Evening star., 1923-02-04
GOVERNMENT PAPER MILL
URGED AS AN ECONOMY
Public Printer Carter Pressing Congress
for Action Providing for Converting
u. S. Timber Into Pulp.

tanning millions of acres of timber suit
able for the production OF wood pulp, II
is pointed out that the government has
only to erect mill on one Of it's won
derful waterpower sites to have the best
paper and pulp mill in the world, and
which can be operated at cost far less
than any private plant.
or course, Public Printer Carter has
pointed out to members of Congress in
terested In this big efficient-economy
proposal. IL would not be practicable to
manufacture in single mill all the
various kinds and grades Of paper. But
one mill could, experts testify, make all
the newsprint, machine-finish book and
some or the coarser papers required by
the government. The House committee
on printing in a report six years ago
recommended the erection of a fifty-ton
mill as ample to meet this requirement
and estimated that the cost OF such A
plant In 1916 would be approximately
81 900, 900, based on figures then sub
mitted by experts in the paper industry.
Proposed Mill Near This City.
Congress is now considering the sug-
gestion that 1t might be we'll to locate
the finishing paper mill near Washing
ton, along the Potomac River, while
setting up the pulp mill in or near some
western forest reserve. In this way the
pulp instead of the finished product
could be shipped across the country TO
advantage Of placing the paper mill
where It would be under the immediate
supervision OF the government printing
office and accessible to paper experts in
other branches Of the government.
Aside from the great saving and other
benefts to the government printing
office OF a aforementioned and oper-
ated mill, such a plant would be of in
estimable value to the entire paper in
dustry, 1t is urged especially to news
papers. 1t would afford opportunity for
practical and thorough tests of various
fbres and other substitutes for pulp
wood, which the Federal Trade Com
mission says is "a public necessity
against the day when the rapidly dirnin-
ishing supply of suitable pulp wood be
comes exhausted. Experimental tests
have been made by the Ia boratory mills
OF the q. s. Forest Service at Madison.
Wis. and by the Bureau of Standards
in Washington. The government has
those tests They have only demon
strated the need for further trials on a
production basis. such as the proposed
mill would afford and which private
paper-making plants will not undertake
Centralized Purchasing Agency.
1t is also being urged that Congress
should give early consideration to cen
tralized purchase of paper for govern
ment workshops. to have one ware
house for all paper stocks and for
standardization of government paper
The proposition is that substantially all
paper. except distinctive paper for the
printing Of the currency, be purchased
on one schedule according to a single
standard Of specifications, inspected in
a uniform manner and stored in a CEN
trail warehouse for issue to the various
branches Of the government service. AT
the present time there are numerous
government agencies engaged in the
purchase of large quantities of paper.
and thus the government frequently
competes with itself in the purchase OF
paper from the same contractor and not
infrequently different agencies pay va
rious prices for substantially the same
grades of paper.