NEW ZEALAND HEMP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2744, 17 October 1906, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND HEMP.

UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES

Mr John Holmes, of Wellington, who. as Government Trade Commissioner for tho colony in 1697 and 1893, visited Australia, Great Britain, America. Canada, British Columbia, and South Africa, in an interview with a Lyttelton Times represeiitaiivc said he supported the proposal recently made to the Government that there should bo placed on. the Estimates a sum of £5000 as a bonus to be paid in small -or large amounts upon a given quantity of dressed fibre prepared from cultivated phormium tenax. This, he urged, would prove a great stimulus among the sheep and agricultural farmers of tho colony, and would in a short lime increase the export enormously. To ghe some idea of the increasing importance of the hemp trade, Mr Holmes pointed to the fact that when ho was Fibre Commission*--, in 1897, the c\port had fallen lo 1300 tons per annum, and the price to £10 per ton. 0,a tcta! export for that year of £18,000. Since his investigations of the various markets throughout, the world, the Government, with tho grading system, adopted as the result of his recommendations, had ■created a demand for the fibre which now had ri-en in export to no fewer than 30,000 tons per annum, and the value to over £30 per ton. while recent sales had been made at £?2 per ton f.0.b., '"good, fair average quality." In -view, however, of the increasing demand for New Zealand fibre. Mr Holmea referred to a danger which in his opinion was looming ahead. Many rope-makers and manufacturers in Great Britain, America. Canada, and the Continent were sendincr their orders to New Zealand, but unfortunately the supply was not equal to tJie demand, with the result that in hia opinion those manufacruiers who had been disappointed from time to time would in all probability turn their attention to the utilisation of other fibre*, «uch as nianila, Kentucky hemp, and sieal fibres, from other countries. If, therefore. New Zealand was to maintain her position as an export country, it must of necessity cultivate largely to keep pace with the demand. He contended that no more profitable crop could be raised than New Zealand flax, and referred to the enormous vielde which some of the swamp lands, properly drained 1 , had produced, in some cases 40 tons to the acre, the royalties on which had risen as high as 15s per ton en

the green leaf. It would, therefore, be obvious that the land-owner would be wise in cultivating the native plant of New Zealand, the preparation of which would be of ma.nifcld benefit. Net least important would be the employment of unskilled labour and the increased revenue which the railways would secure, apart from the enormous advantages of increased wealth to the nation, in which every colonist would participate. "With proper cultivation, Mr Holmes said, at least 100,000 tons could be exported annually, which, with present values, would mean £3.000,000 per year. Some objection had been raked to the cultivation of the plant owing to the statement that there was not sufficient knowledge as to the best varieties. This, in his opinion, was more irnapinary than real, for, whatever plants were cultivated, they would be profitable to the country, and the larger the number of farmers ensfasred in the cultivation thp greater would he the lesults, and the more general the information to be obtained. To delay further meant loss of tiny, ajid probably loss of a permanent market, while at the same time other countries wera grasnine the opportunity and cultivating the plant.

In answer to a question concernine the exploitation of new markets. Mr Holme* pointed to the comp'et-e display now beinjr prepared at the Exhibition by Canada, whose enterprise, 'as there exhibited, v.-as only on? evident?* 1 of the wide awake policy of the Canadian Government in regard to the exploitation of new markets in demonstrating -the resources of the country. In Great Britain, Canada had probably 20 commercial representative's seeking information, and corn-eying 't to all the producers anA exporters in their own eountrv. at the ame time soliciting orders for the various special lines of oereole. lumber, and manufactured (foods exported from the Dominion. If New Zealand were to follow that example it would pay a hundredfold.