USE OF WHEAT WASTE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 81, 5 April 1930, Page 24 (Supplement)

USE OF WHEAT WASTE

MANUFACTURE OF PAPER. BONES FOR BUTTER. Recent messages from Sydney indicated the possibility of the manufacture of paper from wheat waste. The fact that a southern syndicate. with similar aims, has been attaining a certain measure of success in the matter, has been brought to light by a Mr R. Cable, who, in an interview in the Christchurch Press, gives particulars of what has already been accomplished. “At present what we me going to manufacture," Air Cable says, “is strawboard and cardboard, supplies of which at present are imported. We have a competitive price, with the imported article, and no duty will bo necessary beyond the existing two per cent, primage. The first thing we intend to manufacture is fibro butter box board, which is made from pure Tuscan “We have bad boxes made from the material tested at Canterbury College by the State Forest Service, and they have been found quite, satisfactory. We have also had boxes made of this material filled with butter and placed in cool store. A report from a local dairy company is to the effect that they were very pleased with the way the. butter opened up, and the fact was particularly stressed that there was no taint from the material, whereas cardboard invariably taints butter. ' Over 3,000,000 boxes of butter arc exported from New Zealand yearly, and white pine, which is recognised as the best timber for the purpose, is rapidly being cut out, and boxes are being imported from Canada, and Sweden. Our present cost of butter boxes made from libro butter-box board is Id lower than the imported article. If we only get onefifth of the total number required we will be called on to make 600,000 boxes. “We are also using flax to make, various kinds of paper, particularly rough paper for butchers’ use, tissue paper, and also paper suitable for wrapping apples in. From flax we are also manufacturing a very soft cardboard. “Taking the average wheat yield at 30 bushels per acre, each acre will provide one ton of straw, which, at £1 per ton. means that the wheat-grower will get an additional 8d per bushel. “The factory will be erected either at Tinwald or Timaru; at least 35 persons will be employed and 150 tons of coal will be used weekly. Tinwald is the centre of a large wheat-growing area, and through the wheat-growing area of which Timaru is Ihe centre is not so great, Timaru possesses the advantage of a port and a good water supply.''