The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-10-18
Good NeighborIiness"

In view Of the Masonite Corporations con-
tinued protests that, despite fine and well
equipped laboratory and staff of competent
research chemists, they have not been able
to discover the secret of controlling their
pollution problem in 20-year period, it is
interesting to read an article on what the
American Cyanamid Company did towards
eliminating their pollution problem at their
Bound Brook, N. j., plant.
in spite of wartime shortages and scarcity
of materials" the article says, continued
maintenance of GOOD NEIGHBORLINESS
Capitals ours) was achieved. No precedents
for treatment (of the effluenD were applic-
able to situation so large and complex. The
solution had to be worked out elaborately in
4O,000-gallon pilot plant built for the study
The ingenuities of the treatment plant there
after designed and erected in 1910 attracted
wide attention in the technical press at the
time"
We would like to emphasize the fact that
this was done at the heighth of wartime
shortages in a plant employing 1000 per-
sons and where the volume of effluent dis
charge reaches one million gallons an hour.
Masonits employs 1900 persons and their
volume of effluent reaches four million
gallons day
The article continues with description of
the remedial measures taken by the company
to purify and areate the effluent before its
discharge into the Raritan river. Areation of
its effluent Is, incidentally, the chief prob
lem facing Masonite where the high con-
tent of wood sugars in its effluent consume
the oxygen in the waters of Tallahala creek,
Leaf and Pascagoula rivers and results in
the fish slaughtering which has become COM
monplace over 20-year period.
We quote from the article:
"The settling lagoon is 23-acre 60-million-
gallon lake where the effluent fingers for
five days and gets further bleaching, area
ton and Qualification. Then it runs off in
flume and is joined by brook and runs
mile through a canal over areating water
1alls into concrete diffusion dam which lies
across the Raritan river C20 feet wide at
Ibis point). The effluent is fed into the stream
from a line of Al outlets beneath the falling
water on the downstream face of the dam
and the agitation provides further areation
and evenness of dispersion and dilution
throughout the full volume and width of the
broad river"
We have no idea of the costs involved in
the above remedy but hazard guess that it
was an expensive undertaking. That is the
secret of Masonite's problem. They simply
have not wanted to spend the money neces-
sary to a direct approach to the elimination
of their 20-year-old problem which, if not
controlled, will end in the destruction of all
marine life in the Leaf and Pascagoula rivers.
These two rivers, on the basis of commercial
values alone, support more families and pro-
duce more revenue for the state and people
than the Masonite Corporation, and are
natural asset and a source of recreation that
nature took centuries to build.
Despite all these facts as plain as the nose
on your face, the Masonite Corporation when
opposed in their wanton destruction, cries
persecution" and would have you believe
that the problem resolves around only the
killing of few fish in Tallahala creek.
Then the State Game and Fish Commission,
agrees to a two-month postponement in the
injunction against the company and says it
might be necessary to agree to nine such
postponements while Masonite is given 18
more monthssto build pilot plant and study
a problem MORE THAN 20 YEARS OLD.