Evening star., 1939-07-18
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

A deluge of paper threatens the
world
1t waits on the literacy of teeming mil
| lions in the earths backward countries,
according to study presented before
nical Congress of Agricultural Indus
| tries meeting at Budapest, Hungary,
| by DR. H. T.. Herrick of Washington,
assistant chief of the Department of
| Agriculture's Bureau of Chemistry and
Soils,
At present. DR.. Herrick said, the aver
| age American uses up about $50 pounds
year-a total of 100000 tons for the
whole country. The world average is
25 pounds year, but there are ominous
differences in various countries. The
average Chinaman uses only pound.
The Rumanian gets along on pounds
and the Russian on pounds Canadians
and Englshmen approach closest to the
American figure, but consume an aver
age of less than half as much a year.
But this, DR.. Herricks paper indicated,
may be only the gently tapping waters
of the coming flood. The critical time
will come, he said, when the world
average reaches half that for the United
States or the average for the backward
countries reaches even the present world
average.
Unless radically new sources of paper
are developed, he warned, the drain on
forests may be close to the endurable
limit. Assuming a normal increase, he
said, it has been calculated that the
pulpWood requirements for the United
States alone by 1850 will be close to
25,0O0,0 900 cords year. For all purposes
there will be a drain of about 1873 900 900
cords.
! 1t is the present aim of American
conservation agencies he said, to MAIN
tain the forests SO that they can stand
this drain. For this country, normally
rich in forests, he said, "the problem
is not considered unsurmountable, but
a stringent, far-sighted and Well-co-
ordnated program operating at high
efficiency will be necessary" As for
the rest OF the world, he stressed, "any
substantial increase will be certain to
introduce critical aspects in the world
situation"
1t must also be considered. he said,
that the output of rayon now is in
creaslng almost a third each year over
the average for the proceeding year and
with the development of new processes
this is likely to increase.
One way out he stressed, will be to
solve the problems of converting about
| hi
peanut shells, etc.-into paper, cloth
and boards. 1t may be possible, he said,
to utilize about so per cent of this,
allowing the rest to remain to maintain
the fertility OF the soil.
The biggest item in this waste at
present, DR.. Herrick pointed out, is 49,
| 100000 tons of wheat straw, with 1922
! OOO,0OO tons OF rice straw running a close
| second Corn stalks, already used to
some extent in making both paper and
boards, come third with an estimated
| waste of l6800O,O00 TONS
The problem to be solved, he said, are
! both chemical and economic. In the
laboratory it is easy enough at present
to utilize most forms of this waste, but
cheaper methods of converting them
must be found to offset the cost of har-
vestlng and transporting them Their
utilization so far as the United States
is concerned Dr. Herrick said. will BE-
one OF the primary objectives of the
research laboratory, to cost ST 900 900
a year, which the Department of Agri-
culture will open next year at Peoria.
Ill
When the problems affecting the actual
agricultural wastes are solved, he said.
1t may be only the beginning, for if need
arises the great quantities of weeds.
vines and bushes might be harvested
and utilized by the same methods. In
some cases it may be essential to de-
velop new industries, such as the straw
board manufacturing which has grown
up in the last few years in the United
States to the point where half a million
tons OF straw, mostly wheat, are used
up annually.
All the cellulose industries the world
over. he said, seem bound to expand.
In spite OF the severe economic depres-
sions, which have hit nearly every coun-
try, the general trend of wood pulp pro-
duction the world over has been upward
over long period of years until the
drain on the forests already is sadly
apparent.