Nov. I960.] 



870 



FIBRES. 



THE BAMBOO FOR PAPER MAKING. 



Mr. R. W. Sindall, who has been investigating on behalf of the India Office, 

 the suitability of Indian fibre for paper-making purposes, expressed himself as 

 follows in an interview with a representative of " The Paper Mill " of New York :— 

 In my opinion, the bamboo of India may some day supplant the spruce wood now 

 being used in the manufacture of pulp for paper-making. I have made a lengthy 

 experiment, and have found that the bamboo is practical in the manufacture of 

 pulp. I believe that capital can be secured. I would not be surprised if a company 

 were soon to be formed for the purpose of establishing a pulp and paper mill in 

 Burma. While my investigation was conducted for the Government, the Govern- 

 ment itself has no intention of building mills, but is simply desirous of ascertaining 

 whether or not the raw product available in that country is good and can be 

 used in the manufacture of paper. The pulp I now have in my possession as a 

 result of my experiments, is an excellent white piece of fibre, and compares very 

 favourably with the spruce pulp manufactured in the United States. The rice and 

 straw found there can also be utilised in making pulp, but the native wood, cotton- 

 wood, is not good. 



Water power in India is very scarce, and in the event that a pape 

 mill is established in Burma steam power would have to be resorted to. 

 Petroleum would be used as fuel, as it is obtainable there in large quantities and is 

 reasonably heap. The greatest item of consideration in competition with 

 American paper manufacturers would be labour. People of India, for the most 

 part, are infernally lazy ; in fact, it is the women who do most of the work. The 

 native of India can be employed for eight cents per day. I also investigated the 

 matter of freight rates and found that the pulp can be shipped from Rangoon 

 the principal sea port in the vicinity, to an English port for 1*35 dollar per ton 

 At the present time there are three paper mills in India, all located near Calcutta. 

 One has a capacity of 200 tons per week and another 150 tons. The third I did not 

 visit. On my way home I stopped at Shanghai, where I found the native Chinese 

 manufacturing paper by hand. A unique process i s employed in making this paper 

 and from the time they start on a batch to the time it is ready for market one 

 whole year has elapsed. The wood is beaten by hand and piled along the sides of 

 mountains to bleach in the sun. — Indian Planting and Gardening. 



