DEVELOPMENT OF PTJLPWOOD RESOURCES. 15 



the rock can be quarried at small cost. The known deposits in 

 Alaska of the high-calcium marble also could be made to serve very 

 well for the tower system, and an enterprise could count on a cost 

 delivered at something less than $1.50 per ton, the prewar price. 

 The high-calcium lime should cost delivered something less than $5 

 per ton, the prewar price. 



For sulphur, mills would have to depend on Japan or, more 

 probably, on the Louisiana and Texas deposits. The cost delivered 

 has been estimated at $22 per ton, the prewar price. 



Soda ash and salt cake, delivered from San Francisco, cost about 

 $27 and $17 per ton, respectively, the prewar prices. If electrolytic 

 bleach were made, soda ash would be obtained as a by-product. 



Undoubtedly the bleaching materials, if any are required, can be 

 supplied most cheaply by operating an electrolytic process plant. 

 The cost of salt for this purpose, delivered from San Francisco, 

 is about $3 to $3.50 per ton, the prewar price. 



Grinder stones would probably be shipped from the eastern United 

 States or from England. With respect to Fourdrinier wires, ma- 

 chine clothing, machinery repair parts, belting, etc., the same would 

 be true. A much larger stock of supplies and repair materials would 

 have to be kept on hand than in the States. Any mill in Alaska 

 would require extensive carpenter, smith, and machine shops of its 

 own and, very likely, a foundry ; otherwise, the only adequate shops 

 and foundries to which the mill would have access would be those 

 at Juneau or Prince Rupert. 



DISPOSAL OF MILL EFFLUENTS. 



As any mill in southeastern Alaska would be built on tidewater, 

 and as the tidal variation is about 15 to 20 feet, there would be no 

 difficulty in satisfactorily disposing of the effluents into the sea. On 

 this account the mills of the region would have an advantage over 

 the great majority of mills in the United States. Although no inter- 

 ference is anticipated with the salmon industry, this possibility 

 should be carefully considered. 



WATER SUPPLY. 



Pulp and paper mills require comparatively large quantities of 

 pure water. The character of the water supply, like the availability 

 of the water power, can be determined only for the individual 

 project. The peaty discoloration and the characteristic glacial tur- 

 bidity of streams that are occasionally found may be corrected by 

 means of a filter if necessary. For the ordinary grades of news- 

 print it might not be necessary to filter the water. 



