NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

Otago Witness, Issue 921, 24 July 1869, Page 15

NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

(Lyttelton Times, July 17th.)

We have been favoured with the following correspondence, having reference to this artiole : —

Messrs Dalgety, Bnoroz, and Co. Dear Sirs— ln reply to your favour of 19fh, we advise yoar friends as follows, respecting flaxi—

1. The best dressed be only shipped, comprising good length, strength, and bright even colour ; inferior sorts are neglected. 2. Bales of from 3 to 4 owt, press packed pre'erred, oovered with wrappers. The parcel imported per Light Brigade, being only indifferently cleaned, is alow of sale ; prices from 27s to 28s ; but the parcel ( .A. in diamond) per Siam, being well cleaned, sells freely at 34s to 355. We remain, yours truly.

6. Tallible. Messrs Devitt and Hett, brokers, report as follows :—: —

Shippers have at last summoned up courage to send home psroels of a sufficient size to attract the attention of buyers, 1400 bales having arrived during the last week or two. Of these, 600 bales have been offered at unction, and about one- third sold. viz.. Ist quality, dressed, L 37 to I*3B 10a; 2nd quality, only part sold at L 35, tha rough undressed is very little sought; after at L 24 to L 27. In making further shipments of this article wo would recommend a regular Bupply of well dressed, the partially dressed is very objeotionablo to the trade. We would rathor nee it sent home in tho straw without any expense incurred in the colony. We regret to obsorve in tho parcels jast to hand that the naturally strong fibre has been muoh weakened in the dressing ; this should carefully bo avoided, as the groat ond to he obtained is a successful competition with Manilla hemp, whioh realties IAS per ton. We are indebted to Mathoion's Agency for the following interesting report by Uoiars Barber, Nophew, and Co., on New Zealand Flax. It is dated London, May 21:- _._ .

Dear Sirs— Wo have mo oh pleasure in handing you, as requested, a roport on tho New Zealand Flax and Tow Market

For «omo yoam part, tho London market has been almost bars of both flax and tow from New Zealand ; only oocasioual arrivals having ooourred, and these of very small quantities, but now it appears that wo aro to be woll supplied with both those article*, for the imports during tho put few weeks havo been considerable, and a large quantity Is still afloat.

Or at car* should be taken in oleanlog that the fibre of tho flax ii not weakened { wbal Un arrived hitherto, fe mostly will oletoed

iond strong; „ Bopevaßc^twine, making are jbhe principal uses.to; which the flax will, he earned, and- even if it r is, .found t to 1 be; pot sufficiently' strong by itself, it i will do excellently for mixing^ with Manilla hemp., „we think it will he quite ea'e to calculate on this fibre, of similar 'qiiaiity to this'J parcel ! Jper. Siam, which was very l gobd clean" flixi' fetching within LlO to L<2 per ton of Mr ciirrent Manilla hemp, the present value of which is L 47105. ' • "" The following are particulars of New Zealand flax and tow, which have lately been offered at pu lie auction :— f Per Excelsior — C, 31 bales flax, bought in at L4O per ton, L 34 10abid; A,- 38 do, bought in at L 35 per ton.' L'2B bid ; B, 8 do, sold at L 26 15s ; O, 1 do, tow, bought in at L25.n0 bid. Per Light Brigade.— NG- with T urider, 33 bales tow sold at L2O to L2l per ton ; F, 246 do flax— 2o bales sold at L 32, remainder bought in j T and T, 241 do tow, withdrawn, no bid. ' , Pwr Hydaspea. — Fl with F2 under, 39 bales fla>x, bought in at L 34. , . , ■ I Per Siam. — A in diamond, 188 bales flax, part sold a€ L 37. , - We omitted to mention that length as well as colour Were essential points in this fibre. The following letter has been forwarded to us for publication, by ihe Secretary of the Halswell Flax Company :— 80, Old Brood Street 11th May. 1860. John Carrie, 'Eeq'. Sir— Your New Zealand Flax, ex Light Brigade, being sow all landed ' at Watson's wharf, we beg to band you a report on the same. F 21 5 bales are 'sound flax ; 1 bale, Ist class, sea damaged ; 21 bales, 2nd class, do ; 9 bales, 3rd class, do ; Iba c 4th class do. The quality lons; — partly di eased, some foxy coloured — much cleaner than usually imported "Of the mark T 1 16 bales , tow, all are sotind ; the- qnality tow selected from above' flax some cleaner and softer recently sold at L2O p^r ton at auction. T2 23 'ales tow sound ; 1 bale, let class, sea damaged ; 1 bale, 2nd class, do. The quality shorter, and not so oleau, worth probably L 5 per ton less than T ,1 mark.

In regard to the value of the flax, only very recently h-»s New Zealand been imported in a partly dressed st-<te. Ou the 28th ultimo a email parcel, ex Excelsior, was offered at auction— 3l bales marked C, better cleaned and softer quality than your parcel, 247 bales— and were bought in at L 4o per ton ; a bid of L 34 10s was refused. Another lot marked A. 35 bales, rather shorter but cleaner, as well as somewhat softer than your parcel, was bought in a' L 35 per too, only L2B being bid. We think the best course to adopt to ascertain the value of your flax and tow will be to offer the same at publio auction. The arrival thin week of one thousand bales flax, per s iam, also from New Zealand, for the moment make buyers cautious.— Schroder and Morkeman.

The subjoined extract from a lett*r dated 21st May relates to the above : — We have sold, ex Light Brigade, 20 bales flax at L 32, and one at L2B ; the remainder has been withdrawn, as it oould not be sold at these prioes.