THE PEAT LANDS OF SEAWARD MOSS.

Southland Times, Issue 19393, 6 November 1924, Page 7

THE PEAT LANDS OF SEAWARD MOSS.

To the Editor. Sir,—In the Times of October 17, there appeared the report of a discussion by the Southland League on the peat lands of Seaward Moss. It has been stated that a large part of this territory consists of pure peat, and so it does, but it seems to me, from what we read in the daily papers and trade journals, that this peat will be one of our most valuable products in the near future. Only last inonth we read that army blankets, surgical bandages and even carpets are made from peat fibre. The same substance is also used for filling mattresses in public institutions. In an American technical journey is a description, with illustrations, of the way in which the Pilgrim Paper Company, near the village of Capac

Michigan, manufacture cardboard paper from pure peat. This account says that the process of converting peat into paper—finished, weighed and tied in packages ready for shipment—all in two hours, is likely to revolutionise the industry in some branches. It gives a clear description and illustrations of all the machinery and methods used, and says the finished product is superior to the cardboard made from straw and wood pulp, in several ways. The passing of the peat pulp over hot rollers brings to the surface of the paper the natural oil of the peat and makes the surface of the finished article waterproof and antiseptic. Besides this, peat paper lacks the odour which straw and wood pulp paper possesses, and the peat cardboard is also extremely tough. All this, it says, makes the manufacture of this product much less expensive than strawboard. Whereas the latter costs over 20 dollars a ton to produce, the peat cardboard is being turned out at the Capac plant for eight dollars a ton. All the plant is able to produce, about 30 tons of finished cardboard daily, is used in the manufacture of cartons by the makers of breakfast foods and other food products, but the uses to which it can be put on account of its great strength and toughness, are many. The rapid disappearance of the forests necessitates the finding of some substitute for wood in the making of barrels, boxes and pegs, and experiments have shown that peat paper is entirely suitable for these purposes also. In parts of Europe, says this journal, peat is now being converted into coke on a large industrial scale. It is also used for making tax methyl, alcohol, acetate of lime and sulphate of ammonia, but these are chiefly by-pro-

ducts, and are extracted after the heat energy has been used for power purposes. In a test not long ago on one of the Western American railroads, a 60-mile run, consuming 44501bs of coal, was made in 2hrs 46mins. Under precisely the same conditions the run was made in five minutes leas time, using 51001bs of peat. In addition to service as fuel and cardboard peat is used in America extensively as a fertiliser. In Blocks 13 and 14, and part of 9, Oteramika, there axe about 7000 acres of

peat land. The peat there is from sx to 20 and more feet deep, and ■ on Crown land. Two miles from the Gorge Rood railway station by good rood, with the Power Board lines passing by the property, there should be an opportunity far enterprise in the near future, both as to the extent of the field and the nearness of transport i