MANUFACTURE OF PAPER FROM FLAX.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1072, 6 August 1869, Page 3

MANUFACTURE OF PAPER FROM FLAX.

The Bruce Herald contains the following: — " We understand that our enterprising fellow-colonist Mr. Edward McGlashan, Dunedin, has erected machinery on his property at the Water of Leith, for the preparation, from New Zealand flax, of a pulp suitable for the manufacture of paper, which he purposes shipping in a compressed form to British papermakera. It will be remembered that a year or two ago Mr. McGlashan erected a proposed paper mill, from visiting which the press, alike with the public, were carefully excluded, with a view we presume to maintain privacy and prevent the extension of the manufacture until a patent was secured for the machinery applied, in the event of the process proving satisfactory. Judging, from the fact that the operations were speedily discontinued, we presume that the undertaking wa3 found to be impracticable, and we should imagine this arose from the difficulty then experienced in extracting the gelutinous matter from the flax leaf. Now this «an be so easily and successfully accomplished, we should think that the preparation of the pulp for home shipment is more likely to prove successful^ and will probably lead to the further prosecution of paper manufacture. If the pulp is found suitable,- no doubt some home papermakers of capital and enterprise will be led to establish mills in New Zealand for the supply of the Australian colonies, - which is now becoming very extensive and rapidly on the increase. We believe that Mr. McGlashan is having additional machinery to that imported for the purpose constructed by Mr. Wilson, of the Dunedin Foundry ; and we wish him every success in his praiseworthy attempt to utilise this already valuable and almost inexhaustible article of export, in a new and most likely form, and which will probably prove more remunerative than any other purpose to which the phormium tenax has hitherto been applied. In this advanced age, even with the many thousand beggars and others constantly engaged in rag-gathering, very great difficulty is experienced by British paper-makers in securing sufficient supplies of rags, which are now eagerly purchased and conveyed from the capitals of all the European kingdoms. Of late years Egypt has proved the largest contributor of rags, while India, China, Japan, and portions of Asia are also being denuded of all their ample supplies of what has hitherto been with most Asiatic nations somewhat abundant and proverbial. Bare as the African forms of costume are known to be, English agents have been sent to Africa, and Australia too, to open up agencies for the collection and purchase of rags; nor," to our knowledge, had New Zealand flax escaped their attention, and samples were forwarded years ago by their agents who visited this colony, to experiment upon, but evidently without success. Should Mr. McGlashan have unravelled the knotty point required to utilise the flax for paper-manufacturing purposes, he will at once become possessed of the open sesame to an extensive fortune."