This essay was written in 1937.
In the Fairfield Mill of the Australian Paper Manufacturers Limited, the city of Heidelberg possesses the largest unit in Australia for the manufacture of paper and paper boards.
Paper is a commodity which lies at the very roots of modern civilisation. There are so many uses for paper in our everyday life that we take for granted and seldom think of the drastic consequences which might follow a serious shortage in its supply. The consumption of paper in Australia has steadily increased with the growth of its population and its industries.
To meet the growing demand it was decided in 1919 to build a new paper-board machine and to erect a mill for its operation on the site now occupied at Fairfield. The machine was started up in 1922. It is capable of making paper boards (more generally known as cardboard) 96 inches wide at a rate of 200 feet per minute.
In 1927 it was decided to install a paper machine for the production of kraft wrapping papers, and this machine, which operates at speeds up to 800 feet per minute and produces 13,000 tons of wrapping paper per annum, commenced operations in 1928.
A third machine for the manufacture of “machine-glazed” wrapping papers was installed last year. It is the last word in modern construction and design of paper-making machinery. These three machines give the mill a productive capacity of 38,000 tons per annum.
The mill employs nearly 400 people, many of whom are local residents. The value of the industry to the community, however, lies not only in the numbers employed, but also in the wide range of opportunities which it offers to young and ambitious men. The majority of the mill staff are men skilled in various trades, with electrical and mechanical engineers and industrial chemists at the head of the list. In addition, a highly trained laboratory and research staff is constantly engaged in the study of the latest improvements in production and maintains close touch with developments overseas.
For many years research has been conducted in Australia into the problem of producing the principle rare material used in the paper industry – wood pulp – from Australian hardwoods. It has now been decided by Australian Paper Manufacturers Ltd. To erect a pulp-mill in Gippsland, and this mill will in future years be one of the main sources of supply of the raw materials required by the Fairfield unit.
This enterprise will make an immensely valuable addition to Australian industry and opportunities for employment.
It is proposed to produce 25,000 tons of pulp annually with a value of from £250,000 to £300,000.
The Australian paper industry is still in the developmental stage. With improvements in productive efficiency both as regards costs of production and quality of product its rapid growth is assured.
As a centre of this industry and as a contributing factor in the industrial development of Australia, the Fairfield Mill should attain an increasing importance in the years to come.
NOTE: This essay is reproduced from a booklet in Ivanhoe Library’s local history collection. The booklet is missing its cover and is thought to be “Heidelberg 1937” according to research in Trove produced on the occasion of the City of Heidelberg Civic Centre official opening of the Municipal Offices and Town Hall by His Excellency the Governor Lord Huntingfield, K.C.M.G. Thursday, 29th April, 1937. The booklet Includes description, plan and photos of town hall, advertisements from local businesses, photo and article about paper manufacture at Fairfield, photos and names of council members, key homes and gardens of the area, program of the official opening, photo and article on the Yarra bend National Park Golf House, Heidelberg Park, Rosanna Gold Club House, Fairfield Park Swimming pool and other local photographs and information about the City of Heidelberg
See the Fairfield Paper Mill Album on Yarra Plenty Local History Flickr
