The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-09-20
Masonic To
Ask Delay
0fHearinq
Civic Club And
Citizens
Injunction Suit

An attorney for the state game
and fish commission said this
week that the Masonite Corpora.
ton at Laurel, which caused q
wholesale killing of fish recent
iy, would probably be granted a
two weeks delay in the states
suit for an injunction prohibiting
the continued discharge of fish
killing wastes into Tallahala
creek and the Pascagoula river
system.
Meanwhile public protest from
individuals and civic groups in
South Mississippi continued.
The Young Mems Business
Club Of Moss Point passed a reso-
luton Monday "condemning the
action of the Masonite Corpora
ton for continuing to discharge
the effiuent and also urging the
governor and other authorities
to take Immediate action to
restrain the practice.
The Metropolitan Club of Hat
tiesburg, which has vigorously
pursued the campaign to clean up
the pollution problem. passed a
second resolution this week con-
demning ''the high handed way
in which the Masonite Corpora
tion is continuing to ignore the
law
The club took note that the At
torney General has invited the
people interested to be present
to aid and assist" in the injunc-
ton hearing, and announced 1t
has retained two leading Hat
tiesbtrg attorneys, Edward j.
Currie and F. c. Haihorn, ST., as
epacial eounsel 10 asssats the AT
torney General in the suit.
However, the attorney. who
has been retained by the state
game and fish commission-For-
est Jackson-said Thursday that
Masonite's attorneys as in past
litigation on this point were seek
ing to delay the hearing for an
injunction.
Mr.. Jackson said that the hear
ing was scheduled for Septem-
Der 81 before Chancellor Thomas
Y. Minniece of Meridian but that
he understood that Masonite's
attorney would ask and be grant
ed a two.week's delay on the
grounds that tests of the creek
we're now underway which would
provide information necessary at
the hearing"
Plant Resumes Discharge
Although the game and fish
commission is seeking an %iniunc-
ton which will stop Masonite
from releasing any waste at all
into the creek until il can be
proved the waste is not harmful
to fish, Director Freeman Of the
game and fish commission said
Thursday that he had permit
ted Masonite to begin to resume
discharging waste into the creek
in the amount of twenty percent
of the plants total volume.
Discussion with Mr.. Jackson
this week developed the fact
that the injunction now sought
would only forbid Masonite to kill
fish until such time as a "certifi-
cate of approval could he OBJ
tanned BY the company from the
conservation commission.
Director Freeman said his visit
to the plant this week indicated
that the company had a great
deal of machinery ready to be-
gin the removal of wood tibers
from its wastes. He said these
machines were a Deer Clarifier,
to settle the wood fibers. and an
Oliver Filter TO remove them.
These would be capable of re-
moving 40 tons of wood fiber a
day, he said. He said the com
pany is having trouble working
out. its process for burning the
fiber, but that the system will
be in working order soon. He said
Masonite intends to find a profit
able commercial market for its
fiber, and has already sold two
carloads of it.
"Furfural Plans"
Mr.. Freeman said he thought
the new system of removing fl
Der would go a long way to-
ward solving the problem. He
was asked whether past studies
by the most competent pollution
experts had not stated that dis
solved wood sugars in the waste,
rather than the fibers. are what
asphyxiate the fish. He replied
that this was true. but added that
the wood fibers also took some
oxygen out of the water.
He was asked what percentage
Of the damage to fish life b. ab-
~ ST.