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“...No. 660 Miscellaneous Series.
DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR REPORTS,
JAPAN.
REPOHT ON
JAPANESE PAPER MILLS.
REFERENCE TO PREVIOUS REPORT, Miscellaneous Series No. G35.
Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of IHs Majesty,
MAY, 1907.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE,
BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE,
printers in ordinary to his majesty
And to be purchased cither directly or through any Bookseller, from
WYMAN AND SONS, Ltd., Fetter Laxk, K.C.; and
32, Abingdon Street, Westminster, S.AV. j or
OLIVER AND BOYD, Edinburgh; or
E. PONSONI3Y, lie, Grafton Street, Dublin.
1907.
[Cd. 32844.]
Price One Halfpenny....”
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“...previous Report, Miscellaneous Series No. 635.
Report on Japanese Paper Mills by Mr. Osivald White, Second
Assistant in His Majesty's Consular Service in Japan.
(The present report, dealing with the manufacture of foreign
paper from wood-pulp, rags, &c., by paper mills in Japan, is
intended to be, to a certain extent, complementary to a previous
report in 1905, on Japanese native paper, which term was used
to denote paper made from the bark of plants indigenous to Japan.
Where, therefore, the word paper is used in this report, foreign
paper only is intended.)
In common with most other branches of industry in Japan,
that of paper making has shown considerable signs of activity
during the last year. New companies have been formed, and
old companies lave been enlarged. As a consequence, the
amount of capital invested has increased from under 1,000,000?.
to about 2,750,000?.
The following is a list of paper mills in the country :
Factory. Capital in Sterling. Motive Power.
Fuji .........”
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“...000?.
to 1,020,000?., and has absorbed the Nippon (formerly Abe) paper
mill of Osaka (capital 61,0002.). The Oji and the Yokkaichi mills
have increased their capitals from 173,0002. and 76,000?. to 613,000?.
and 255,0002. respectively. These three companies alone, therefore,
represent between them an increase of 1,368,0002.
Iiisateukyoku. Some account of the different companies is given in the course
of this report. The Insatsukyoku, to which reference is made
below, is an enterprise directly under Government control. It
was originally established for the manufacture of paper money,
&c.; but, in addition to this, it has now for many years been engaged
in the manufacture of ordinary printing paper for sale.
Yukon. The Yulcan has the distinction of being the oldest paper mill
in Japan.
Motive power. As shown in the above table, the majority of Japanese mills
use steam for their motive power ; one or two use water.
The majority of Japanese rivers are of little use in paper making.
When...”
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“...JAPAN.
5
it is now about 24 sen (Cd.) a kwamme (about 8| !bs. avoirdupois).
It is also stated that they contain more silk than formerly, which
has to be removed before the rags can be made into paper. Conse-
quently their place is being more and more taken by wood-pulp.
At fi rst sight Japan, with its extensive forest area, would Wood-pulp,
seem able to supply with ease all the wood-pulp needed by its
paper mills. That such has not proved the case is due to a variety
of causes, among which may be mentioned the following :
(1) The cost of transport is very great. The mountainous
character of the country, and the variable nature of the rivers
render communications extremely difficult in many parts.
(2) Japanese forests have been much spoiled by the reckless
cutting which followed the Restoration in 1868. In feudal times
the law required that a tree should be planted for every one cut
down, and the forests, being the property of the daimyo, were
carefully protected by them. When the daimiates...”
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“...and no details are obtainable.
It is interesting, however, to note in this connection a report in the
" Indian Trade Journal of the Superintendent of Government
Printing, Rangoon, that the bamboo is capable of being turned into
paper-pulp of excellent quality.
Nearly all the machinery now used in the paper mills in Japan
is of American make. The reason given for this preference shown
to American machinery is that it is more up-to-date and cheaper
than that of other countries. The Oji Paper Mill has been the
first to set up a turbine boiler. The formation of new companies,
and the extension of old, has led to considerable orders for machinery
in the last few months.
Japanese paper mills are mainly engaged in the manufacture
of printing paper and cardboard, these accounting for 80 per cent,
of the total production. Speaking generally, it may be said that
the better kinds of paper are imported, while the home factories
devote their attention to the manufacture of the cheaper kinds.
Even in...”
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“...greatly in the
last two years. The average for the four years ending 1904 was
426,000?. In 1905 and 1906 it was 808,000?. and 916,000?.
respectively.
As to the home output no official figures are available later Traduction,
than 1904, but in that year the amount of paper produced, after
remaining at about 726,000?. for 1900-03, increased to 1,001,0002.
Previous to 1900 the output averaged from 300,000?. to 500,000?.
This is exclusive of the production of cardboard.
The export from Japanese mills is small, being confined to Eiporfc.
cardboard, which goes to Shanghai and Bombay, and printing
paper and other varieties, which go to China and Corea. The
cardboard comes principally from the Tokio Cardboard Company.
The export (exclusive of cardboard) has averaged 41,000?. for
the last four years, while the export of cardboard has averaged
9,000?. in the same period.
A company has lately been formed in Osaka, under the name Cigarette
of the Oriental Paper Company, for the making of cigarette...”
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