THE BRITISH LINEN INDUSTRY

Otago Witness, Issue 3442, 2 March 1920, Page 65

THE BRITISH LINEN INDUSTRY

CESSATION OF OPERATIONS THREATENED. SHORTAGE OF RAW MATERIALS. (Fbom (Job Own Ooer;;Bpondsi:t.) CHRISTCHUROH, February 23. Nothing less than the cessation of the British linen industry for a period is predicted by a visitor to Christchurch unless supplies of raw material can be found. T.ne visitor is Mr Robertson, a member of the damask linen making firm of Messrs Hay a;\d Robertson. Dunfermline., Scotland, who is staying with a brother-in-law (a Christchurch business man). Mr Robertson was engaged in pastoral pursuits m !New Zealand for several years prior to when he want Home and joined his brotners in the firm, the managing director of which is Sir William Robertson, who held important, positions during the war period in control of the linen industry. " The people of New Zealand do not generally realise the shocking condition of the linen industry at Home," said Mr Robertson. The factor which has principally contributed to the present shortage is* that, the Government commandeered the Whole of the linen yarn for aeroplane cloth, and. with the usual extravagance associated with Government transactions, 40.000,000 yards of cloth were disposed of at the close of the war for less than half cost to one syndicate, a transaction that is notorious in trade circles."

As an indication of how things stand today. Mr Robertson stated that linen yarn that was sold at from 4s to 5s a. bundle in pre-war days was now up to 50s a bundle. The root of th c trouble was to be found in Russia, which beforo the war supplied threequarters of the flax used in the linen trade of the world, and until the Russian situation was cleared up there was no hope of any improvement. In fact, things must get worse, and the industry was threatened with complete suspension of operations for a period.. If that took place the_ people of New Zealand would their position in regard to securing supplies. Questioned as to the prospects of other countries raising flax in sufficient quantities to tide over the shortage, Mr Robertson said there was none. The flax grown in NeW Zealand was raised principally for fibre, and wasof different class from that used for linen requirements. The class needed was what was grown in New Zealand for linseed. The same remark applied to America, which grew flax for seed. From what he .could see Mr Robertson declared that no profiteering existed in the disposal of linen o-oods here. A friend had mentioned to him that recently four guineas had been paid for a pair of sheets,, but Mr Robertson said the price was not extravagant, but was likely to become higher. It wag quite on the cards that linen goods at no distant date would not be procurable at all. Attempts had been made to grow flax in Scotland, but the quantity was very limited, and labour troubles also interfered with the success of the undertaking. What had been grown was in the war period, and wag under-Government auspices. Ireland also raised a certain amount of flax, but nothing like enough for requirements, and not half the looms were going in Ireland to-day as in pre-war days. The same conditions prevailed in Scotland and elsewhere, and whereas in the case of his own firm" over 1300 looms weere operating at the outbreak of war, not more than 650 were now in use. A greater demand had been caused by America coming into the market and paying almost any price that linen manufacturers liked to ask. The. Americans were the bigerest users of linen damask in the world. The prospects for New Zealand were that a period was coming when there would be a complete dearth of all classes of linen goods. A similar experience was threatened in regard to cotton goods. Merchants of the dominion should put their best efforts forward to secure stocks from Home, though it looked as if extreme- difficulty would be experienced in securing anything. Sir William Robertson had written to him stating that it was estimated that every pound of flax would be used up in the British linen manufacturing industry by Julv next, and as no new crops would be available for at least three months later, it looked as though the whole trade Would have to close down for a period. Without doubt the looms had got ahead of the spindles, and the decision that the spinners would have to work even shorter time in the near future would make things more difficult still.