A(JRI( rLTl'RAL AI'I'IIOIMJI ATION MII.U l'»2». 219 



out. TIkmt is a loss cvcmi n\ oiVwuui plimts wIimIi will oficii run from 

 10 to JO jHT mil. 'I'hcrc is nisn ii loss of clu'ruicnls that r>o\v t;o (iff 

 with tin* waste oIliiUMits but tlu'oretirally «)ii<;l»l to he rccovoraljlc for 

 further use. N(» one has really been able to {jet to the ))ottom of thi» 

 j)robl(rn. and the eonnnercial interests parti* ularly eoiirenuMl in it 

 iire anxious to have the Forests l'ro(lu<ts Laboratory cooperate with 

 them in a joint attack. They propose U) furnish a consi<lerablo 

 amount of numev to help, and we wouhl like to have $4,000 or §.').(MM) 

 t<» tinaiice the (ioverrunent s end of this work. It is a v«'rv practical 

 matter of conservation be<ause if these htsses can be prevented it 

 -lu»uld mean a c(>rrespon<lin«; reductii)n in the current drain upon our 

 tind)er 



I want to >.|Hak in this connection of the extent to whi'.h investijxa- 

 lions of this character ou»;ht to be paid for by the (lovernment and 

 the extent to which they ou^jht to be |>aid for by the commercial 

 interests which will benefit from them. We have been developing; 

 commercial cooperation at the Forest Products Laboiatory pretty 

 rapidly during the nast two or three years, on the "general principle 

 I hat as far as |)ossible the industry or the ^roup of nu'n who are^omg 

 to <;et particular beiielil fiom a (iovernment inve>ti^ation ouj^ht to 

 pay tiie major porti»»n of ius cost. We now jjet contributions tiii 

 that basis from commercial concerns amountinj; to between S540.00() 

 ami .•>."i0.000 a year, whi<h jjoes into tests of boxes, special tests of 

 paper-making processes, experiments with new methods of preserving; 

 timber, courses of instruction in lumber seasonini;, etc.. in which a 

 particular industry or group of men have special interest. We are 

 ileveloping the idea that the wood-using industries should, to a 

 reasonable extent. |)ay their wav on investigations at the laboratory 

 which are of distinct and immediate benelit to them. 



We have gone into these two problems, the wood finishes and study 

 of paper wastes, on that basis. What is required is that certain 

 fundamental and technical investigations in the cliemistry of wooil 

 cellulose ami in woiul physics be carried out at the Forest Prt)ducts 

 Laboratory. For that the use of Government funds is reasonable, 

 because it is fundamental work having many scientific antl industrial 

 bearings and possible applications. Other phases of these studies on 

 the side of commercial praetice. matrnfacluring conditimis. etc.. 

 ought to be financed by the industries immediately benefited. 



That is all I have to say on this item unless the committee would 

 like to see some exhibits. Mere is a sheet of paper made entirely 

 out of cotton linters, a process developed by tjie laboratory, it 

 makes a pretty high grade of book paper. Here is a sheet made out 

 of oat hulls, the waste in the manufacture of oatmeal. The tests on 

 paper maimfacture from flax straw are going along well. We expect 

 to have that pretty well worked out within another vear. 



We recently produceil a very good paper at the laboratory by 

 deinking old newspapers under a new process which promises to be 

 profitable commercially and effect an enormous saving of raw 

 material. 



