N.Z. LINEN-FLAX.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 48, 26 February 1941, Page 5

N.Z. LINEN-FLAX.

BIG-SCALE INDUSTRY.! IMPORTANCE AFTER WAR. j K»tabli>hed with the aid of a <;,.\ern M "lent grant of mft, New ZealandVi youngest big-scale industry, linen-llax production, is an illustration of the old j adage about an ill wind. We:e u not for the fact that the war e-.r otf normil supplies to the I'nitcl Kingdom, it is likely that this crop would have remained among the least important in New Zealand farming. Xot all the Government grant has .been spent in establishing the industry, but the money has been \i-ed to erect and equip ten treatment factories '.n the South Island, and in the pun-ha~e of five hundred tons of seed, pinned last spring. All the fibre, vitally n-e led f..r war production, will be p"urcha-ed bv Great Britain, and it wa« estimated "a jmonth ago, when harvesting-tarted. that j the season would yield WOO ton- of libr---out of an Empire production of 22.000 tons. Scattered at convenient points throughout the South Island, the ten treatment factories operate on different principles. Some use what i- known as the tank retting process, others using dew retting. This retting, or soaking, is necessary to eliminate gums and pectins from the straw. Silky Fibre. In appearance, a iinen-fiax crop i<- no; unlike millet, and its long straw is like that used in ~wTilsV "brooms. The is anything up to 3ft long and inside itwoody casing arc the strands of fibr< which emerge from the treat men' machinery as silky, yellow flax. The first stage of the treatment i: Ide-seoding, where the straw, fre-h :rmi the farm, is passed in*o a machine removes the bolls, eliminating the husk and automatically bagging the e'eai seed. The stra"w is machine-tied ii sheaves and either stored or put throug] tho setting .treatment.

At Lecston. where the field dew ret-ji tin™ process is used. this, takes from j] three to eight weeks, depending on thci j weather. Other factories use tank-nt-! 1 '.tin™, taking froni two or three d.iys. Other Canterbury factories are located;' jat Waikuku, Oxford, Methveii, Fiiriaruli iind Hook. Valuable Chalt. , Chaff i- a by-product from the <Je-|; jseedcr. Thi< is of considerable fi-eil I lvalue for stock, and in Bcl™inni is used! a> horse fodder, and in Australia for jeattle. Kxpcrimcnts are being coi.duvte.l |in New Zealand to see how it van best j !>c u.-ed. After ret tin™, the straw returned i<i tlie factory, and ]«•»(■> through ;!«■' i big scutching machine, which consists of Ija series of breaking rollers which smash, ;jlho woixl. or shive. into small lengths., .(Heaters separate the wo.»d and leave j j'Tme."' fibre two or three feet lon™. i 1 1 Shive and tow* fall beneath llie. scutcher, situated on the upper floor of| -Itlie building. into the tow shaker, where; . the shive is removed from the tow I drawn off to a hi™ incinerator which i liot water for the plant. The, fjtow is cleaned and baled for export. i lj All tlie plant for these Jactorics was! r|made in the railway workshop-. 1 he riprocessin™ of the fibre is under the i Supervision of a Belgian expert. M. A. t R'vernase. and an Imperial <-o\ eminent ejprnder sii]>crvises purchase'. Oj Many of the factories are still bein:: jcompleted. » At Leeston. tor example s the completed plant will comprise l'« n buildings, some connecte-i with the pro t icess. and others to serve a- offices and phonies for the employees. A- with „'other factories, there i- room at Ix-ei-ton fifor a complete duplication of the existI :in™ plant. a< tliis may be neces«ary Iwith future expansion of the cropping area. Future of Industry. >! j Though designed mainly to meet a e, war emergency, the industry should * v become of permanent importance in the •-ischeme of farm in™ in the South Island. v It opens up the possibility of developII in™ a national linen industry, and the seed, apart from what is required for :s crop sowing, may be pressed to yield injlinsecd oil. or treated to produce stock 'h .food. The whole project is. of necessity m'still in the experimental stage, ant: in .some areas used for the crop 1 hiyear :h have, proved unsuitable. There ar< 'other areas where the. crag, caa.jgcofi.t-

jably be grown, and these will be developed as the scheme expands. I Linen flax is jnraii under contract with the (;<noi linienl. which pays £4 .">/ a ton of dc-seeded straw, equivalent jt<» about t! 1-• an acre, if moderately isuccessfui arc obi Mined. Special .harvesting machinery was i>\ ised for the crop, and the machine-, built by the < n.vernment. aic supplied to glowers on 111 ire.