased an even sharper 3.1 percent to 13.356 million metric tons. While shipments to the United States increased a strong 3.6 percent to 9.798 million metric tons for the first ten months, shipments to Canada posted an even stronger figure, up 4.2 percent to 1.040 million metric tons. Shipments overseas increased a slighter 0.7 percent.