NEWSPRINT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 176, 21 June 1940, Page 6

NEWSPRINT

PRODUCTION TO START IN AUSTRALIA Up to iioav Australia has been dependent for its newsprint on imports from abroad. Very soon, unfortunately not quite soon enough to meet the current shortage caused in Britain, America and elsewhere by the cutting off of Scandinavian supplies v of pulp and pap or,, Australian dependency on newsprint from abroad will end. A verylarge undertaking in which a number of Australian papers are interested, and of which Sir Keith Murdoch is chairman of directors, is about to start production of newsprint from the pulp of the native Australian hardwoods. The first unit of the mills is expected to be in operation in September. They will be capable of turning out 70,000 tons a 3 r ear, and lat»;r the plant will be increased until eventually it can supply all the newsprint Australia needs. There seems no reason, indeed, why Australia should not become an exporter of this commodity. It took a long time and much research, involving large expenditure, to establish the fact that Australian hardAvoods could be economically used for paper-making, ll is established now, and as Australia has plenty of timber, progress should be rapid when kirge scale operations beg'n.