THE ALAX INDUSTRY

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 284, 1 December 1898, Page 25 (Supplement)

THE ALAX INDUSTRY

0 industry int he short his-' to ry 7 of! 'this colony has passed through so ma ny vicissitudes as th at d c a. 1 i n g with flax. Not only ha s the price fluctuated in a. remark-

c manner, but, also, sometimes there las been absolutely no market lor fibre; and while for a year or two flax has taken a leading place among the exports, again it has tapered off till practically none is shipped. The mills at one time will be scenes of the greatest activity and bustle, and at another desolate and desertei . This is very largely due to the way in which the'industry has been conducted, and the natural difficulties in the preparation of the fibre that experience has only partially OA-ercome. When the trade was in the hands of the Maoris, prior to European settlement, flax Avas exported on a considerable scale. The most careful selection, in the first place, was made of the leaves, only those thoroughly mature being cut. The dressing was entirely done by tr.nd, the leaves being bruised between stones and scraped Avith shells or knives. This labour naturally fell on the women, being below the dignity of the men, and it can easily be understood that they did their work thoroughly when Aye state that between IS2B and 1532 flax fibre prepared by them realised close on l£ 50,000 in Svdnc .-.

The Phormium plant (the botanical name of flax) Avas called by the Maoris by fifty-five different names, though there are, it seems, only twenty different species. Its distribution in the early days Avas very Avicle. The Maoris showed great activity in its preparation, especially between 1820 and IS4O, .•when all the tribes south of the Bay of Islands were anxious to sell absolutely anything so as to raise money with which to purchase firearms. During these years the country was being ravaged by intertribal Avars, and the life of a native who oAvned not firearms was worth, but short purchase. After European settlement

flax was

DRESSED BY MACHINERY, and the old Maori industry died out;

7 but up io lSOi:tl.ere .was very tittle demand for the machine prepared fibre. Subsequent to "that date.- however, several reasons, principal among s:\vhieh .was the scarcity of Manila, combined to inflate the price, which rose to £56 per ton, while as high as £70 a. ton was quoted in the United States during, the Civil War. The industry, however, only reached its zenith between the years 'SS and '94, exclusive, it touched high water mark in "90, when 21,158 tons of the dressed fibre valued at £381,789, were exported. Of-this total'the export from Auckland was 4,000 tons, valued at £81,700. ■These were the days when beside many a quiet- creek throughout the Wajkatb there was a small mill utilising the wafer power to drive the crude machinery Used in dressing the fibre. These little mills, nestling beside the usually pretty creeks with sparklingwater racing over their rocky beds, were not devoid of an element of the

picturesque. The old-fashioned water wheels (very few of the mills employed steam) conferred an air of quaintness on the otherwise commonplace sheds. The surrounding land was covered with flax of a golden colour lying" cut to bleach in the sun, while close to the mills Jay great bundles of green flax. There was no centralisation in the production. It wa.s carried on by these small mills, each of which contributed its quota to the export, and

in this lay one main cause of the surprising failure of the industry. The drop in the export between '93 and the following year was very marked, the returns being as follows:—1 SOU, 12,557 tons, valued at £219.375; 1894, 4,677 tons, value £06,256. The shrinkage of the export continued, however, in the following year, still further in 189(5. and the return for 1897 was 2,770 tons, valued at £30,674. To this total tlie contribution of Auckland was only 4(30 tons, worth £.'5.387. To come to the causes which have contributed to THIS REMARKABLE FALLINGOF in what was a few years ago a very considerable export.' It would have been thought that a market once established would have been largely retained even if at reduced prices,, but such has not been the ease. Last year, for example, the quotation rul-

ing. for. .New Zealand hemp, was .from £12, to .£l4 a ton. Producers would, no doubt, have found considerable cause for dissatisfaction in these prices: but this was not the worst of it. "Whenever an attempt was made to sell any considerable quantities the would-be seller quickly discovered that the quotations were practically nominal, and that, in fact, there existed no market for the colony's flax. There were several hundred tons lying stored in London, which would

have been readily quitted at the market quotations, but it was found impossible to place anjr but very small parcels. The one cause outside the product itself which contributed most largely to this state of affairs was the over-production of sisal, necessarily resulting in the market for that fibre becoming depressed. While the steady output of Manila and the substitution of steel cables for many purposes for which rope had been previously used contributed their quota. Nevertheless, the main cause of the failure of New Zealand hemp to hold its own in competition w!lh Manila and sisal is to be found ;n the product itself. Experience in many branches of industry has afforded ample demonstration of ihe fact that uniformity of the product is necessary even after a market has been created. It was in this particular that our flax very largely failed. Turned out from little short of two hundred mills, as the flax.for export was, what, else could be expected? Hut the trouble was even worse than simply the difference between the output of different mills. Complaints have, been frequent! Jy made that the contents of a single bale, as well as of the several bales of one consignment, vary very largely. Nothing could be more prejudicial to the price on the London market. Mr Holmes, who took up actively the unsatisfactory state of the industry, and who was last year despatched to Australia and England to report on and enquire into the, matter, strongly recommended the appointment of a Government grader in the colony to classify the export as is clone in the cdi-e of butter. GOVERNMENT COMMITTEES have on more than one occasion gone thoroughly into the various

