THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10306, 13 March 1895, Page 3

THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

TO THE EDITOR,

Sie,~l have to thank you for the placing of my letter of the 16th ult. on the above subject in your columns, and, as I fnlly expected, no one took any notice of it. Sir, for the boys' sake, I ask you to pay the same compliment to this. The flax business is an industry so many have been hit by, going as they did into a calling they knew nothing about, that very few will oven talk flax to you, and every flax dre6Ser seems to know more about it than his neighbour. My own opinion is that they all want showing a thing.in flax dressing. Sir, I have brought yon a sample of manilla flax yarn. The price is £33 10s per ton, so I was told. I have aIBO brought a sample of our own, which was growing on the Town Bait, at Koslyn, this morning. Now, I don't mean to say that manilla could sot ba dressed finer; but as the two samples are, our 3is the better of the two, and could be naed in the manufacture of many a useful article, either in cordage or cloth, that the manilla would not do tor.

Now, Sir, we can't all be tillers of the ground and keepers of sheep, a,nd ai the flax industry has dwindled down to more existence I think there should be an effort made to revive it just a little bit, and if I did not know that it could bo done I would be the last to mention it. The dressing of flax is the simplest, and the plant for the purpose is simplest of all in connection with the flax industry, but it has to be done aB particularly aa any other branch in connection with the industry. It is in the dressing where all tho value lies, and no one could expect our flax to he dressed with the little attention that is bestowed on it. The reason our present marketable flax is so cheap is because there are too many producing the same quality of yarn, and it would be oheaper still if the millers could exist at it. The only remedy is for one half of the millers to make a better class of yarn, so that it could be used for other things than the poorest class o£ ropa. Millers say that they can dress five end a-half tons per week. Now, all they are getting far good-dreased is £12 per ton. Now, if they would only put through one-half and geb the price of manilla, they would make more money, besides the saving of the raw material and the time. The fibre is there right enough, which anyone can Bee for himself, only it wants dressing. I saw a bale of Auckland flax opened last week, and talk about being dressed, it was not even withered; but I suppose it answers for binder twine well enough, for | which it was being made use of.

Now, Sir, as the art of flax dressing cannot be learned from a, letter in a paper I will leave it there for the present and take up another subject, and I really wish it was in abler handa. It's a scheme the besb for Ne,w Zealand at the present time, and I sincerely wish that it was in the hands of the Hon. John M'Kenzie or the Mayor of Dunedin (Mr Fish), and then I know it would be a success. But the scheme does not involve thousands, not even one. thousand, only (to be on the right side) £300 in as many shares, the money to be paid back at the end of 18 months with cent, per cent, added, besides some other benefits which the managing committee to be elected could name. The above would find good work for hundreds, with wages 25 per cent, higher, and establish one of the beat industries that a country could have, enrich our flax millers and raiEe the price of flax swamps a good few pounds per acre; and, Sir, if I was the lucky possessor of a useless flax swamp I would Bubscribe the capital twice over. As soon as £100 is subscribed operations could be commenced by. getting a dressing machine and a loom made, and premises could be leased with our power. This offer will be good for a few weeks only.—l am, &c,

Dunedin, March 5.

P.S. —Anyone interested in the flax line can have my card.