THE PRESENT POSITION OF THE PAPER TRADE IN RELATION TO THE SUPPLY OF
RAW MATERIAL.
"The deficient supply of, and the increasing price for, the materials
for making paper and the prospect of a still greater consumption has
for some time excited the attention of manufacturers and the public."
The above REMARKS prefacing a MEMORANDUM drawn up by Dr. Forbes
Royle, reporting for "THE COMMISSIONERS FOR THE AFFAIRS OF INDIA,"
at the desire of "THE LORDS OF HER MAJESTY'S TREASURY," and of "THE
LORDS OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE PRIVY COUNCIL FOR TRADE," in 1854, and
subsequently published in his valuable work, "THE FIBROUS PLANTS OF
INDIA," in 1855--twenty years ago--truly represent the position of the
Paper-Trade at the present time.
The extension of education and literature, the necessity for cheap
newspapers and serial publications, the increased demand for paper for
writing, as also for manufacturing and commercial purposes generally,
have greatly stimulated consumption, and it is believed that since the
abolition of the Excise duty in 1861, the annual production of paper
has more than doubled.
Previous to 1861, raw fibrous material, with the exception perhaps of
Straw, was but little used in paper-making, the waste of cotton, flax,
hemp, and jute mills, having undergone a process of semi-manufacture,
being comprised under the generic term of--Rags.
The American war, immediately following the repeal of the paper duty,
threatening a cotton famine, the Paper-makers gladly availed themselves
of a new material, "Esparto," which I had for some time previously been
ineffectually endeavouring to introduce, and adopting my process for
its treatment, this material entered speedily into consumption, and
has tended more than anything else to promote the development of the
Paper-trade by enabling the manufacturers to keep pace with the rapidly
increasing demand.
The importations of "ESPARTO," which did not amount to 1000 tons in
the year 1860 (indeed up to that date I was the only manufacturer
using it[A]), rose to upwards of 50,000 tons in the year 1865, and by
1871--ten years only from its introduction--the annual imports had
attained the large total of 140,000 tons.
"ESPARTO" being a wild grass (or, botanically speaking, a sedge)
growing on waste lands, in Spain and Africa, owing to the greed of
the native collectors--who, while gathering the plant, pluck it up
recklessly, roots and all--is being gradually but surely exterminated.
The complete exhaustion of the plant is proceeding very rapidly in
Spain; and as it is estimated by the best informed authorities that it
will take, even with the greatest care and under the most favourable
conditions, at least fifteen years to reproduce it from seed (a system
not very likely to be pursued in that country,) at no very remote
period this valuable paper-making material appears doomed to extinction.
During the last few years a large and increasing supply of "ESPARTO,"
or as it is there called "_Alfa_," has been received from Africa;
and although the quality of African Esparto is not valued by the
paper-trade as high as the Spanish, still it meets with a ready sale,
being used to mix with, or in substitution of the latter.
As much as 60,000 tons were imported last year (1874) from Algeria,
and great inducements by concessions and otherwise, are offered by the
French Government to induce railway communication with the interior
districts of that country, where the plant is said to abound on some of
the mountainous plateaux, and thus for some little time the market may
be supplied, but the difficulty of procuring labour, and the cost of
railway carriage for such long distances, will add considerably to the
present charges of transit to this country.
Within the last two or three years, the Belgian and American
Paper-makers have commenced using "Esparto," and so latterly have the
French, and as our main sources of supply will now be Algeria, (a
French colony,) any material reduction in prices can hardly be looked
for.
"ESPARTO," like other commercial products, is amenable to the law
of supply and demand; and thus, as the demand is, and is likely to
continue in excess of the supply, its cost has enormously increased,
the price it now commands in the market being nearly double that,
at which I sold many thousand tons during the early years of its
introduction.
The Paper-manufacturers are thus again experiencing the same difficulty
recognized by THE LORDS OF THE TREASURY, and by THE BOARD OF TRADE in
1854, and which more recently was considered of sufficient importance
to induce the appointment of a SELECT COMMITTEE ordered by THE HOUSE OF
COMMONS in 1861:
"To inquire into the DUTIES OR PROHIBITIONS in FOREIGN COUNTRIES on the
EXPORT OF RAGS used in the MANUFACTURE OF PAPER in the UNITED KINGDOM,
and their effect upon that MANUFACTURE."
The COMMITTEE REPORTED: "That the production of paper in this country
is in excess of the supply of the material of which it is made, and
the paper manufacture is in consequence dependent for a large portion
of its supplies on foreign Rags, amounting to about 15,000 tons per
annum, which is by estimation a fifth of the whole quantity of Rags
used for the manufacture of white paper in this country, on nearly the
whole of which heavy export duties are paid."
Another paragraph of the COMMITTEE'S "REPORT" states: "That the
Committee have directed their especial attention to inquiring as to the
possibility of applying any _New Fibre_ as a substitute for the refuse
material now in use for Paper-making purposes, and find that great
efforts have been made to discover some material of this nature, but as
yet with little success; and although they see no reason to doubt that
Straw and other fibrous substances may form a supplementary part of the
material for paper-making, the great comparative expense of chemically
reducing these _Raw Fibres_ presents difficulties to their becoming a
substitute for the refuse material now used."
