NEW PAPER MANUFACTORY.

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1209, 8 December 1873, Page 3

NEW PAPER MANUFACTORY.

W>: tad been reading up the Encyclopaedias, and made ourselves acquainted with all the processes of paper making in order to impress our readers with the value of our guidance with reference to the new enterprise. But finding that our contemporaries had been doing the same we merely refer our readers to those valuable sources of information which can be purchased at a reasonable cost from Messrs Wayte and Upton. It is with exceeding satisfaction that we seeat last one promising effort for the establishment of paper-making in the province. Why capital has not tended to this enterprise long ago we cannot conceive. The increasing difficulties in obtaining raw material have been driving manufacturers to their wits' ends, and for years we have been threatened with a paper famine. While here in New Zealand we have waving over miles and miles of plains the phorminm tenax, than which nothing can be more suitable for the purpose. It appears that even the leaves in their green state put into one end of the factory come rolling out of the other in sheets of packing paper, while a book which has been going the rounds of the city for the pastfew days exhibits the finer article, though in a comparatively rude snd unfinished state— yet in such a state as shows the valuable capabilities of the product. The paper, as exhibited in this little work, is really excellent; and though its freckled face betokens the absence of cleaning and bleaching, no one looking at this strong and beautiful paper could doubt of the success of the new manufacture. It will be seen that the project is in new hands. Without reflecting on any one we rejoice at this. The "Sec. pro. tern," is Mr J. F. Clark, and it is something to say that he was the "Sec. pro. tern." that floated the " South British" Insurance Company, the remarkable succes of which has set New Zealand capitalists insurance mad. May similar snecess attend him in floating au enterprise of a far more utilitarian character, and one that must be far more promotive of the general welfare. It will be seen that in the provisional directory there is blended the representation of business habits, engineering skill, " go," and money, and although it may not appear the "conventional" directory, we feel sure that it will command all the greater confidence. We observe that the office " Bankers" is left vacant. We hope it will be filled with "National Bank of New Zealand." We should like to see its maiden effort at giving a stimulus to local enterprise. Just now the " brains " of the Bank of New Zealand is in England, and we cannot expect that institution in the meantime to go much out of the old grooves until Mr Thomas ilusaell's return. Thereupon, unless we are mistaken, we are likely to see the results of observation of English manufacturing enterprise acting on the mind of the most clear-headed thorough-going colonist in New Zealand. But whatever name may fill in the blank under "Bankers" we sincerely trust the new paper manufactory "will meet the sympathy and confidence of investors. It might indeed have been prudent |to have pretended that it was some Southern enterprise, Auckland capital having a particular penchant for Southern swindles; but we earnestly hope that the manufactory being •stablished in our own province, and among our. own flax fields—the choice of which by the way has been offered to the Company by the Superintendent —will not excite a prejudice against the enterprise. Aa for public support we do not hesitate to express our belief that the products of the local manufactory will find a strong prepossession in their favour. As for the newspapers, we believe we shall all go in for the local product if it is as black as the ace of spades, and the consumption in this single department will be enormous. For ourselves, we shall undertake to take twice as much of the paper as either of our local contemporaries; and it will afford us the utmost pleasure to join in a crusade against the importation of one sheet of paper that could possibly be provided by the local factory. That this will be a most lucrative enterprise we confidently believe, and in common with every well-wisher to the province and the colony we give it our most cordial sympathy and support.