THE Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 585, 14 February 1863, Page 4

THE Otago Witness.

DUNEDIN, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14.

In the General Government Gazette of January 17, appears a notice bearing the signature of the Colonial Secretary, calling attention de novo to the rewards offered by the Government for the production of a merchantable commodity from the Native Flax. In this notice the Colonial Secretary quotes an extract from a letter from a gentleman engaged in flax spinning at Leeds. The writer says : — " The flax could be made serviceable " and of immense value to our manufacturers " here, in the present state of the flax market, 11 as we are now paying £10 to £20 per ton " more for all kinds of flaxes than we were 44 during last year." t . There <?«* fee no doubt that if ever there

was a favorable opportunity for the introduction of a new fibrous material into the world'-t market it is now, when the scarcity of cotton has driven manufacturers to their wits' end to find materials for keeping their looms going, and when all sorts of fibres have been in turn tried without success. Tiie supply of textile fabrics must by some means be kept up, and as cotton goods become dearer and scarcer the demand for linens must naturally increase. Tf, therefore, the New Zealand flax can be prepared in such a manner a3 to be serviceable for spinning and weaving with the same machinery as that employed for the manipulation of the ordinary 'flax of Europe.it must be evident that, as stated by the Leeds spinner, quoted by Mr Domett, it would bs "of immense value,"— of course provided that it could be supplied at a price that would admit of its being manufactured at a profit. It is this question of price which after all is the most important, and the most difficult to deal with. That a beautiful fibre, combining fineness, lustre, and strength, with extreme length of staple, could be prepared from the ! Native Flax of New Zealand, has long been known. Before the European put his foot upon the soil of New Zealand the Maories were in the habit of making beautiful and durable mats from it: but the process was too slow and tedious, and by consequence too costly, to render the fibre available as an article of regular commerce. Hundreds of European experimentalists have of late years stiivcn to accomplish the object, but as yet none can be said to have succeeded ; for although some have managed to prepared fine clean fibre free from the gum -which is the great obstacle to the manipulation of the plwrmium teiviz, none have jet been able to do so on a sufficiently large ->cale, or at a sufficiently cheap rate to give the artklf procured a real merchantable value. Yet there has beon every temptation to induce ingenious men to turn their attention to the subject. Not only has there been the prospect of realizing a fortune by bringing out a new and valuable article of commerce, but there has been the direct stimulus of the offer on the part of the Government of New Zealand, of a very handsome series of rewards, amounting in all to £4,000. This sum is apportioned as follows : — To the person who shall by some process of his own invention first produce from the phormium tenax, or other fibrous plant, indigenous to New Zealand, forty tons of merchandize, £2,000. To the second person who ma} 7 accomplish the same thing, £1,000. To any other persons not exceeding five in all, who may in like manner produce 20 tons of merchandise, £200 each. These rewards are liberal enough, and should, if any thing can, have the desired cltect of inducing men of means to venture something in experiments. Hitherto, most of those who have occupied themselves with the subject, have been comparatively poor men, and these have, as a rule, had to depend upon hand labor for obtaining their results. But to produce the material by the ton, at a. price to command a ready sale in the English market, machinery must be brought to bear, to do cheaply what by hand labor can only be effected at considerable qxpense.

It is important to notice that the terms of the Government offer of the rewards do not restrict the competition to fibre suitable for any particular mauafacture, nor even to the fibre of the native flax. AH that is necessary i* that forty tons of merchandise prepared from some plant indig-cnous to New Zealand, be produced at a cost that shall leave in the English market a margin of 20 per cent. profit to the producer. Thus competitors may send the fibrous material in any state they think fit. They may send it prepared for spinning, or in the rough, to be further treated in England ; or they may work it up into twine or rope ; or, if they prefer it, they may even make it up into pulp for paper making, as was done some time ago, with success, as far as the* value of the material went, although the paper duties at that time proved an obstacle to its introduction into England. The conditions under which the awards will be made are as follows : —

Every claim for the above rewards must be preferred before the Ist January, 1864,

The Merchandise must be saleable as an article of Export from the Colony of New Zealand, and have been produced at a cost not exceeJing 75 per cent, of its value at the Port of entry from which it is exported j and the process used must be fully made known, with a view to the discovery being at once made available to the public.