Since the above "REPORT" was published, the position of the Trade has
materially altered. The export duties in some countries have been
abolished, in others reduced; Rag material has increased in quantity
and diminished in price; "the difficulties of chemically reducing _Raw
Fibres_" no longer exist; and the "15,000 _tons_ of Rags" estimated
by the "COMMITTEE" as the requirements of the Trade have been more
than "substituted" by the 150,000 _tons of_ "ESPARTO" _and other Raw
material_, now annually imported, while the development of the chemical
trade keeping pace with the introduction of "RAW FIBRES" has materially
facilitated their employment.
Caustic soda, but little known in 1861, is now extensively
manufactured, and Weldon's new process has greatly increased the power
of production and diminished the cost of manufacturing bleaching
powder; thus "the comparative expense of chemically reducing _Raw
Fibres_" is no longer an obstacle to progress.
The manufacturer of the present day will, in fact, undertake to make
paper from any raw fibre, or fibrous substance that may be submitted to
him.
He has, however, several questions to consider before he will commit
himself to purchase or contract for any new fibrous material, these
being: its cost, not merely as a raw material, but in the details
of manufacture, and the quality of the paper that can economically
be made from such fibre, either alone, or introducing it as a blend
with the material he at present employs; then, assuming these points
satisfactorily determined, he would desire to know the quantity of such
material annually available, with some guarantee for continuous and
reliable supply at a price not liable to erratic fluctuations.
The value of "ESPARTO" as a Paper-making material having been
recognized, and its employment almost universally adopted in the Trade,
naturally led to various attempts to introduce other "_new material_,"
which hitherto, however, have met with only partial success: the
"DWARF PALM," _Chamoerops humilis_, and "DISS," as well as some
other materials from North Africa, have been tried and abandoned as
unsuitable: "JUTE" also has latterly attracted considerable attention;
"Butts" or "Cuttings," as they are termed, the refuse from the
preparation of the long clean fibre now so largely used as a Textile,
have entered extensively into consumption, being imported from India
specially for paper-makers' use, packed in hydraulic-pressed bales;
but this fibre is difficult and costly to bleach perfectly, and is
only employed for the lower class of "News" and "Common printing," or
unbleached, for "Brown" and "Wrapping" papers; but as it has long been
familiar to the trade in the form of Waste, Gunny-bagging, and Rope, it
can hardly be termed a "_New Material_."
Two or three other excellent fibrous materials may be mentioned, small
parcels of which are occasionally to be met with, that are, or more
correctly speaking would be, much prized by Paper-manufacturers if
obtainable at reasonable rates, such as "ADANSONIA BARK," "NEW ZEALAND
FLAX," "MANILLA HEMP," "SUNN," and other INDIAN, HEMP-LIKE FIBRES,
all of which will bleach well and make paper of superior quality; but
unfortunately the quantity available is so small, and the supply so
irregular and uncertain, that they can hardly be relied upon as "_Raw
Material_."
"WOOD," both chemically and mechanically prepared, has been, and indeed
is now, used to a very considerable extent; but the latter, produced
by grinding down "billets" from the tree as cut down, on a grindstone
to a pulp, with water, or without water, to the condition of flour,
contains but little fibre, and that fibre with very little "felting"
property (an essential for a good sheet of paper); thus it can only be
used as a "filler-up" for "cheap News" and common papers, like "clay"
(facetiously called in the trade Devonshire linen), or any other adulterant
which the necessities of the Paper-maker, to meet the market, (_or in other
words deficient supply of good and cheap suitable material_) compel
him to use.
"WOOD," chemically prepared, is costly in production, as it is only
possible to reduce it into _Pulp_, by boiling under very high pressure,
with strong caustic alkali; several mills established both in England
and Scotland, to carry out this manufacture, have abandoned it, and
such _Pulp_ as is now used in the Trade is derived exclusively from the
countries where the wood is grown. The _Pulp_ thus produced, although
somewhat hard and harsh, if the wood is carefully selected, and
properly prepared, will, blended with other material, produce a fair
quality of paper.
The use of "STRAW," from the "_Cereals_," WHEAT, OATS, and RYE, has
of late years greatly extended, both in this country and throughout
the continent of Europe, as well as in the United States of America,
either alone or as an admixture with rags and other material, for
all classes of paper, as these countries equally with England suffer
from a deficient supply of _Raw Material_; but in England, owing to
the increased consumption for agricultural and feeding purposes, and
influenced also by the scarcity and high prices lately ruling for
"ESPARTO" in many districts, "STRAW" has become very difficult to
obtain, and considerable quantities have in consequence been imported
from Holland and Belgium, both raw, and as bleached _Pulp_.
I may here mention two other fibrous substances, which have from time
to time attracted considerable attention, viz. "MAIZE LEAVES" and "RICE
STRAW," both of them _raw materials_, from which a fair quality of
paper is produced in the countries where these plants are cultivated;
but, as in their natural condition after being harvested they are far
too bulky to permit of transport to this country, they would have to be
reduced to a portable form where they grow, and even then, owing to the
small yield of "_true fibre_," their economical conversion is somewhat
doubtful, unless under favourable conditions.
The daily increasing demand for PAPER being recognized, and the
impending if not immediate scarcity of _Raw Material_ available for its
manufacture, up to the present time, having been shown, to what quarter
must the Trade look for an extended supply?
This it must be admitted has become an important question for
consideration, it being evident that unless some "_New Material_"
suitable for the purpose is speedily introduced, the "PAPER TRADE,"
one of the most important in the UNITED KINGDOM, will be seriously
crippled; meanwhile of necessity high prices are maintained, and as a
natural consequence the consumer suffers.