FORESTS AND WOOD PULP.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 265, 4 June 1910, Page 5

FORESTS AND WOOD PULP.

Interesting Possibilities. Mr S. Irwin Crookes. A.M.1.E.E., P.C.S , recently delivered an address to the members of the Clevedon branch of the New Zealand Farmers' £ Union on "The Wealth of the New B* Zealand Forests, and how to utilise it for wood pulp and other products." The lecturer pointed out that the amount of waste and loss going on in New Zealand in connection with her bush areas is simply stupendous. The enormous value of the great industries established in other countries in connection with the utilisation of timber, apart from timber-milling, fully support this contention arid at the same time will show that in this particular, New Zealand is lagging behind. There are three great industries which are well worthy of consideration—The extraction of tannin, the manufacture of wood pulp, an 3 the manufacture of certain valuable chemical products, technically known as wood distillation. Tannin Extracts.—The amount and value of the tannin extracts used by tanners is steadily and surely increasing. This industry is essentially a French one, though of late years it has also been taken up very vigorously in Italy, Spain and South America. In France, the tannin is almost entirely extracted from the chestnut tree which contains slightly less than 5 per cent, of tannin. Now, New Zealand possesses many trees which contain a much greater percentage. Tannin Timbers of New Zealand The bark of the tanekaha contains from 23 to 28 per cent., hinau bark 20. per cent., rimu bark 4.3 per cent., tutu 16.8 per cent., and towai or karnahi 13 per cent. The towai could probably be obtained in great quantities, and if manufactured into an extract might finally rival the export of hemlock extract from the United States. It is thus evident that several of the New Zealand timbers are eminently suited to this industry. Wood Pulp.—The Canadian wood pulp industry has been talking very forcibly of late to the United States, and it is common knowledge that this particular product has been an important factor in the recent negotiations between these two countries. Wood pulp for paper manufacture has become one of the necessities of our present day civilisation. New Zealand imports paper to the value of over £500,000, and this in face of the fact that she possesses vast areas of timber suited for the manufacture of wood pulp. New Zealand Timbers for Wood . pulp.—The white pine or kahikatea is specially suited for this manufacture, whilst the tikorika, honi and lace bark are of undoubted utility in this direction. Importance of Wood Pulp.—England alone imports annually over half a million tons of wood pulp, at a cost of ■ over three millions sterling. This supplies the bulk of the material for 650 paper mills. It seems very astonishing to think that paper boxes, wrapping paper, the majority of our newspapers, and even ladies' silk dresses are now made from disintegrated boards. These wonders we owe to science. New Zealand is again neglecting her natural resources in not starting this industry, as the white pine is often found in locations naturally suited to wood pulp manufacture. Necessary Conditions for Success. — In addition to the right kind of timber, this industry should be started in places where —Limestone is easily obtained iron pyrites or. other suitable sulphur compound may be cheaply obtained, and where a plentiful supply of water can be relied upon. The following facts give striking tesitmony to the value of this industry:—Standing white pine may be valued at £2 per ton, cut and stripped it is worth £3 per ton, boiled into pulp £8 per ton, bleached £ll per tor, and when ultimately converted into artificial silk £llOO per ton. Wood Distillation. —This industry which eould be readily started in New Zealand, and carried on at a good profit, is eminently suited to districts possessing mixed bush, as all kinds of timber, and all parts can be utilised, as well as the general waste from timber mills. As showing the importance of this industry two facts are worth mentioning. In Europe alone £40,000,000 is invested profitably in this industry. In the United States, there are over 100 factories at work, some of which are engaged in cutting out" huge forests. A fearful and wicked waste has been going on for years and is still going on in the manner in which valuable tracts of bush are being cleared by firing, whe-eas if settlement and clearing were carried out on systematic and scientific lines, products which are worth tens of thousands of pounds annually could be saved, and this at a relatively small cost. A small plant capable of treating about ten tons of wood per day, could be erected in New Zealand for about £7OOO, and this plant alone, after allowing for all working expenses, depreciation of plant, and interest on capital, would show a gross profit of 50 per cent. Larger plants are much cheaper in proportion, and therefore more profitable. The chief products obtained in.this industry are acetates, acetic acid, acetone, alcohol, naptha, tar, and charcoal, the whole of which are of great value. New Zealand imports annually, considerably over £6OOO worth of acetic acid alone. In fact, the chemical products imported are equivalent to those which would be obtained on. treating 40 tons of timber per day. This alone shows there is room for such an industry in addition to the European market to which the United States sends enormous quantities of these products. Necessary Conditions for Success. — fph'eap limestone and plenty of water. There are tens of thousands'of acres of mixed bush in New Zealand which are satisfactorily situated as far as these conditions are concerned. The above facts clearly, show that in her timber areas, if properly worked, New Zealand posse-ses, in addition and quite distinct from milling timbers, huge potentialities in at least two of these important industries, if not in all three.