Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-11-10
PACIFIC FORESTS AND THE
PAPER SHORTAGE.
BIZ FREDERIC ], HASKN.


PAPER SHORTAGE.
BIZ FREDERIC J. HASKN.
Especial Correspondence Of Tho Argus9.
Washington. D. C.. Nov. s.-Ths paper short
age. which II making our indispensable news
papers shrink year by year. and which - stead
ily growing worse. will never be relieved until
mills have been built in the great evergreen
forests Of the west, and especially Of the Pa
ci6c coastal mountains. Agreements, econo-
mics and trade commissions are make-shifts
Sitka spruce and western hemlock. ground INTO
pulp by swift western streams and shipped
east by way Of the Panama canal, are the only
feasible means Of keeping American presses
running. This is the gist Of the findings OF
government experts in various departments
who are deyoting all Of their time to the paper
situation.
The paper shortage has been one Of the
most serious matters in life to the publishers
Of newspapers for several years. but the read
ing public ID Just beginning to realize the
gravity Of the situation. This gravity can be
better appreciated in the light Of q statement
made by government forester. He says that
most of the pulp wood within reach OF paper
mills now operating in this country will be
gone in Is years, and that within 20 years. it
will all DO gone.
In the opinion of the foresters, this resuN
Is due primarily to the wasteful methods Of
the pulp concerns. which have stripped the
lands Of pulpwood. generally leaving not
enough seedlings and saplings to reproduce
the stand. The stripped lands grow up in
brush and In birch, poplar and other soft woods
which may be used for book paper but not for
news print paper.
The solution, It is suggested by several stu
dents Of the problem, is for the publishers to
build their own mills. The timber they need
Afiafa In n Qhfn Ufnn 0roUnn and A1AAka
there are stands Of Sitka spruce and western
hemlock 80 dense that thirty to nifty tons Of
wood may be cut to the acre. and enough small
stun may be left to reproduce the stand: The
New England and Canadian lands from which
We are now getting our pulp wood produce
four or I'VE tons Of material to the acre. 1t is
said that it takes 30 acres of forest to print
one edition Of great metropolitan newspaper.
This may be true Of the Canadian forests But
one acre Of the dense northwest evergreen for
ests probably would serve for an edition Of the
greater newspaper in the country.
The great distance Of the northwest forests
from the places where the paper is used has
prevented their development. Fifty per cent
Of all the publishing business in this country
Is between Boston and Chicago The lake
states and the New England states where most
Of the mills are located, form the logical
source Of supply for the American publishers.
But this source is almost exhausted It
will take quarter of century Of careful
|reforestation to restore these forests. Canada
is the next source Of importance, and Canada
10 failing to meet the demand. When paper
was cents pound, 1t would have been sheer
folly to talk Of Alaska and other Pacific coast
forests but with paper selling at cents. and
with 10 cent paper a possibility Of the future,
II Is folly no longer.
THE conservatism of the publishers in this
matter" said one expert, lis almost incredible.
Why don't they make their own paper? They
have the capital and the material exists in
abundance in the west. It's long haul, but
it's an all-water haul. There IL the best Of
water power to run the mills Some eastern
pulp concerns are carrying their timber three
or four hundred miles by rail to the mills.
In the west, enormous quantities of material
would be at the very doors Of the mills The
proposition certainly looks feasible on the face
of It. There is no doubt about the water power
or the timber: the forest service has reported
en- these. It only remains for some one to
figure the cost Of making paper in the north
west and delivering 1t by water In the east.
Although the country faces paper famine, no
one seems sufficiently interested to act In a
big and effective way"
In order to make the paper situation clear
to the layman, it Is necessary to explain that
there are four processes for making paper
from wood. The sulphide process is used for
making pulp from evergreen wood chiefly
spruce and hemlock, and producing the raw
material for newspapers. The ground wood
pulp process, which requires high degree
of power, is used for the same material and
also produces a news print paper. The soda
pulp process<is used for SOFT woods Of broad
leaved trees, such as poplar, birch and aspen
This pulp will do for book paper, but not for
newspaper. which must be very tough. Spruce
is also treated by sulphate process. but this
produces an unbleachable paper which is suit
able for wrapping purposes, but not for print
| ing. Besides these sources, paper is made
from waste paper, from rags, old rope and from
straw.
In the present emergency. all sorts Of mate
rails are being tested. Florida saw grass
! cornstalks, cotton hulls, bamboo and cypress
have all been used experimentally in making
paper. ALI can be used to a certain extent and
after fashion, but none Of them solves the
problem.
Cotton "linters" are one Of the most prom
Using new materials. The linters are a sori
Of fuzz that remains In the cotton hull after
the staple cotton has been removed During
the war, linters were used for making gun cot
ton. and their production and cleaning was
brought to high state Of perfection.