FLAX ENTERPRISE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 45, 16 November 1907, Page 3

FLAX ENTERPRISE.

SEIFERTS 1 NEW MILL. OPENING TO-DAY. ■ The elaborate now mill. Greeted by the,A. aiid L. Seifert Flax-dressing Company at' Makeriia, in the Manawatu district, is to be opened with imposing ceremony to-day. The mill is situated about twenty miles from Palmcrston, adjacent to the railway lino. The company owns 4200 acres of the iMakeriia Estate, about three miles from' Shannon. Some twelve months ago 331 acres were acquired on the edge of the, swamp whereon the works now stand. It .is estimated that the mill will turn out a thousand tons of dressed fibre, per year. At the present timo' 56 tons of leaf is being dealt with per day, giving employment to some 120 men, and there is every probability of' this number being supplemented. ■ Tho stripping shed is 205 ft. by V 4ft. Tho power house contains two suction gas engines capable of developing 260 horse-power, and it is estimated that these are the largest ot'i their type in the Dominion. In the front stands the llaxyard, with dimensions 160 ft. by 75ft., where, if necessary, 450 tons of green leaf can bo located on a boarded floor to protect it during the wot weather.- The; leaf is received here from the swamp, ancv is stripped of everything but the fibre, andsubjected to a patent wash which gives it a faint green colour. It is then despatched to the bleaching fields —which cover about 140 acres—and allowed to remain there for about seventeen days until it becomes white During fine weather the fibre is allowed to remain on the grass, hut in wet it is suspended- on wire fences. The next department which, it enters is the scutching shed, a department' containing '7000 ft. of floor space, with , an additional 896 ft. of engine room, whore 90-horse-power can be generated. The fibre is then separated from the tow and prepared for export. Away to the right of the main building is the huge swamp into which three and a half miles of light railway lead. Tho' leaf is brought out by a five-toil.locomotive. The swamp is so worked the-flax can bo cut onco every four: years, and a constant supply of leaf is maintained. Special care has been bestowedupon the construction of the men's quarters, and they are, without exception; the most comfortable and convenient that the writer lias had the privilege-of entering. ' The bedrooms afford 400-feet of air space for.each man, and each block of rooms is provided with -a comfortable, sitting room. The dining-room," kitchen,-/and store-have also been specially' designed for convenience, ■ and the former can comfortably accommodate 124 men. A billiard-room with two tables is also provided, and, in addition, a reading-room with many useful- books. : 1 - - THE CEREMONY. ■ ; Considerable interest is being' evinced around Manawatu over the. ceremony, and a Parliamentary party will attend. The Hon. R. M'Nab will ho the principal speaker.