The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-28

that they are gone for good, permanent
additions to the political junk-heap.
And on the republican side there is
LaFoilette, with no shred of his once
great reputation left, discredited as a
republican and open for engagements
as presidential nominee for any
newborn freak party that will meet
his freak views on present political
onditions.-Gadsden County Times
Paper Made in Florida.
II the specimen of Florida made
paper received at this office is rep
resentative of what may be done, and
the process is not too expensive, the
question Of a supply of print paper is
solved in this state, at least
From the Grass Fibre and Paper
Corporation. with headquarters at
Leesburg, there comes sample of
Florida sawgrass fibre paper, that un-
sized and unfinished as 1t is, is proof
of the fact that a fine quality of print
paper, at least, can be made from one
of the commonest of raw materials in
the state This particular sample was
cooked in open washtubs, beaten by
hand and run out on a wallpaper ma
chine, and yet 1t readily takes print
ing ink and is much stronger than the
ordinary print paper in daily nse.
AS it not sized, the specimen shows
some Of the rougher elements of the
raw material out of which it is made,
and is a little off color, but the man
ner in which is was produced and the
fact that it is not finished and sur
faced as print paper usually is, indi-
Gates that there is basis here for
any quantity of real paper, for which
the world Is now looking.
We cannot conceive of the supply of
saw grass being exhausted. There are
hundreds of thousands of acres of this
heretofore useless material in Florida,
and as it grows rapidly it may easily
be replaced when once a portion Of the
land is cleared of it.
It is said that a company owning
the many patents covering this new
form of paper is installing large mills
at Leesburg. Evidently. the promoters
of the enterprise have studied the
question OF costs of production deeply,
or they would not now be installing a
costly plant to manufacture sawgrass
into paper. Before the end of this
year, it is expected, the pulp mill wiz
be turning out pulp in large guam
titles, and the rest of the program of
preparing print paper is comparative
ly easy.
What this means to the state Of
Florida and especially to that portion
in which there are extensive fields of
sawgrass, is not difficult to imagine.
The worlds paper situation is exceed
ingly serious. The consumption of
white print paper is enormous, and
the drains upon the spruce forests of
the north has been such as seriously
to- deplete the forests upon which the
northern manufacturer depends for
his supply. A spruce tree cannot be
replaced in decades, and when once
the ground is cleared of available ma
terial the pulp manufacturer must go
elsewhere for his supply. That supply
is rapidly vanishing.
If the sawgrass of Florida affords a
practicable pulp making product part
of the great problem is solved, and
the company that first begins the
manufacture of good quality Of print
paper from this widespread Florida
grass is assured of a profitable and
growing business from the start.
If the Leesburg mill proves sue
cess. other pulp mills and other paper
mills will spring up all over South
Florida, and this industry promises to
be one in which Miami could very
well become interested.-Miami Herald.