THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10761, 27 March 1897, Page 3

THE FLAX INDUSTRY.

TO THE EDITQR. ',' Sir,—Your paper of Saturday contained aa j article relative to tbe views and efforts of Mr j Holmes, who appears to be the chief expert i amcmgst and on behalf, of the flax millers of the ' j northern part of New Zealand, which is cvi- ! j dently the. chief centre of such trade. The i press of New Zealand is said to have given ! general support to such views, sird the Govern- j ment support the industry with £250, and I you not only give adhssioa to all j said and intended but you also state i that any opposition must ba of a factious ! character. Now, Sir, it is not from any other ! desire than the promotion of common sense ■ and straightforward action that impels me 1 to ask and answer a few questions, after I which I think it will be easy to per- '< ceiva that the gentlemauly courtesy usually shown by members oE the presa in this and many similar cases is simply from the fact i { that they are unable to form adequate ideas re- 5 j gardin^.BUch matters, and appear to have faith I iin the moral and political aspect given to any i j sush question by recognised experts; but such I l unbelieving wretches as I hold the opinion that it j i is tan entire absence of expert knowledge which ; ! has givou birth to all this nonsensical and selfish I I action. I will therefore try <and put a plain ! j face upon the entire, subject. j ) 1. What led to the existence of so manr flax I \ mills in 1890 ? ' j j Answer : Manila was scarce and theyankees : ' coruered the lot, and a demand for New Zealand | j fibre sprang up, as it was at that period the only \ I substitute procurable, and the high and rising j | value induced many to try fisr milling. But veryfew cared to inquire how or iv what manner it : ought to be put upon tha market. It was j baled, overcsushed, undercrashed. in a state of j decay, wet, matted, cut, and tangled in all j directions, and in many casts no manner of I assortment whatever. In tha great majority oE bales sent away only a few were presentable to any form of machinery until it wax rescutched, ] and had sometimes to be hackled by hand j labour. But momentary cieinaaaa had to be supplied on the assumption that all flax millers must of necessity be expects , and even j the Yankees never dreamed of so many duffers ! presuming to supply spinners; but, alas! they ! were mistaken. j 2. What has led to the continuous slack trade' in such fibre ? . Answer: Several causes have bsen at work, ] the chief being those mentioned above as to ! the manner of preparation • but manila was ! more extensively brought upon the market, and : sisal' was cultivated to an enormous extent, : and, being clean, free, and easy'to deal with by i machinery, and much more reliable than flix I from New Zealand, it proved a more safe iu--j 1 vestment for buyers. The general depression ortrade may have been ah element tending to ■ keep down demand, but the chief elements of ! causation were, the commercial supremacy of other fibre producers, and between them and ■ their products it may s/tfely be said they were ■ the most fit survivors in the commercial strugg'e. ! 3. if theri are any experts' in the flax milling trade, is isat all likely they would propose going Home to make inquiries about matters which they ought to have at their finger ends; or if any of thena are in the ways of commerce, is it reasonable to suppose they would propose going Home to do that which they might accomplish without doing so ? Answer: It. is clear from their own proposition and confessed ignorance that such men are not experts, but N simply want expert knowledge at the general expense. I may now state that.l know several persons who'exported New Zealand fibre prepared according to- expert knowledge, and about the climsx of prosperity in trade. They got £10 over the ordinary quotations of the London market. As a fairly good set of preliminary principles, which every expert ought to know, I refer anyone intere«ter! in the matter to read a letter to the editor _of the Witness, published consecutively in two such paper* about four or five weeks ago, after which I think it might fairly be admitted that any opposition which Mr Holmes and his party may receive or have received is not nor caunot have been oE such a factious character as you appear to think. I am,, &c, Normanby, March 22. J. W.