His Excel'ency the Governor of New Zealand will from tim a to time appoint Commissions, to consist of not less than three persons, to act at «u«h places as circumstances may require, and each claim for reward will be referred to such Commission as may be considered the most convenient for its proper investigation. The acts of the majority will be deemed the acts of the Commission.

Each Commission shall be at liherfcy to adopt such means as ib may deem most fit for determining the volue and cost of production of the Merchandise, for a'cevtaining the process employed, and for fully investigating in nil respects and reporting upon the vadilit.y of any claim.

Every compe'itor wishing to have flax inspected must apply to the Collector of Customs at the nearest Port, who shall forthwith trive notice to the Commissioners acting for the particular locality, who shall forthwith appoint some convenient lima and phice for the inspection, and communicate the same in writing to the competitor. Any e.>ai"eti!or may exhibit to the Commissioners any quantity of flax not less than five tons at a time.

For each quantity inspected and approved by the Commissioncis they slnl! give the competitor a certificate signed by a majority of them, >i duplicate of which must be forthwith deposited at the Collector's Office, at the nearest. Custom House.

When the total quantity &hall have neen inspected by instalments, and more tlian one certificate is given to a cUirannt, then eic'i certificate after the the first shall stiitein word\ the quantity already passed ami approved on behalf of the same competitor. Whenever tliP quantity approved of on behalf of any one competitor amount* to forty tons, the CommUsionpr? shall certify in words, at length, the date on which the full quantity wa-t pswcl, and the name of the competitor, which certificate they hhall immediately deposit with the Colouial Secretary, keeping one &ipy lor themselves, and pivins; the competitor one. The date of such certificate shall be deemed the day on which the claim tut produced th' 3 forty tons of merchandise requite J.

Whenever any quantity of flax is brought for inspact'on, satisfactory proof will have to bo given to the CumiiiNsioncrs that no pait of the flax h.is been already inspected by them.

One half of the rewarl will bo paid at once to any person whom tbo Governor on the report of a Commission, shnll declare in writing to be entitled to the same, after which no other claim to a reward of tho same class will be entertained ; and the other half of such reward will be paid upon satisfni'tory proof being /riven to the Governor, or his appointee in London, or the bonnjida s-ale of twenty tons of thp merchandise in £uiope, at an advance of not less than twenty per cent, upon the actual coil of the article lauded in Emopo.

All costs and expenses connected with the carriage to or removal from the plac 1 of inspection of any flax o9ered for inspection, and all other expenses, if any, connected therewith, to be borne by the competitor.

The new subscription for the relief of the Distress in the Manufacturing Districts of England and Scotland has been commenced in earnest. At the public meeting held on Wednesday evening at the Court House, the example set by Mr. .Justice Richmond, of subscribing £50, was imitated by four other gentlemen, including His Honor the Superintendent who presided, while four were found to subscribe £2o each, and the small sums subscribed in the room amounted to £23 55., thus making at once a sum of £373. It is of course understood that the fifty pound subscription of Mr. Justice Richmond is to be contingent upon five others sucscribing each a like sum, but we can hardly doubt that now that four have put down their names there will be a competition among the rich men af Otago as to who shall be the fifth. Now that the subscription has been thiw well started, it is to be hoped that the committee appointed to canvas the Province will lose no time in setting about their work, but will strike while the iron is hot, and not allow the public interest to cool. Much depends upon this promptitude being shown. While the agita«

tion is fresh, while the news of the urgent wants of the people and of the noble efforts being made in England and elsewhere, is comparatively recent, many will be disposed to give liberally, who, if not afforded the opportunity at once, will lose the c haritable impulse and button up their pockets.

We publish elsewhere a letter from a coi respondent at the new diggings, complaining of the disorderly state of the Lake Gold Fields. The letter is most appropriately dated from Eowdy Creek, and the writer represents the state of insecurity to be such that it seems to him the diggers will have to resort to " Lynch Law " for their protection.