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Show Value of a Scrap of Paper 1"KW people ever realized until the war was a ear old just how valuable is a scrap of paper in this case the waste paper and not the diplomatic note. "When the price went up from 200 to 300 per cent the idea that waste paper was worth something took root. "Waste paper now sells for nearly as much as white newspaper news-paper was bought for a year ago. and a campaign is under way to five and utilise util-ise the more than t.iVMVOO tons that go annually into the waste basket, the furnace fur-nace and the ash can. The uses to which this waste paper or paper scrap can be put are numerous. It can be sorted for various purposes. In .'ni instances even the dyes and chemicals chem-icals are worth extracting. "Wrapping japrs and cheap can! board are manufactured manu-factured of this class of paper. A large demand comes also from manufacturers of fiber and pulp'ooard hoxes. The cause of the paper shorts re In tho t cited States is said to be tho embargo on pulp shipments from Norway and S'Aeden and on rags from Kngland. The higher grades of paper in this country 1 a ve been subjected to the largest in-i in-i rcase. On some of these the prices have fcone up as much as 100 per cent. This b!g Increase in cost makes a scrap of waste paper especially valuable nowadays. The rag or paper picker in tho u'tey of iho big city, who n-"t only goes out upon the street himself but s-r.us his boys out to gather scraps in big hepip sacks, is taking advantage of t ho present harvest and buying in or I Vking up all the ngs and paper he can fnd. In the larger cities today it Is no uncommon sight to see small Italian and Greek lads trudging through the alleys or even down the business streets with great sacks full of paper scraps on their backs. Two thousand years ago paper was made by hand in little cradles. The word paper is derived from papyrus, a plant from the leaves of which a pulp was made by pounding and macerating in w ater. Nowadays, of course, improved machinery is used to make paper, and in this one item of manufacture America leads the world. Writing papr is made mostly from rajrs, but for practically all other grades wood pulp Js the basis. The wood used is spruce or poplar or hemlock. Poplar is used for fine book papers and srruce pulp goes into newspaper, wall paper and bag paper. The fine wood pulp must, of course, be treated with a preparation containing clay, dyes and other Ingredients and called "stuff" before it finally becomes paper. But by a careful process of filling fill-ing in the open spaces with c!a y and pressing through heavy steel rollers or r.:ajiglers, the wood pulp takes on the appearance and texture of paper. As the product comes from the paper machine it is wound off on a reel, making mak-ing a largo roll. A roll of newspaper will weigh almost a ton. and is often handled han-dled by a derrick. The large newspapers t'"dny are more saving of their paper Mi-ap than they used to be and now much of the waste is gathered up and sent back to the mills for a good price per pound. |