LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1060, 25 June 1869, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

The Editor does not hold himself responsible ft opinions expressed by correspondents. :

FLAX AND ITS PREPARATION FOR EXPORT.

Sic, — Your correspondent L, in his letter concerning the various species of the has rendered very valuable assistance to those persons, who purpose planting the New. Zealand flax. Little or no information . respecting the names of the different varieties can be obtainednt the flax mills in the Auckland province, which is no doubt due. to. the. almost inexhaustible supply . of the wild material growing in the swamps at Waiuku and on the banks of the Waikato/ where the principal flax-mills are situated.; On the road to Drury -there are three .flaxnulls, at work. At the largest of these establishments (Mr. M'Lachlan.',s) there is a considerable, number of acres planted with flax. Henderson and Macfarlane, at their mill on the North road, have also a few acres planted. The pian adopted at each of- these places is to plant the flax six feet apart. A flax bush\is,dug up, and the root, with the leaves attached, ; chopped up; out of each. lump. of. I'pot there -may . be. some half-dozen leaves growing. The land having beep ploughed deep and well harrowed, the flax is.: planted in holes, dug with a spade. It is said that in fourteen months . the flax is ready.; to cut, ( and, as far as the length of. : the" leaves are concerned, I can well believe it K; frpm' what I saw of flax that had been,. planned nine months, but I very. m*&§k.di>}sbt/ whether it would pay to do sew I^idev curred to me that, had less economy vUeen 1 used with regard to the .parent bushes i when cutting up their roots, and had the plants been placed indouble rows two feet apart, and a space of six feet left between each of thesedouble rows,.that the plantswould not only, have thriven better from the protection they would have afforded each other, but that the crop would have been more expeditiously gathered, arid^the' land-made to carry a greater number of flax bushes to the acre." The refuse from the flax-mill, which has the appearance of green sawdust, would afford, after, fermentation, an excellent manure for the land und^r flax crop. . ; The mills on the Waikato are supplied with the green leaf by the Maoris, .who. cut and deliver it at 12s. a ton ; on the . Drury road as much as £1 a ton is paid to contractors (emigrant settlers), who have to cart the flax a distance of from two to five miles. . ...

The leaves are cut above the young- leaf, which is always to be "found growing between tlie oldieaves : for, in the first place, the .bottom part of the leaf is valueless for fibre, and, secondly, by cutting above the young lea£,the flax bush is preserved. A flay bush treated properly will, yield iwo or* three crops a year. The leaves are-tied into bundles, taken to the mill and weighed. It is riot riecessary. that the leaves should be passed through 'the machine on the; same day on which they are cut ;= but they should not be allowed to become dry or shrivelled before operating upon. To'eut' about thirteen hundredweight is considered a fair day's work for a man. & single machine will work Tip from fifteen hundredweight to a ton per diem. . About five tons . of green leaves will produce one ton of 'fibre,, worth in Auckland from £20 to £25> according to quality, and about four hundredweight of tow, worth from £7 to £12 per ton. The quality is determined by the colour and fineness of the ; fibre. . The majority of the flax machines' in present use are those 1 supplied by Messrs. Price; of Onehunga, ■ and cost S^^each. TK%¥b'^lthe¥e'lnac|iines'are fixed Wftrie frame, and are driven by either aibiir,teen feet' water-wheel or an eight horse-power, steam-engine. The flax leaves are passed singly through rapidly revolving rollers, and, as soon as the fibre escapes, it is caught by a child (who sits under the machine), and who flips it out straight on the floor. It must then be immediately washed and carted to^the bleaching field, where it remains from six to nine days, according to weather, during wliich time it is turned, so that each fibre is exposed to the weather, and prevented from being stained by too long a contact with" the ground. After much rain it is necessary to hang the flax on wires stretched four feet from the ground ; a little rain of course assists the bleaching. Great care is necessary to prevent entangling the fibres. When thoroughly dried, the flax is scutched, twisted into hanks, and prsessfed into bales. The " scutcher " is made of wood, fitted with axle and pulley, and driven by a belt from the driving shaft. "An average estimate of expenditure and receipts for. one week at mills driving two of Price's machines on the Waikatb river, isias follows :— .'.'■■•■■ ■■■:■-■■■ ■ Dr . ■•...:.•■: . "■ . To five men, wages and keep £6 2 0 , • „ Ki«ht boys, ditto *16 ,<> „ Fifty cwt. of coal 2 10 Of :.-•■: „ Twelve, tons of green flax.;. 7 4 0- „ Carriage of two tons fibre to Auckland 3 0 0-! „ Sundries 10 0 £U 12 6 ; ' • ■'• Cr. ' ' • By sale of two tons of fibre, at £22 per ton £44 0 .Q . Before concluding I desire to' acknowledge the kindness and hospitalitypmnd readiness to impart evei'y information I Bought/ which I received while at Aiickland, and I shalkever be indebted to those gentlemen who spared neither pains nor trouble In making my visit to" their province as useful as it was agreeable to me. — I am. etc., Hobebt Peice; HOW THE WAR SHOULD BE CON- ..-> DUOTKI>. ■••.; . , }1 jSm,— -The following area few j*ough niiles of hqw, , in my - humble . opinion) ttre war ou^ht to be conducted. ; '•';;' 1. A permanent paid force, to consist .. (aj Say 1500 Europeans (1000 fobt,;soo mounted), thoroughly trained and pijuipj}e.d.for bush warfare, and armed with the 'Snider rifle and carbine, officered by well selected men. - * (h) About 1000 natives—'Arawas/^'gatiporous, Ngapuhi, and others, known to be braye and loyal tribes, properly organised, with native commissioned and non-commissioned officers, armed with the ordinary Eiifield rijle and bayonet. '" (cj Two or three good gunboats for transporting men and supplies. ' Disposition-— About 800 (500 Europeans and 300 natives) to be stationed at Taiipo, and well entrenched, so that 200" nieh, armed with the Snider rifle, could at any time hold the post against any body of the enemy likely to attack it. This would leave 600 men who could be thrown, in? a very short time, to any part of the East or Wes,fc Qoast lying between the northern boundary of the Wellington province and Haurpki Gulf. Good road from Napier tbTiiupoivia To Haroto, to be formed, and "kepi well open ?or communication , an 4 supplies. Two hundred at Tauraiiga ; the same number at Opotiki; the same number at < Poverty ;Bay. Most of these •' men to be available for immediate trans- ■ i^iorfc by land: or water, as occasion may require. ;. Three hundred at Watkare"moana (well, entrenched). One hundred at Wairoaj- Hawke's Bay, to keep up supply garrisou at Waikarenidana. The reiuaindiT of the . \jfi staj/ioned on the West Coast, at Taranaki and Patea. . :