matters affecting the flax industry. That which sat in 1890 urged that flax-owners should see that the flax is cut in such a manner as to leave the heart of the flax fans uninjured, and that attention should be given to the planting- and cultivation of the best varieties of flax with a view to the production of fibre of superior quality. A Select Committee of the House in .1893 recommended the offering by the Government of a bonus of -fcrf.OOO for a

machine or process of flax dressing which will materially reduce the cost of production;' a further bonus of £ 500 'for a machine or process which will increase the value of dressed fibre;' and £500 for some method of utilising the waste products. Eventually the Government decided on offering bonuses to ,the. amount of £2,000. Several claims were made for the payment of the bonuses, but after examining the various machines and looking into the methods of,treatment proposed, the Commissioners did not consider that anything sufficiently satisfactory had come under their notice to warrant their recommending the payment of any of the bonuses. Improved machinery is, however, only a small factor in fhe problem that has to be solved before the flax prepared by Europeans can rival the old Maori product. It will, nevertheless, be an improveme"t by no means to be despised, for tho rough treatment that fhe raw material undergoes with the old-fashioned machinery is such as to very largely destroy the strength of the fibre. The abolition of the present long process of washing and bleaching in favour of some chemical retting process is among the most important, of the improvements to be anticipated during the next few years. But the greatest advance is to be made in the more careful selection of maturely-ripened leaves only. It: was in selection that the Maoris excelled. Europeans supplying- the mills were too inclined to cut all round the plant, paying also no attention to the season. To come to the PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS of fhe industry, in the Auckland Province in 1890 the capital value of the plant, buildings, and land was in excess of £25,000, and the wages paid for that year amounted to approximately £9.000. Last year the value of the-plant, etc.. was about £5,000. and wages were paid to the sum of £1.800. An entirely new complexion has been put on affairs during the last six or seven months, however. The disturbed state of the Philippines consequent on the Spanish-American war and internal rebellion has made it necessary for manufacturers to look out for other sources of fibre supply than -Manila, and New Zealand flax has again come in for a share of attention. Hardware houses in Auckland have during a few months done more trade in flax machinery than for the five years prior to 1898. It is impossible to quote figures yet to support this statement, but the industry shows signs of awakening activity in many of the country districts. Complaints are made that the natural flax fields have to a large extent disappeared before the settlement of the land. This is not surprising when the way that the young flax leaves immediately they spring up are eaten lown by cattle is taken into account, and considered in conjunction with the fact that this kind cf cropping quickly kills the flax plant. In connection with the industry of the future there will require to be large cultivations of flax in suitable situations and on suitable soil. There is but little doubt that such planting, with careful selection of the plants in the first instance, and due care in cutting the mature leaves, could be made to pay handsomely. The wide areas of land over which is spread wild flax, must to a large extent pass away as a factor in the industry, and unless under a system of producing, the raw material from plantations flax milling can be made to pay, it must inevitably die out as an'industry. It seems, however, that New Zealand is again to be given her chance in the fibre markets of the world. Should careful steps be taken to-grade the export, and more careful selection'

and preparation of the raw m* prevail in the revised industry, re suit ing in an export*of even <l* ah}X>J™A once given a footing, in American and English markets ' : _

■[ A PERMANENT INDUSTRY 7 should be opened up. It is' ha, r. d, *° dislodge a product that has established a market and found a suitable outlet, always providing that the standard 01 excellence, more particularly as regards evenness,-is maintained. I his, as we have before remarked, rests almost entirely with the producers.^ At the present' juncture the visit of Mr Holmes to Europe to inquire into matters concerning flax should have done a great deal more to benefit the industry than such missions usually accomplish; but as to its practical effects it is too early to speak.

During the period that the flax export from the colony has sunk from a position of considerable importance toone of very minor moment, the local use of the fibre has been maintained, if not increased. Although in Auckland there are several rope and twine mills the value of the annua] output is not much in excess of £5,000: One of the results of Mr Holmes' mission should be to considerably increase the export of cheaply produced {'.rid harsh fibre for the manufacture of twine

: 77 suitable for reaping and binding -machines, even if it does not result in the export of the twine itself. Butf;; flax when carefully produced is suitable for much finer work than this. That there is a revivalin the inaV. t-ry a casual journey through the country will show. Merchants have ! found it difficult to make contracts with mill owners, but this is largely due to a previous experience on' Bthe part of the latter of the business way* of the Maori. The supply of leaves has to be very largely drawn from native lands, and in a number of cases during a previous period of activity mill proprietors after entering' j u t* 0 contracts- to supply certain quantities of the dressed fibre found the price 0 f 7 the raw material raised on them by the wily Maoris. Nevertheless, the quantity of flax now coming forward for shipment is very considerable, and the price per ton at the time of writing j s satisfactory. There are those who do not'rank? flax among the permanent industries, of the colony or the province; but vv e are of opinion that—with the one provision that during- the time of com. parative activity now with us, the 7 quality of the export is kept mode.-' ately even—flax will come to per-77 manently. rank as one of .the first half dozen main resources of the colony's, wealth:. .77- ,'