LINEN FLAX FACTORY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25101, 17 December 1942, Page 7

LINEN FLAX FACTORY

FIELD DAY AT CLYDEVALE A military atmosphere was Imparted to the Clydevale linen factory’s field day on Saturday, when some 200 visitors, most of whom were in uniform, were interested spectators of a demonstration given ot the operations carried out at the factory. Tlie visitors were divided into parties, and, assisted 'by the manager, Mr Guy Clissold, of Balclutha, Mr J. Richards, of the Field Division of the Department ot Agriculture, and Mr Arthur Craig, a member of the Linen Flax Advisory Board, the local manager, Mr R. G. Garvle, and his staff, had a busy time explaining the various branches of work carried out at the mill. Processes Explained Keen interest was taken in the weighbridge. the system of weighing, checking and recording, de-seeding, seed cleaning, the grinding of seed bole into stock meal, and in the percentage loss in weight of straw before passing to the retting tanks. The process of retting and the handling of straw in the drying field and the scutcher were also demonstrated. The scutching room, where bright gilds dexterously broke the sheaves, straightened the straw into mats, and fed the machine, was a particular attraction. The visitors closely watched the vertibrae belt take the straw, lead it through the crimping rollers which broke the shive, or straw, into short sections to facilitate scutching, and then on into the first turbine, where the whirling blades knocked out the shive. They were intrigued with the " change-over between the first and second turbine, where, bv a simple but ingenious method the fibre is transferred from one vertibrae belt to another to enable the final turbine to break away the shive held in the original grip, and, finally, they saw the long, bright, finished fibre passing along in a steady stream to the take-off end, where an equally efficient team of girls and men dressed and rolled the fibre ready for weighing and baling for shipment overseas. Importance to War Effort Another focal point of interest in the scutcher room was a large poster, headed, “ Linen Flax Growers in the Front Line. This was followed by extracts from a cablegram recently received by the Prime Minister, Mr P. Fraser, and from an address by Earl de la Warr. chairman of the United Kingdom Linen Flax Board, which left no doubt in the mind that linen flax fibre was a main munition of war and urgently needed at Home for tlie successful prosecution of the war. Mr Garvie was asked, at the conclusion of the tour of inspection, to demonstrate the meaning of good handling and bad handling on the farm. The talk and demonstration with sheaves and fibre were closely followed by the visitors, and at question time Mr Richards, instructor In agriculture, assisted the speaker in matters relating to disease in linen flax.