AMERICANS MAY BUILD NEWSPRINT MILL AT MURUPARA

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 87, 16 May 1949, Page 5

AMERICANS MAY BUILD NEWSPRINT MILL AT MURUPARA

Reports that the Rust Company, one of the largest engineering companies in the United States connected with paper mills and allied industries are to build a newsprint plant at Murupara, have been received in the Bay of Plenty., Reports also state that the company expects to expand the town of Murupara, build a railway to Tauranga, improve the port and build timber plants. The output of the plant would be about 60,000 tons of paper, mostly of newsprint, according to Rust engineers. The Commissioner of State Forests, Mr Skinner, Messrs A. R. Entrican, New Zealand Director of Forestry, S. J. Robinson, Auckland paper importer, K. C. Cockerill, Mr Skinner’s secretary, and officials of the Rust Engineering Company have discussed the project, according to the American reports, but inquiries in New Zealand about these discussions have not yet confirmed this.

Although no one in this country seems to know about it several Rust engineers have already been reported to have flown to New Zealand to inspect Murupara and the Tauranga harbour. What they did and what their findings were are also unknown.

Apparently the Rust Company are fairly certain of doing the project because some of the engineers have stated that all labour is to be recruited from New Zealand, with American engineers doing only supervisory work. The paper-making industry and other necessary equipment is to come from whatever company can furnish the best under present financial problems inherent in such large transactions.