Indian Forest Records. 
[Vol. II 
36 
Should it be necessary to produce a bleached pulp, the cost will be, 
for a fully bleached article, Rs. 125 per ton, inclusive of the loss in weight 
caused by bleaching. 
47. I am aware that estimates have been framed putting the cost ot 
unbleached pulp by the soda process with nodes excluded as low as from 
£4-18-0 to £5-10-0. By the sulphate method these would be reduced to 
£4-14-0 and £5-6-0. I am unable now to accept anything as low as these 
in spite of the economy gained by utilising the nodes and would point out 
that the data given in the Economist’s report, as well as the comparatively 
recent general rise in prices, entails a considerable recasting of figures 
which might have been accepted before the former was available or the 
latter occurred. At the same time, my estimate is a conservative one 
and, in practice, I would expect to see it somewhat reduced. As it stands 
it is quite satisfactory, especially when it is remembered that it represents 
a pulp which can be bleached at a cost which is at least Us. lo per ton 
less than for the soda pulp represented by the above mentioned low esti¬ 
mates. Its first market would probably be Calcutta with a strong pro¬ 
bability of an export to China and Japan. The present landed prices of 
European wood pulp may be taken as follows :— 
Unbleached, Calcutta, Rs. 147. Bleached Rs. 173 per ton. 
Unbleached, China and Japan ports, Rs. 167. Bleached Rs. 193 per ton. 
Bamboo pulp from Rangoon could be landed at:— 
Unbleached, Calcutta, Rs. 100. Bleached Rs. 132-8 per ton. 
Unbleached, China and Japan ports, Rs. 118. Bleached Rs. 150-8 per ton. 
The margin is ample for both competition and profit. 
48, Regarding the probable amount of trade which can be done, the 
following remarks may be of interest. The present annual consumption 
of paper in India and Burma is estimated at from 60,000 to 70,000 tons 
and is rapidly expanding in response to the growth of education. Of 
this, not more than 25,000 tons are manufactured in the country and no 
extension is possible until a better supply of raw material is assured. 
The local mills have long since reached the limits of economic radius from 
which they can draw supplies in the raw state, a state which means freight 
and handling charges on tons of material for each ton of product, and 
rather than extend this radius further, it suits them to import European 
wood pulp to the amount of 8,000 tons per annum at a high cost for freight. 
To put the Indian paper industry on a satisfactory basis its system must 
be revolutionised on similar lines to the change of methods which has 
taken place in Europe, ?’.e., the raw material must be partly manufactured 
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