WOOD PULP.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13636, 2 July 1908, Page 6

WOOD PULP.

The opportunity | afforded by the Govt! nmenc lor the''establishment' of the wood-pulp industry in Aew Zealand has. already borne fruit. Under the Land .Laws* Amendment Act of lat>t session provision was made lor netting 'apart land for, this purpose, with certain ■ concessions, leaseb being limited | to 30,000 aCrcs to nidividual applicants'., 'lhe iitst ,to lake advantage of the Act is a ilhrislchurch syndicate, which ha*, secured a lease-' of 30,000 acres out of the 50,000 acrts in the "W-cStiand district reserved tor this purpobe by' Gazette notice of February 16th last. The area leaded is bounded on t»o s.'utu. by the Midland railway, within a uslaaice uf about a mile or two, and the ' Teremakau River forms one Loundary. The locality is known as ,the Mount Alexandra Kaaige, situated about 10 miles from Lake Brunnvr. The byndicate intends to SiUrt operations shortly. Papermoking fiom wood-pulp fornib one ,of the most important industries of the United Stales and Canada, from which couu ries New Zealand imports very' largely. These countries manufacture over four million tons of paper annually, and it is possible that the jiew venture will turn out to be the beginning of an industry that will assume gieut proportions in New Zealand, with its immense areas of suitable •■ bush lands available.

lb may be explained that the timber used for wood-pulp is nob the ordinary Unliable .timber, bub the smaller trees and scrub-which ab present have no commercial or scenic value. The industry has also the merit" of not permanently destroying the forests in which it operates, because in the particular district in which it' is to be started, W&tland, the land which' has been set apart is covered with bush that grows up freely (after being worked) in five or tea. years' time, and the gaps made in the' bush areas worked in this way are thus soon effaced. When it is stated that in 190S- New Zealand imported printing paper to Abe value of £113,009,' totalling 156,724cwi^' besides miscellaneous

paper of various descriptions, it will b« seen what possibilities are ahead of an industry of this nature being started here.