The Camas Post
September 23, 1927

Local Kraft Pulp May Cut Imports

Low Production Cost Assures Success of New Industry Says McBain

Camas is Interested

Camas, Wash., and St. Helens, Ore., have to Date the Only Two Kraft Mills Operating in the Pacific Northwest.

The new Kraft mill at Camas, while it has a tendency at times for emitting unsavory odors, has a promising future in the commercial paper field, it is pointed out in a very recent interview given by B. T. McBain, pulp and paper specialist of Portland, to the financial section of the Oregonian. Mr. McBain was once manager of the Camas paper mills, ten or twelve years ago.

Opposing the statement of the Commerce Monthly of New York relative to the seeming dangers of overproduction, which may bring harm to the industry, Mr. McBain believes such condition not possible. He cites the fact that 400,000 tons of Kraft pulp was imported into the U.S. last year, and shows that pulp can be much more cheaply manufactured in the Northwest than in the foreign countries. The gist of his statement gives some interesting facts and figures in connection with the big paper industry of this section. He says:

“If, as stated in the Commerce Monthly, the combined Kraft paper mills of the south and the pacific northwest will increase the possible production of paper beyond the possible demand for some years to come, I cannot see that the development in Kraft paper in the pacific northwest can be pointed to as beyond what it reasonably should have been. There are only two Kraft paper mills in the American pacific northwest one at Camas, Wash, and the other at St. Helens, Ore. There is one building at Longview, Wash., And a pulp mill being promoted for Port Townsend, Wash.

“If the Kraft paper mills of America produced only 550,000 tons of Kraft paper in 1926 as stated in the article mentioned, and over 400,00 tons of Kraft pulp came into American in 1926 as show by the records of the American paper & Pulp association, it would appear that only a very small percentage of the Kraft paper made in America was made from home-grown wood and domestic Kraft pulp.

“While the demand for Kraft paper and draft paper bags on the Pacific coast may be less than what the Camas and St. Helens paper mills can produce, if all the paper and paper bags consumed on the coast are manufactured on the Pacific coast, which cannot possibly manufacture annually over 70,000 tons of Kraft pulp for the market, can be said to have ‘exceeded the bounds of conservation’ as stated in the report quoted, for which an importation from Europe and Canada of over 400,000 tons in 1926 and an increase in production of only 17-1/2 per cent in 1927, with the natural increase only 5 per cent as stated, it would seem that nearly 350,000 tons of Kraft pulp must necessarily still come from Europe in 1927 and possibly as much more in later years.

“The natural actual increase in paper is nearer 0 per cent annually and the increase in Kraft paper on account of the greater strength of that paper for the various purposes for which it is used is considerably greater from year to year than for any other one grade. The Pacific northwest states will get their proportion of the new pulp mills to be built and it will take many more than those already planned for Oregon and Washington before the foreign pulp will be entirely displaced.

“With sawmill waste wood costing $10 to $15 per cord in Europe and two cords needed per ton, while just as good can be had here from the waste of our sawmills for $1.50 to $2 per cord and like use of wood per ton, it would seem patent to everyone that the future of the Kraft pulp industry is on the Pacific coast, whether or not that is the place to manufacture and consume the paper.

“America has 840 paper mills and 525 of them buy their pulp, most of it from Canada and Europe. We want and need that business out here. With proper financing, proper equipment and efficient operation we can get it.”