PAPER MANUFACTURE

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12607, 18 November 1926, Page 4

PAPER MANUFACTURE

POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS IN HANi WORK OF STATE FOREST SERVICE Tho establishment of man-made for csts in Now Zealand has now becom a major activity of both the Govern ment end of private enterprise- A the end of the present planting seasoi there will probably be over 160,001 acres of forest land in existence. How over, it is not enough merely to plan these areas; they must be mana<ged*ii accordance with tho best canons c forestry practices. Not only is i necessary to provide fire protection and to control deer and insect pests but it is also necessary to reroovi periodically from man-made forests : number of tho smaller and weak*’: trees. This {secures the maximum pro duction of wood commensurate wit! trees of good shape and grade lo] milling. A “Times” representative learnet that having regard to these measure: the Forest Service has been actively engaged since 1921 in studying ib< methods of utilising these intermediat< products. Careful and considered sur vevs have been made of every conoe’v able means of utilisation—for fire wood, creosoted posts and poles, sav timber, for destructive distillation, am for pulp and paper. PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY Of these, the pulp and paper industry offers a most promising avenue foi utilising intermediate products. Till: would further offer an outlet for enormous quantities of logging and milling waste in adjacent native forests. The first studies made by the Fores Service into the pulping and paper making properties of Now Zealand grown woods were conducted in 1921 Since then a number of other studies have been completed, and even nov further studies are in progress. The results of certain studies have already been broadcasted for public information in circulars 5 and 6. published hj the New Zealand State Forest Service These contain the results of two series of tests made in co-operation with the Imperial Institute of London, anc with Messrs Boving and Co., Ltd., pulr and paper machinery manufacturers, o! London. The Imperial Institute tests covered *dx of the principal native bard woods: Red beech (NothofaguF fusco), black beech (N. Solardio), silvei beech (N. Mevizresii), mountain bcecli (N. Cliffortivides), ramaki (Weinmannia raoemoza), and tawa (Beelschmuriia tawa); and two of the principal introduced soft woods: Pinus levicio and P. radinta. ENCOURAGING EXPERIMENTS

The soda process of pulping was used throughout. In the other study, two of the native soft woods, rimu and white pine, and four of the hard woods previously mentioned—red. block, and si her beech, and tawa—were pulped bv the sulphate process. The pulps produced in both cases wore similar to those secured in the reduction of foreign soft woods and hard woods by corresponding processes. Specimen sheets of paper were also manufactured from these pulps. The results were encouraging, and the Forest Service has since been studying in greater detail the pulping and paper making properties of a number of these woods. Viewed in the light of recent' develop, ments in pulp and paper making technique, especially in the case of hard woods, the results of the work indicate that there is hope that everv class of ■ paper used in New Zealand may he manufactured from New Zealand grown materials. ECONOMIC ASPECT The Forest Service will shortly pro. ceed with the publication of a report covering its recent studies, which are still being continued with a view to securing even more detailed 'information relating to the economic utilisation of locally grown woods. This is the technical aspect of the question: Paper pulp is chiefly ' cellulose fibres, and. since cellulose is the basic structure of all woody plants, some kind of pulp and paper can he made from every species of wood. The practical question is whether any pulp can be made cheaply, in sufficient quantities, and of a quality which -will enable it to .compete with other, papermaking materials in other countries. This is a matter which the Forest Service has under review.