Newspapers / The Echo (Pisgah Forest, … / Sept. 1, 1949, edition 1 / Page 71
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ing. The following year he founded the O. K. Button Moulds Manufacturing Company, which made buttons of all types and sizes. One year later he purchased the Funk Machine Company and operated it under the name of Gefes Ma chine Company, making gold, straw, silk and wood veneer cigarette tips. Mr. Straus became interested in cigarette pa per just prior to World War I, and in 1915 he started importing cigarette paper from French mills. This was the year that he founded Endless Belt Corporation, making endlessly woven belts for cigarette manufacturers. He also purchased the High Grade Button Works. The period from 1915 to 1918 found him delv ing into various fields. He founded the Electric Directory Company, which made electric adver tising signs and city map guides; he manufac tured snap fasteners; imported bottle crown cork from Spain; exported general merchandise to South America; and made looms to manufacture twill weave belts. During that period he founded Peerless Roll Leaf Company, which hot-stamped gold leaf on pencils, hat bands, books, etc. He founded the Sterling Gold Stamping & Em bossing Company in 1918 for the printing of candy box tops and general fancy stamping in gold. When Spain started manufacturing Cork Bobbins in 1919, Boucher Cork Company im ported these bobbins, concentrating on the mak ing of gold and straw bobbins in New York. The organization moved to W. 40th Street in ' New York City in 1923. During that year, Mr. Straus purchased substantial interest in the largest cork factory in Spain, and founded the Cork Im port Corporation, importing No-Void pipe cov ering and insulation for refrigerators, ice houses and various other items. In 1927 he founded the DeMauduit Paper Cor poration, importing cigarette paper from France. Three years later he secured substantial interest in leading cigarette paper mills in France, and found ed Champagne Paper Corporation, importing on a larger scale than at any previous time. The manufacturing of Tip-Top, first 100-leaf book lets of roll-your-own cigarette papers, began the following year, and 6ne year later he designed and built the first machine to produce free booklets. Just one year after the inauguration of Presi dent Roosevelt, he developed the American type Rizla Boklets. He secured gumming machines, a Chambon printing press, and built booklet ma chines. This year, 1933, was the real beginning of Ecusta. On October 18th his plans were first published to make cigarette paper in America with an American Raw Material. The next year additional booklet machines were built, and the ground was laid for the pro duction of a raw material when a mill was built for plant research at Estill, S. C. On February 4th, 1934, the first bale of fibre was produced at the .Estill mill. This necessitated the test planting of flax in Oregon, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. On March 26th, 1936, the first American grown flax was shipped to French cigarette paper mills. A big event in his life came on April 25 th of that year. He was present ed the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur by the Government of France. He founded Central Fibre Corporation and California Central Fibre Corporation in 1937, building a plant at El Centro, California. They purchased the first flax from the Imperial Valley, shipped it to France, and the first cigarette paper made from American flax came from the French mills. On May 5th, 1938, the newspapers displayed the headlines, pleasing to the eyes of many Ameri cans, HUGE CIGARETTE PAPER PLANT TO LOCATED IN PISGAH FOREST, N. C. On Au gust 7th, CONSTRUCTION OF WORLD’S LARGEST CIGARETTE PAPER PLANT WELL UNDER WAY. The year 1939 saw great activity in the hither to quiet mountain community. Boucher Cork Company, Champagne Paper Corporation and Endless Belt Corporation moved into Pisgah Forest. Ecusta was fast nearing completion. On June 14th, the first blast came from the Ecusta whistle; and on September 2nd came the an xiously awaited moment—the first cigarette pa per made in America from flax rolled from the huge paper machines. One year later Mr. Straus decided to double the production, making several changes in the Pulp Mill, adding seventeen larger beaters to the Refining Department, and install ing four new paper machines. The ensuing year brought about many changes. Production was doubled, portable decorticators were built, production of booklets was doubled, a large cafeteria was built, new machines v/ere de signed and built for making booklets, and new methods of manufacturing came into use. In 1942 Mr. Straus was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Transylvania Com munity Hospital. He was elected Vice President of the North Carolina Engineering Foundation in 1946. On June 9th, 1947, the honorary de gree of Doctor of Engineering was conferred to him by North Carolina State College. Mr. Straus, a mountain of physical and men tal energy, has come a long way in his 65 years. He has been a busy man, yet he has never failed to interrupt his busy schedule to be of service to his fellow men. Providing employment for hund reds of native Carolinians, he has from the start been interested in their welfare and happiness. He has been a boon to the region, adding finan cially and materially to education, religion, health and civic betterment. 69
The Echo (Pisgah Forest, N.C.)
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Sept. 1, 1949, edition 1
71
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