MURUPARA PAPER PROJECT

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26967, 17 February 1953, Page 10

MURUPARA PAPER PROJECT

Strength Of Overseas Competition MR ENTRICAN REPORTS ON TOUR (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, February 16. The ability of the Tasman Pulp and Paper Company, Ltd., to compete profitably with overseas producers at world* parity in price and quality has been re-examined by? Mr A. R. Entrican, Director of Forestry, and one of the Government directors Of the company, who has returned to New Zealand from a visit to Europe and North America on behalf of the Forest Service and the company. “As a result of my visit,” he said today, “I am satisfied from a study of long-term trends that the integrated plant will, ultimately be able to compete successfully on both local and Australian markets. Ohly in times of severe and sustained economic depression and cut-throat competition, when even overseas producers will be unable to produce profitably, do I think there is any risk of marginal operation.” He emphasised that the dominant theme in development work by the world leaders in. the industry was quality. He added: “They foresee an era of more intensive competition, and are making immense efforts both to improve quality and to develop special products which will command the markets because of their greater value.” ,

Mr Entrican said he was most impressed with the fact that this same concept of quality was slowly but surely becoming dominant in the growing of nursery stock for forest establishment. * He claimed that only the breeding of better trees with inherent or induced resistance to insect and fungal attack offered adequate security for the future management of exotics. A start had ahead” been made in New Zealand, but experience everywhere indicated that much more intensive development was necessary. One of the purposes of Mr Entrrcan’s visit was to study means of staffing the Tasman project, and he will make a recommendation to the board on the subject.