Indian Forest Records. 
8 
[Vol. IV. 
articles published from time to time by Messrs. Sindall, Raitt and 
Richmond. 
2. Present condition of the paper-pulp trade in India. 
Materials used for paper-making in India. —At the present day paper is 
made of either waste materials such as rags, old rope, gunny bags, waste 
paper, etc., or from raw material such as grass, reeds, straw, wood, etc. 
By far the greater portion is, however, manufactured from either rags, 
waste paper, grass or wood. In India the chief raw material used is a 
grass, known as Sabai or Baber ( Ischcemum angustifolium), which is 
obtained from the forests of Bengal, Orissa, Nepal and the United Pro¬ 
vinces. No chemical or mechanical wood-pulp is made in this country 
though considerable quantities are imported by the existing paper-mills. 
The other materials used in India for the manufacture of paper are rags 
of poor quality, hemp, jute, gunny bags, waste paper and old rope. 
Present position of affairs. —Much has appeared of recent years 
in periodicals and newspapers in India on the subject of the world’s 
supply of paper. Without doubt the demand is extremely large, 
the present outturn according to Raitt being about 8 million tons, 
of which about half is produced in Europe and the remainder in 
America. The quantity of raw and waste material necessary to produce 
this amount of paper must be enormous. It is said that at least 6J 
million tons of paper are produced from spruce and pines in 
Northern Europe, America and Canada. It is, therefore, on timber that 
the world at present relies for its principal supply of paper, and the 
question naturally arises whether the supply of timber is sufficient 
to meet the ever-increasing demand. The answer is without doubt 
in the negative. The supplies from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and 
Russia are not yet exhausted but already many warning notes have been 
sounded in that direction. The time must therefore come when the 
supply will run short, for in spite of strict protective measures which 
have been taken to ensure the preservation of the forests, the annual 
outturn is now in considerable excess of the possible sustained yield. 
Similarly, the United States have taken warning and their Government 
recently appointed a Commission to enquire into the subject of 
the supply of raw material for paper. Their report points out that 
matters have already gone far and proposes measures of economy. 
Canada still contains a vast amount of timber, but experience has 
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