IMPROVED FLAX PRICES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16865, 31 January 1929, Page 2

IMPROVED FLAX PRICES

ADVANCES IN PRODUCTION BENEFITS o!f SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH There is evidence that- New Zealand ilax production has been m the past 18 months, and is at the present time, on the up grade as regards quantity, quality, length and streugth, and in consequence the fibre is comitmndinp about 10 per cent, better price on the London market. 'This is said to be due to the advances made in culture aud milling by the growers, backed up bv the Department of Scientific and Ini diistrial Research. There arrived at Wellington by the Tahiti. Mr. (’. L Wilson, managing director of Australia and New Zealand Investments, Ltd., which is considerably interested in the flux industry here. He is on his way to London on business tor the company, and matters connected with the New Zealand flax industry. The company has a large acreage under cultivation in North Auckland, which work was only commenced in May of last year, Mr. H. T. Greedy, late Government hemp stutter, and the foremost fiax expert in New Zealand is at present in charge of Mr. Frank Mall’s flax plantation at Martinborough. where he has special experimental beds and has done valuable work for the industry in tlie ■ selection of plants which will enable New Zealand to compete favorably with other flax-growing countries m regard to size of leaf, color, length and strength of fibre, in respect of which, until recently, New Zealand had been laboring under disadvantages. In the last 18 months, said Mr. Wilson, the type of flax grown in New Zealand has improved out. of all know-' ledge. Such progress had been made that New Zealand flax was now realising £35 a ton and upwards, against £3O to £32 a year ago. Tlie company now had a nurserv of 12,000 acres near Hamilton, where 1C,000,000 seedlings of selected varieties were being raised. Flax-grow-m2 was also making progress in the Mungaroa Valley, Upper Hutt. where ahout 750 acres were under cultivation. Some idea of the advances made may he gained from the fact that at present a ton of fibre can be obtained from five tire tons of leaf, against 8 to BJI tons a vear or two ago.—Dominion