PLAN DISCONTINUED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 68, 18 August 1947, Page 5

PLAN DISCONTINUED

COMMENTS ON PROPOSAL KAINGAROA PLANT . Practically every country in the world with the necessary timber resources had a pulp and paper industry, and to supply the whole of New Zealand’s pulp and paper requirements would tax considerably less than five per cent, of its State exotic resources, stated the Commissioner of State Forests, Mr Skinner, when the report from Rotorua was referred to him. He added that the establishment of a pulp and paper making- industry in New Zealand had been talked about for years and there was

nothing new about the project. No other comment was available from the Minister, but it was ascertained from other sources that, although several sites for pulp and paper manufacturing had been investigated, no decision .as to the site had been made.

It was stated in one quarter that even if the Government decided to go ahead immediately it would be many years before a plant could be in production. In these circumstances the suggestion that £7,000,000 was to be appropriated this year- to provide finance to establish the industry could be completely disregarded. It is known, however, that representatives of Walmsleys, a British company, which has installed its paper-making machinery in some of the biggest paper mills in the world, have already had discussions with the Government. MARAETAI SCHEME PULP AND PAPER MILL FOREST PRODUCTS PROGRAMME Details of a £3,500,000 programme, which is now being carried out by New Zealand Forest Products Ltd., and which will result in the production of 42,000,000 feet of timber from a huge mill at Maraetai, and also the production of millions of multi-wall paper bags and containers a year were outlined by the chairman of directors, Mr D. Henry. He said that the first stages of the project were now under way. The programme envisaged an increase in the output of timber and the use of waste from the mills to manufacture paper pulp and kraft paper. Mill at Afiamuri The company is now building 22 houses, in addition to single men’s quarters, and a new mill at Atiamuri. It was expected that the mill, which would produce 5,000,000 feet of timber annually, would be working this year. The opening stages in the construction of housing and the mill work for a new Swedish gang-saw mill at Maraetai, five miles from Tokoroa were also under way. About 14,000,000 feet of timber a year would be cut from the mill and it was expected that the goal would be reached in about three years.

Mr Henry said that the pulp and paper mills would be alongside the timber mill at Maraetai and it would feed the factories for bags and containers which would be at Penrose. The first section of the pulp mill, which was expected to be working in three years, would produce 10,000 tons of pulp a year, and that would be increased to 20,000 tons when the paper mill was erected. Plant Arriving Next Month Plant for making multi-wall bags, which would be used for packing cement, fertiliser, lime, sugar and similar commodities, was due in Auckland from America at about the end of September. Plant for paper containers, which would be used for the export butter trade and other purposes, was now being built in England. Some had already been delivered, and the remainder was expected to be shipped at about the end of the year. Importing Raw Material “The company will produce between 12,000,000 and 15,000,000 containers a year and, until we have our own paper, we will depend on imported raw material from abroad” said Mr Henry. “If our building permit is not delayed we hope to be making bags in about six months from now.”

Another part of the huge development programme was' the extension of the company’s present wall board mill at Penrose to obtain an extra 20,000,000 feet of board a year. Mr Henry added, “This programme is not part of the scheme which has been announced by the Government.”