Manufacture of Paper Pulp.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 July 1921, Page 3

Manufacture of Paper Pulp.

•SUITABILITY OF DOMINION TIMBERS. AY ELLINGTON, June 28 A test to decide the suitability of New Zealand timbers as paper-making materials has heen carried out by the Imperial Institute, London. Discussing the report, which lias just been received, the Director of State Forest Service (.A1 r L. Macintosh Ellis) says that the results show that four species of birch yielded pulps of similar character. which bleached readily, and furnished fairly strong papers, of good | quality. The yields of pulp were fairly good (41.5 to 44 per cent). That from ; the rod birch, or fagus fusca, was the 1 best. Ttiwa wood also gave a fairly | good yield of pulp (12.5 per cent) and I yielded paper of similar quality to that obtained from the species ot fagus. Kamalii wood gave a rather low field ol pulp (3(1.5 per cent), which, however, bleached satisfactorily, and had good felting properties. The strongest papers were obtained from pintts laricio jnul pinus radii)ta, lint the pulps from these did not bleach quite so readily as from the other six samples. The yield of pulp (39 per cent) was only model- , ately good, and, owing to the presence of knots in the wood, a larger amount of caustic soda was required. I The director adds, “All these timbers mav he regarded as suitable tor the manufacture of paper pulp in New Zea- , kind, if available in sufficient qunnti- , ties, hut, before the manufacture of j pulp is undertaken on a commercial j scale, a number of factors will need careful consideration. The questions involved will he investigated in detail by the Forest Service, and a report on ’ the commercial aspects of papermaking furnished on the completion of the investigation.”