The Press: Begin the Bagasse

U.S. publishers, whose presses gobble up 6,000,000 tons of newsprint a year, have choked every time Canadian paper mills hiked the price. Last week, with Canadian newsprint selling for $126 a ton, more than twice the 1945 price, the publishers heard good news about a possible cheaper substitute. In New Orleans, Valentine Pulp & Paper Co. announced that it would build a $2,633,000 mill at Lockport, La. to make newsprint from bagasse, a waste fiber left after grinding sugar cane. In a year, Valentine expects to be turning out 50 tons a day, get other companies interested in the process.

Newspapers such...

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