PAPER FORMULA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 July 1940, Page 9

PAPER FORMULA

OFFERED BY CZECH TO ALLIES. H. Scherbak, a Czech, who in the last war developed for Germany cardboard containers for motor oil to conserve metal, and the substitution of paper for jute and wood containers, ha: offered his formulae to the Allies and the United States. He went io rhe United States 10 years ago. During the last war M. Scherbak was a member of the advisory committee of the German War Office. A specialist in paper, he developed waterproof, oilproof, and non-inflam-mable papers that were used for sandbags, for waterproof camouflage covers, waterproof tarpaulins, machine gaskets, balloon covers and dozens of other wartime uses. He has demonstrated his materials to both British and Canadian Army ,officers and to officers of the United States Army. “I am a Czech,” he said. “Present Germany is not the old Germany. It has destroyed my country and now 1 want to do anything I can to help the fight against Hitler.” As the finale of a series of experiments to show that his paper is impervious to benzine or water M. Scherbak boiled water in it over an open flame, states the “New York Times. Soaked in water, crumpled into a ball, tramped upon and scuffled, the paper can be smoothed out and written upon with ink without .the pen catching in the surface. He said that it was invaluable for military maps because it was impervious to rain or snow and could be stitched, pasted, and made into bags.