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Seasonally unadjusted U.S. paper and paperboard production totaled 7.7 million tons in April, according to the American Forest & Paper Assn. Canadian production for the same month was 1.58 million metric tons. If U.S. production continued to grow at the same rate through the rest of the year it would reach 94.2 million tons, under the 95.2 million ton actual production number for 1997. Year-to-date through the first four months, U.S. production was 31.4 million tons, up 0.9 from the same period last year. Canadian production was 6.3 million metric tons, down a slight 0.1%, according to the Canadian Pulp and Paper Assn. U.S. market pulp shipments were 736,000 tons in April, down from 752,000 in March. Year-to-date through April, shipments were 2.7 million tons, 3.1% lower than the previous period.
North American newsprint shipments registered a 5.4% decline through the first four months of 1998, as shipments to overseas destinations dropped nearly 25%. U.S. mill newsprint shipments lagged their year-ago volume by 1.6% through April, a decline attributed to sharply reduced exports. U.S. shipments of newsprint to domestic markets were up 2.7% and consumption by dailies rose 3%.
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