LINEN FLAX

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 135, 4 March 1941, Page 6

LINEN FLAX

New Industry Makes Good Progress GRATIFYING CROPS

Much Fibre To Be Exported

This Year

Dominion Special Service. DUNEDIN', March 3.

Though it was only seven months ago that an appeal for linen flax fibre was received from the British Government, such remarkable progress has been made in establishing the new industry in the Dominion that substantial quantities of highgrade fibre will be exported this year.

Otago and Southland, in particular, have achieved outstanding results, and the crops which have been harvested or are at present being pulled are, for the most part, extremely gratifying. There) is a total of 5000 acres in linen flax in Otago and Southland—approximately 1000 acres round Balclutha, 1500 acres in the Tapanui district, and the remaining 2500 in Southland. Pulling has been completed in South Otago, but harvesting operations are still in full swing in other areas. Crops in the Tapanui district are exceptionally good and are probably the heaviest in the Dominion. Some of them round Heriot and Kelso will give a return of up to £2O an acre to the grower. The Government has guaranteed £5 an acre to the grower, but it will be only very isolated crops that will return as little as this. Taking the good with the bad, the average return to farmers should be about £lO.

Pulling operations have been placed in the hands of private contractors, to whom the Government has lent pulling machines. Good progress was made with the South Otago crops, which are lighter than in other districts because of lower rainfall.

Mr. L. Bevernage, a Belgian expert brought out by the Government to supervise the growing of linen flax on the Belgian system, has made a tour of the southern districts, and he is favourably impressed with the crops, particularly those in the Tapanui district The flax has to be 20 inches in height before being pulled for the factory, and crops that do not come up to this standard are kept for seed. Even then the farmer should receive a satisfactory return.

The factories at Balclutha, Tapanui, Winton and Otautau are not yet ready for processing crops, but they should be in operation in the next two or three weeks. They will employ about 50 men all told, and key men have beefl trained for each one. The building of retting tanks at Balclutha and Otautau has proved a slow job, as they have to be constructed on the spot.