PAPER FIRST NOW IN CANADIAN ECONOMY

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5282, 19 December 1946, Page 7

PAPER FIRST NOW IN CANADIAN ECONOMY

LEADING WH.EAT CROP IN EXPORT VALUE o The newsprint indust^-y has come to occupy a position in the economy of Eastern Canada, and ■ especially in eastern export business,- which makes newsprint to a considekable extent the counterpart of western wheat. Wheat and newsprint are the two giants of Ganada's export commerce. This year it happens that, in point of value, the export of newsprint is running at a level well above that fop wheat. That is a sharp reversal of the position of a year ago. Newsprint production for 1946 is expected to exceed 4,000,900 tons, as compared with roundly 3,300,000 tons in 1945. This rise in output is, of course, directly reftected in the rise in exports 'because all but a very small percentage of the Cairadian production goes to the export markets, mainly the United States. The export supply situation can be summed up very briefly. Despite the fact that the newsprint mills are operating at about 99 per eent. of their capacity, the industry is unable to meet present demands. This condition is almost certain to continue in 1947'. The pulp and paper industry, as a whole, is the leading manufaeturing industry in Canada. It stands first in employment, first in total wages paid, and first in value of exports. All along the line this industry, in its different sections, is unable to take advantage of all the export business that is offering. That is a sit-i uation that can be"* viewed' without undue concern, in the light of the fact that the industry has made and is making sueh an impressive production record.