THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1473, 22 June 1912, Page 19

THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

J. BFTT AND BAYLY, LTD,

THE PRESENT POSITION REVIEWED.

"INDUSTRY NEVER IN BETTER HANDS."

(Contributed.)

The lax industry during tho lost three or four years lias been passing through a period of extremely low prices—prices which havo beeu so low that every possible effort has had to be made to make two ends meet. This Dcriod of stress and hard times has compelled those engaged in the industry to think very hard, and tho result has'been that improved processes of milling havo been evolved here and there. No radical change has been made, but little amendments and improvements havo been effected to existing processes until in the end the cost of production has been materially reduced. The greatest improve-

ment has been made to tho method of wa?,Mitg tho fibre. By the new process not only has the cost been reduced (machinery is now doing tho work of tlirco men), but the washing is being moro effectively done. Tho stripper to-day in capable of a. larger will do better work, and is moro readily controlled and kept in working order than was the stripper of four or five yours ago. So far as the scutcher is concerned no change has been made, but thero are indications that wo are on tho point of seeing introduced a mechanical process of scutching which will do t'or scutching what the mechanical process has done for

the washing. Nothing lias been done to improve paddocking, and it is in this direction that millers would heartily welcomo somo improvement. In addition to these mechanical changes the quality of the by-product, tow, lias boon greatly improved of recent years owing to the introduction of a grading system, and the value of tow has so much advanced from this and other causcs that it lias br'como a valuable adjunct to a miller's profitmaking power.

Lowers the Cost of Production. "Necessity is tho motlier of invenlion," and it is necessity that has compelled millers to devote thoir attention thus to tho lowering of the cost of production and it is a matter for congratulation to all concerned that tliey liavo succeeded. Low prices in this way havo become a blessing in disguise, inasmuch as the best qualities in the millers have been brought out and the best millers have been pushed to tho front, 'file industry was never in better hands than it is at tho present day and wos never in a moro stable position, it is now in a good position to lako advantage of any improvement in market valuer which may occur. Tho savings that have been made in the cost of production are savings that go into the pocket of tho producer all the time. Tho saving of a pound a ton in the cost of production is really of moro moment to the miller than a riso of a pound a ton in price. Millers have to com pete with the fibres of tho world, many of which are produced in

tropical cou.-n tries. a.i'id with. cheap labow. In New Zealand' wo .do not a.sk I'oi' ti'w cheap laboijr, but we -are- cQi.h.'peiied- ivl'l ihe more to 115c-. iflbpiti'-Sa-yi'iig machinery in. every possible way. This ha.s heMi Ujp sftcrot of our- Success, di'lring the repent -jieriod of low'prices a"nd is pn:r hopfe fur (ho future.

System of Double Taxation-. The industry d'ws 11.0 i requi-];.e t'Q lean upon the Governinent, for assrst-auce; it has to t.hiiuk. the (tovc-tninout far tlugrading sy.~t.oiii iv'ri.iSli. .has- boon. very holf!ful indeed, anil 1 .ril'so. fb" -the offer of the boiiu's- "of -C12,'000 for a.n improved p.rjijes's of manftfa'ctiire, but a"! a matter of fort, t'ue industry -must rely upon the efforts of those' eo'hce,riled in it for its success, if t-ho Government. to assist further (and in. this .diTScfip.n it is in jus'ica called upon to -assjfet;, ftfiv ther) it shoufd'aijend. tl.ie. .syst'onl- of doivblo taxation now lii force,-, which bears very hardly upon jnil'e.rS a:nd prevents, t.hc:m lowering .stiil. lurtiier tho Cost of promotion. l'urthci;- than -this, tho industry oxpccts very little assi'stahee.,-