MURUPARA POSSIBILITIES QUESTIONED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 16, Issue 18, 10 November 1950, Page 5

MURUPARA POSSIBILITIES QUESTIONED

Government estimates of production through the proposed Murupara pulp and paper mill were questioned by Mr David Henry, chairman of directors of New Zealand Forest Products, Ltd., in evidence before the Bay of Plenty port committee at Rotorua on Wednesday. Mr Henry said all reports were based on information submitted by the State Forest Service and were not the result of inquiries by the people making the reports. The information was not wrong, but it should be more in relation to reality. “One cannot make a Douglas fir grow as fast as pins insignis,” said witness. “The Kaingaroa Plains is a beautifully-designed forest from the State forest point of view, but 1 am not so happy about it from the point of view of realisation.” Asked by the chairman, Judge Archer, if he doubted whether Murupara’s capacity equalled the figures given the committee, Mr Henry said it was a question of time. If the mills began at once they would produce in three or four years, but he had the gravest doubts whether the supply could be maintained without slaughtering immature timber.. Patient Research Urged

“The use of New Zealand-grown timber requires a great deal of care and the State has very wisely carried out commercial tests in Tasmania and Texas,” said Mr Henry. Many more experiments' must be carried out. Money could not be gambled on a plant that might be suitable for pinus but not for other timber. Information could only be gained by the most patient research and it was idle to refer only to numbers of acres and ability to produce. Judge Archer: I gather you are not very sanguine about the whole scheme at Murupara. What sort of scheme would you expect? Mr Henry said there should be at least 80,000 acres of well-matured insignis in dense economic conditions before a utilisation plant was opened. With patient research during the maturity of other species plans could be built up with some certainty. It would be criminal to cut many of the beautiful stands of timber on the Kaingaroa Plains before they were reasonably ready. Limited Export Margin

Witness estimated that the 80,000 acres would not provide any newsprint for export, but would supply 72 million feet of export timber, He feared that because of the limited area of available pinus insignis the export margin might be limited to the sawn timber. Overseas markets were exceedingly difficult and the paper trade was subject to the most violent reactions, continued Mr Henry. “It is impossible for this country to even thing of competing, but it would be unfair and improper to take that narrow and rigid view,” he said. “Difficulties in exporting countries, dollar commitments and the availability of supplies must compel New Zealand to try to do something definite.” Mr Henry said that an Australian newsprint company had wanted a licence to produce newsprint in New Zealand, but it was refused until Murupara was in production.