LINEN FLAX

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 121, 18 November 1940, Page 11

LINEN FLAX

WAR MEASURE FIRST

BUT PERMANENT INDUSTRY

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, November 17

"It is now generally known that New Zealand has undertaken the growing of linen flax at the request of the United Kingdom Government," said the Minister of Supply (Mr. Sullivan)/ today. "However," said the Minister, "while all our activity in the development of this industry is at the moment directed towards furnishing the needs of the United Kingdom and is being undertaken as a wartime measure, the working being undertaken has been so designed that it will readily be adaptable to peacetime use and postwar reconstruction. There are great possibilities for the future in this venture, and one likely and possible outcome of the present scheme is the development of the manufacture of linseed oil in New Zealand. "At the moment we are negotiating with the principal manufacturers of this oil in Australia and it is expected that their authoritative opinion will be available in the not distant future.

"So far as the initial venture is concerned good progress is being made with the erection of tactory buildings and retting tanks for the treatment of crops. It is also expected that contracts for the rest of the buildings and tanks will be called during the next week or so. Practically the whole of the 15,000 acres to be utilised have already been sown, and, as it takes only 90 days from sowing to harvesting, the work of preparing to treat fibre is being advanced as quickly as possible."

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