Expanding paper-making machinery and equipment to make domestic newsprint paper market self-sufficient

Tags: documents | Taiwan Chung Hsing Paper Corp

The United Nations declared in 1975 that there will be a global shortage of paper and forecasted that the problem will become worse in three years. This announcement prompted more than one hundred of the world's largest paper companies to meet in Denmark. It was agreed that, in order to reduce timber harvesting, the weight of newsprint paper will be gradually decreased from 30 pounds to 24.6 pounds. This resulted in a global supply shortage of newsprint paper and the amount exported to Taiwan, naturally, was cut down. In October, 1975, the Executive Yuan ordered Taiwan Provincial Government to urge Chung Hsing Paper Corporation to expand facilities and increase production of newsprint paper so that the domestic supply of paper is sufficient for domestic use. Under the support of the government, the company in 1977 secured a one billion dollar loan to purchase the No. 9 40,000-ton newsprint paper machine. In addition, in 1979 it bought the newest twin-wire paper machine from the United States. Since then, the company’s production line began to produce 150 tons of newsprint paper daily and, as a result, the domestic newsprint market gradually attained self-sufficiency. The project compiled the correspondences between Chung Hsing Paper Corp. and other institutions as it tried to follow the "Plan to improve newsprint paper supply by Chung Hsing Paper Corp." approved by the Executive Yuan and purchased the twin-wire paper machine to improve its machinery. They include the document on Chung Hsing’s commissioning the Central Trust of China to request loans from domestic and foreign banks; the balance sheet of the company attached for the loan applications; the document to the Keelung Customs of the Ministry of Finance applying for duty-free status of the new equipments; as well as company meeting minutes related to the discussions on purchasing the machines. These papers provide detailed insight into the motive, purpose and procedures of the purchases and hold great research value. 

 

National Archives Administration
Taiwan Industrial and Economic Documents Digital Archives Program I. Taiwan Chung Hsing Paper Corp.