The permanent force, being disposed as above, could be worked either in small or large bodies expeditiously, as occasion mi^iit require, and should incessantly follow up the enemy, engaging him at ever}- available opportunity, arid as much as possible open up the country as they go. •■■■■■ . . 2. The Volunteers and Militia of Taranaki, Wanganui; Hawke's Bay, Wairoa, Poverty Bay, Tauranga, and other settlements to be placed upon a proper footing ; they, also, with the other European troops, being armed with the Snider rifle and carbine as soon as possible, in the meantime to : be fully equipped with the ordinary. . arms, • Every encouragement and inducement being given to the settlers to make themselves thoroughly efficient in such exercises as may be deemed necessary for bush fighting, especial regard being had to becoming good marksmen. All these forces to be prepared, and in constant readiness to take the field at a moment's warning ; and, as in this country nearly every man keeps a. horse, such of the Militiamen as desire it, if ordered on active service, to fall in .with horses, tether ropes, blankets, &c, so that they may be quickly moved to the scene of action in conjunction /with cavalry. Let a Volunteer and Militia commissariat be organised from their own ranks in each district, ; in .order that no time may ..be lost in.nioving off and supplying these troops when required; Blockhouses f o be erected in each outlying, district, in which the women -and children, , during the absence, of Militia, may take shelter, under the protection of some of the second. Md- third class Militiamen. , ; .:■ . These Volunteer and ..Militia- -forces to protect their own respective districts, and there to act in conjunction with the permanent forces as the necessity arises. The heart of the country being thus occupied by > a sufficient force, and the e&emy continually . harrassed from all , points, and being unable for any length of time to get a sufficient supply of am]munition and provisions, he, would eventually be thoroughly conquered. At all cost, a sufficient force must be obtained to do what is required, and keep our foe well hunted' up. It will be the cheapest course to pursue. — I am, &c, . C. Nepia, 21 Hune, 1869, XI A TE KAI TUHI 0 TE HAAKI PEI HEEAEA, NEPIA. ■ E hoa, — I rougo au i te. korero p tefcahi nupepa, mo taku noho kj konej, o kiia ana na te Makarini au i ki kia kore c haere ki Waikaremoana. Kaore tenei korero i mohio i au. No te mane i rere mai ai to matou tima a te Tati i Po Neke. Ite, Turei te 15 of Hurie ka tv ki Nepia. Ka ki mai te Kapene ki au— " Me noho koe i konei, c haere ana te tima ki te Matata i Whakatane." . Itel6 o nga ra ka haere raai au ki uta, ka ki mai to Kapene— "Ma te Kirakoe-e mau Id te Wairoa. Na Henare Rata te kupu kia haere ate Tati.ki te Matata." Ka kite ano au i a Henaro Rata. Ka patai atu au ki a ia, ka whakaae mai ia. \ Muri iho ka ki mai a Karaitiana kia haere maua ki Pakohai, a haere ana maua ki reira. Itel7 o nga fa ka noho tonu ano au ki reira. Kua ki ke atu au ki a. Erueti Hemara ki te kite c ia te Kira me tuhi ake he reta ki au, ki ana mai aia mana tonu c tiki ake i au. I te 18 o nga ra ka tae mai ki to tiki mai i au. No te roanga ki te whaiwhai ite hoiho ka tureeti au— tae rawa mai ki Nepia kua riro te tima. .Ka.tutaki a Henare Rata i au i te Whataapuke, ka M mai ki au — " Me hoki taua. E hoki mai ana te tima ki te tiki mai i a koe." Ite ahiahi iho ka whakaritea c Henare