Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-18
STATE HOUSE.
Interesting Figures CuIIed from
Maine School Report.
Sugar Cane as aSubstitute for Wood
in Paper Making.
o'ner Matters Of Import from tn.
Maine Capitol.

1
Is supplied with flags. There are
| i'S36 schoolhouses in the whole State
| having flags. Androscoggin county
mas 1S5 schoolhouses and 119 have
| haSs. In Aroostook the figures are
800 ana 2O5; Cumberland, 315 and 1893;
rankin, 1913 and So; Hancock, 3O1 and
i'z' kennebec. 2S3 and 16S; Knox, 152
ana 50; Lincoln, 155 and 81; oxford,
700 ana ll3; PenObscot, 442 and 176;
flscataquis, 135 and 81; Sagadahoc, 80
ana 30; Somerset, 271 and 1913; Waldo,
zZ2 and 95; Washington, 252 and 145,
| and York, 1903 and 153
In kennebec county all the school
| houses in Augusta, Farmingdale, Gar
diner, HallOwell, Oakland, Readfield
ana Winthrop are supplied with flags.
| Augusta has 26 schoolhOuses; Farm
ingdale, 3; Gardiner Il; Hallowell, 10;
| Oakland, I: Readfield, and Winthrop,
| s. Waterville has Z schoolhouses and
are supplied with flags. West Gar
| diner only has one flag for it's school
| houses.
| The tables giving the wages of
| teachers are also found of interest. In
the whole State the average monthly
| wages of male teachers, excluding
| board, is $3566; female teachers per
| week, exclusive of board, $6.12. The
| highest average paid male teachers in
| Cumberland county, $45.61 per month;
the lowest is in Somerset. $3.50. The
| highest average paid female teachers is
in Androscoggin. $3.50 per week; the
| lowest is in oxford, 1914.
| In kennebec county, Augusta pays
male teachers an average of $1O2.50,
and Wayne pays $22. Gardiner pays
|
Winthrop. $34; Windsor, 1925. and
Albion, $32. The average for the
whole county is $3446 Female teach
ers in Gardiner get an average of 1897
per week; in Waterville. 1913; Halo
well. $40; Augusta, $S.S1. and Win
throp $3.50. The lowest average is paid
in Unity plantation, $2.75 per week.
1.-The average for the county is $6.7S.
e The cost of school superintendent in
1.-The whole State is $56.SSO. Cumber-
land expends $3.50 for this purpose;
York. $6015; Kennebec, $3.50; An
droscoggin, $4544; Penobscot. $44S6;
and Piscataquis, 1882. the smallest of
all.
| In Kennebec county Waterville
spends the most for school superin-
tendence, $1,000. and Unity plantation
expends SO. Augusta spends s5.75 for
this purpose; Gardiner. $500; Halo
well, $3.50; Winthrop. 5000; WinslOw,
SLIT; Oakland. s175; Vassalboro, $12O;
Clinton. $119;. Sidney. SOB; China and
Pittston, 500 each, and the other
towns less than 500.
The other day articles of incorpora-
ton were filed at the office of the sec
rotary of State for company organ
lied for the purpose Of manufacturing
pulp out of sugar cane. This fact has
attracted considerable attention from
those who an Interested in preserving
the forest supply of the country from
the alleged devastation of the wood
pulp operators. A. G. Mills of New
York, having noticed the announce
ment of the formation of the New
, Orleans Bagasse Pulp and Paper Co,
has written an article to the New York
Tribune, in which he says:
THE announcement in your issue of
today that a company has been or
ganized to make paper pulp out of
sugar cane possesses more than pass
ling interest to those of us who have
been and are contending for the
preservation of the state forests on the
Adirondack mountains, as protection
for the sources of our water supply.
| The demand for wood pulp for paper
making has increased. and is increas-
ing, and as soft woods of all dimen-
sions are equally available in the
process Of pulp making, the destruc-
ton of a forest for wood pulp is com
plete whereas for timber purposes 1t Is
lonly partial. If all restrictions
:, against the cutting of timber on state
Hands should be removed, it is not too
much to say that i'm a few years the re-
ouiraments of the wood pulp industry
for paper making would alone ex-
lhaust the supply from state lands and
from available private woodlands also,
land ultimately the time would come
when some substitute for wood must be
found to serve the purposes of paper
making.
This is no new question:: indeed,
>. some writer in the interest of forest
conservation has already urged that
Z the federal government should provide
e Il large pecuniary reward for any one
discovering practical substitute fol
wood for this very purpose.
" Il do not know the projectors OF this
particular enterprise. nor nelthei
whether the sugar cane can be used as
y economically as wood for the making OF
paper pulp. but the public certain!
has n large measure of interest In the
success of some such project. and 1t oc-
ours to me that if the well ORGANIZED
companies now engaged in the process:
Of making paper from wood products
, should turn their attention to th'
sugar cane or some similar substitute
source OF supply, they would be doing
great stroke of business for them
selves. as well as rendering an I'M
rortant service to the public welfare.
Whether the situation in this state |:
the same as Mr.. Mills says OF New Yorl
is not known to the writer: but tn
fact that it is believed that SUD
stitute for wood in the manufacture o
ipaper has been discovered is OF itself
lnatter of Importance. If the sub
stitution of sugar cane for wood IS
success, and the supply is OF uniimlte'
amount. the problem of preserving on
forests will be solved. Until that tim
lcomes. however. the pulp mills Of Main