RAYON PULP INDUSTRY

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29901, 15 August 1962, Page 14

RAYON PULP INDUSTRY

Use Of Nelson Pinus Urged

The use of the Nelson forests as the basis of a rayon pulp industry in New Zealand was suggested by Mr D H. Tucker, of the Dominion Laboratory of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, in an address to the chemistry section of the New Zealand Science Congress yesterday. Mr Tucker said that an erroneous impression had been propounded that synthetic fibres would replace rayon, but a study of the yearly production figures of both types of fibre <85.000 tons a year for rayon fibres and 125,000 tons a year for synthetics) showed that both industries were in a healthy state.

If a rayon pulp industry was set up in New Zealand there would be an immediate scope for overseas markets. The Afro-Asian countries were well below the average world consumption of rayon fibre and Japan, already one of New Zealand's markets for other primary products, was one of the largest importers of rayon pulp in the world.

He said that to produce 50,000 tons of pulp a year 135,000 tons of wood were needed. Most of New Zealand’s large forest areas already were committed to different types of production and the forest in Nelson, with its large acreage of pinus, was the most suitable centre for the setting up of a rayon pulp mill. Summarising the points he had made in his address. Mr Tucker said:

There was a healthy world market for rayon pulp. Japan was the most likely market of several markets.

Tile use of the Nelson forests should be stepped up with the aim of creating a new export industry. The return from a pulp rayon mill would be about 1214 per cent., not high by some standards, but quite a good return.