KAURI GUM

Evening Star, Issue 19662, 15 September 1927, Page 15

KAURI GUM

HOPEFUL RESEARCH PROSPECTS IFaOil OUB i’ARLIAUENTATir RePORTES.] WELLINGTON, September 14. Kauri gum has been a declining industry for many years, and tho Government has been obliged to give substantial help to diggers. The final blow seemed to be the popularity of cellulose lacquers, almost universally used in America. However, some hopeful items appear in the annual report on the industry. Last year’s export, to March 31, was 4,529 tous, value £301,335, tho United Kingdom being now the largest customer, though much of its purchases is resold to tho Continent. It is possible that the new process may enable fossil kauri gum to come into general use in tho lacquer industry. If so, the result would probably be that very large quantities of kauri gum would be required, and that cellulose lacquers, instead of diminishing the demand, may actually increase it, and' provide an outlet at payable prices for a large proportion of the kauri gum recovered. RESEARCH WORK. Four or five years _ ago a chemist commenced an investigation of the kanri gum bearing swamps, and the materials found therein. After a considerable amount of research ho concentrated his work on the actual kauri gum itself, with the result that he has discovered a solvent by the use of which tho resin can bo recovered in block form, free from all impurities. It haa, of course, always been known that pure resin could be recovered by the use of a solvent, hut the difficulty was that all known solvents wore too dear to use on a commercial scale with any hope of financial success. Ho has now, however, worked up a process whereby the use of a new solvent can be carried on commercially, with every promise of success. Samples of the resin produced by this process have been introduced to the varnish trade, and the indications are that there is a ready market for this new process kanri if it can be sold at prices which will meet manufacturers’ views. The Lands Department bad on band last March gum valued at £53,152, and it made a loss on the year’s operations in kauri gum totalling £5(38. Its total losses have been £23,237.