he whare moku i te Paparakauta. Ite Hatarei t© 19 ka tae mai te. tima. Ko te wiki pea te ra hei rerenga, no te putanga mai.o tetahi hau kino, na noho tonu iho c noho nei ano ki Nepia. I te 20 o nga ra ka puta mat he whakahau na te Waminita raua ko Kanara.Witimoa kia haere au ma uta ki Taupo ma te tima ranei ki te Matata, Whakaaetia ana c au ko te ara moana ki te Matata. E hoa he inea tika kia tukua atu ki rarq nga whakapaeteka. Kati to amuamu ki a koutou ano. Me waiho ma te Maori tena main, ma te iwi kuare hoki — ko koutou ko te iwi Hangatira kia hira ake te mohio. Kua rua enei whakahaunga c whakamanaia nei c au — ko to Wairoa tenei c nohoia nei c hau, na ko ..te Matata tenei ka hacrea nei c au. Tena kei hea ngo huarahi mai o nga whakakore ate Makarini c ninihotia na c koutou P Kaore hoki ana waea mai ki au ; naku ano te take o taku haere atu ki Po Neke. Te take ra kia whakaaetia mai kia whakakapia oku tangata ki te 300. Tetahi kia whakaturia he raugatira maori mo aku ! hoia. - „ .; . Heoi nei ano nga take o taku haore atu, kia kite hoki i Po Neke. Eapata Wahawaha. [tbanslation.] Napier, 21st June, 1869. TO THE EDITOR OF THE HAWKE's BAY HEBALD, NAMES. Friend, — I have heard, that it has been said in some of the newspapers, with reference to my stay here, that Mr. M'Lean persuaded me not to go to Waikaremoana. I know nothing about this. On Monday, our steamer, the Sturt, left Wellington, and on Tuesday, the 15th Juno instant; arrived at Napier. The captain said to ine — " You remain here, the steamer is going to Matata and Whakatane." On the 16th instant I camo on shore, and th'd captain said — " The St. Kilda will take you to te Wairoa. Henry Russell says the Slurfc is to go on to Matata." I saw Henry Russell, and asked him if this were true, and ho said it was. Subsequently, Karaitiaua asked me to go with him to Pakowhai, and I went there with him, and I remained there on the 17th. I had previously seen Edward Hamlin, and had requested him to write to me when the St. Kilda arrived, but he said he would come for me himself. On the 18th he came to fetch me, but owing- to the length of time taken in catching a horse, I was too late, and when I reached Napier the steamer had sailed. I met Henry Russell at Te Whataapuka (Spit), and he said tome — "Let us return, tho steamer will come back to fetch you." In the evening he procured me lodgings at a public house. On Saturday, the 19th, the steamer arrived. I suppose she would have sailed again on tho Sunday, but bad weather setting in she was detained, and is still here. On the 20th, instructions came from the war minister and Colonel Whitmore for me to proceed to Taupo, or by the steamer to Te Matata. I elected to go to Te Matata. •My friend, it were better that such calumny should be' dropped. Cease backbiting each .other. Leave such things to the Maoris; who are an. ignorant people, but you, who are a civilised people, should knovv better. Hero are two commands I have received, both of which I have obeyed — I have occupied the Wairoa, and I ara now proceeding to Te: Matata. By what means could I have been ■ withheld by M'Lean, against whom you are all railing? I have received no telegrams from him. I went to Port Nicholson for reasons of my own. One was that I wanted permission to make up my men to 300, and another to get native officers appointed for my soldiers. I had no other reasons for going, unless it were a desire to see Port Nicholson. ■:■■■-. Rapata Wahawaha.