Making Use of Vast Pine Forest

Chronicle (Levin), 15 August 1947, Page 7

Making Use of Vast Pine Forest

Press Association)

( Per

ROTORUA, August 14. The establiskment of an extensive ' Btate paper and pulp manufaeturing works in the forest reserves between Murupara and Kaingaroa, about 42 tniles froiu. Rotorua, at an approximate cost of £7,000,000, is being planned by the Goverument, and it is expeeted thal Cabinet approval for the neeessrtry ex penditure will be sought during tlie present session of Parliament. Intluded in the construction will be 'iihe erection of a dam on the Eangi Itaiki River for electric power and con tinuons water supply purposes. One oi the niain objects of the mill will be to provide newsprint from the lieavily timbered pinus radiata plantations in ' the area, following successful test? earried out recently in Tasmania when Kew Zealand pulp was converted into newsprint. There are two niain sites wliere the rivef fa!l is adequate, but the construction of a dam on one of them would force the flooding of a Alaori village, and probably the scenic reserve at Waiohau. A more favoured spot is at a point 10 miles from Murupara, in which distance the river lias a fall ot 200 feet. The road in this vicinity is between 00 and 70 feet above the bed of the river and the dam would raise the water level without flood risk. Two lnembers of the Department ot fcu'ientific and Industrial Researeh are inaking experimental bores on tlic Kopuriki roadside as a lirst practicai step in the proposed establisluuent. Samples of the subsoil are being forwarded to Wellington for analysis. So far six bores liad been sunk, and il was fouiid generally that at 50 feet there is solitl rock, with varying quan tities of shingle above. It is estimated ihat 00 bores will be put down in close radius in such a way as to present a cross section of the subterranean foun dation. The actual location of the pulp ano paper mill cannot be ascertained, though it is understood to be fairly close to Murupara tovvnship. Between Murupara and Kaingaroa there are 000,000 aer.es of pine forests scarcely touched, and the largest in the Dominion. Bo vast is the whole JState forest area which embraces the Kaingaroa Plains that unless some use is made of the fullv matured pines they will age and become lost. It is not expeeted that the Government will be able to start newsprint production for aboui live years owiuj, to the (lifficulties of obt,aining all th( necessarv niachinery and the numbej of laboratory tests which liave to bt earried out.