Mill averted shortage

摘要

The Boyer Mill on the Derwent River 30 km from Hobart has been awarded Engineering Heritage National Land-mark status on 17 November. At the ceremony, the governor of Tas-mania Peter Underwood outlined the 20 years of research and trials leading up to the launch of the project. The Boyer Mill was the first paper mill in the world to make newsprint from hard-wood fibre. It began production in 1941, averting a shortage of newsprint during World War 2. While international experts had advised that Australian hardwoods would not be suitable for papermaking due to their inherently short fibres, two young Australian scientists, Lou Benjamin and John Somerville, persevered with their work and established a pilot plant at Ker-mandie injhe Huon Valley.