WOOD PULP.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 September 1924, Page 9

WOOD PULP.

A NEfW INDUSTRY

Mr. Gerald Mussen has practically completed arrangements for the purchase of the Van Diemen's Land Co.’s extensive holdings on the north-west coast, involving a sum of approximately £325,000. . The news appears to indicate that the purchase is but the forerunner of the establishment iii Tasmania of the wood pulp manufacturing industry. Some considerable time ago the Amalgamated Zinc CO. found that its operations at Broken Hill were coining to an end, and the question arose as to what was to be done with the £250,000 capital, plus 'certain accumulated profits. It was a question v ? hether this money sheuld be returned to shareholders, or used for some new industrial enterprise. Largely owing to the influence of Mr. Avery, the- attention of the directors was given to the matter of establishing works somewhere in Australia for the making of paper pulp out of local timbers. Exhaustive inquiries and tests were made with the result that-Tasmania was decided upon, because its cheap powder, easily accessible beds of timber, water supplv, and climate gave the best opportunity for successful operation. Investigations showed that a. mixture of two-thirds of hardwood pulp', with one-third of imported puln gave a very satisfactory result, and would permit of the manufacture of paper on a commercial scale, and at a. substantial profit-/ Tt was estimated that a. capital of £1,000,000 would be sufficient to establish works which would supply one-third of the requirements of Australian newspapers, leaving the other two-thirds still to he imported, but wltli the prospect of 'subsequently meeting the whole- of the requirements of Australia. Connected’ with this was the idea of nlantiiis forests . of spruce, so that in 12 or 15 years’ time it would be unnecessary to import pulp at all.