FLAX AND TOW.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 342, 31 October 1908, Page 3

FLAX AND TOW.

CAUSES OF INFERIOR SHIPMENTS. Our special Manawatu correspondent telegraphs ' that ata. meeting of the New Zealand Flasinillers' Association held yesterday a letter'was received from Mr. Toogood, of Wairarapa,', suggesting' that now that the grading'of' tow is likely to become an accomplished, fact the association ask .the.Government to see that the tow quotations, are include in the High Commissioner's weekly report. The • association decided to ask the Department- of Agriculture'to comply 'With the request. Apropos of a complaint received froiji a leadihg firm'of London merchants as'to tho inforior 'quality of-New Zealand tow, and tho alleged presence of. sawdust ,in the bales, a' prominent flasmiller in'this district states that the dust complained of 'is .really' dust frqm'the fibre and not sawdust. Its presence, ho stated, is entirely due to careless and sometimes unscrupulous packing. Asked as to how the dust got there, he'stated that after tho fibre had been stripped and bleached it . was- necessary 'to ■ put 'it through- a scutcher' to clean it. During the latter process all'dust that adhered to the fibre was removed; while ' a certain amount of fibre, chiefly- broken ends, was also eliminated. These brokon ends and dust went into what was called tow hole. In the ordinary course of things the tow was taken out J thoroughly shaken, and then baled. -But a number of - millers-did not do this. _ They simply took the tow and dust out of the tow hole and put them straight into the bales: Hence the complaint of buyers. Another source of complaint was the failure on the part of some millers to remove the flax tie with which the bundles of fins are tied after being cut in the swamps. This also gets into the

tow and causes'great inconvenience to manu- ' facturers, as -they are not able'to use the tow until these picces of flax have been removed. -The absurdity of sending tow of this description Home is apparent. Good tow brings ' about £10 per ton in the London market, and- costs, roughly half that amount to send it Home. Buyers there, knowing that this inferior stuff is. being shipped, jrill only pay very low prices for it,'and consequently the . millers concerned pay shipping companies', freights and ) other charges amounting. to about £5. per ton to take Home rubbish. In conclusion, the-informant, stated that the evil would probably be remedied as soon as the new grading regulations, came into force. Mr.. Ji D; Ritchie,: Secretary of the Department; of-Agriculture,' states • that the regulations governing the. grading of tow wiQ be brought into force on January 1.