NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

Colonist, Volume XXXIV, Issue 7050, 29 June 1891, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

MR. HAYCOCK'S PATENT

In the past the use of the New Zealand flax fibre has been restricted practically to the making of rope and twine, and a good deal of the flax sent to England and America has been unfit even for these' 'purposes,' owing to Want of skill or gross carelessness in preparing the fibre for market. Two often, indeed, has tbe flax teen so roughly dressed that two thirds of the material shipped has consisted of vegetable matter, leaving but one third of real fi bre. When such material is m ade up into: rope the vegetable matter naturally decays. speedily, and, the rope 'is, of course, incapable of bsaring any strain. Then, too, in flax thus rushed into the market a considerable quantity of the gum contained in | the plant remains, and this gnm when present in rope prevents tar. soaking properly ioto the rope, and consequently New Zealand flax is not in favor for making rope for ships purposes. It is to be regretted that an important trade has to a considerable extent been mined through want of care in supply, ing the best possible artiole, but in the past no system has been devised by which the New 23ealand flax could be made suitable for textile purposes, at all events at a coat that would leave a fair amount of profit, and yet it has been stated that this fibre if so prepared that it could be mixed with Bilk or linen in fabrics made therefrom would be worth from £80 to £100 a ton. One of the chief difficulties iv j i this direction appears to be the getting rid of I the gum without damaging tbe fibre. Fori wo? cvosidinblf line past Mr Hayoook, of

Riohmond, has been devoting his time and ability with the object of effecting improve' ments in the preparation of tbia fibre, and of turning the waste tow, &c, to profitable use. He claims to have met with complete success in his endeavor to rid the^repared flax of all gum, and the specimens we have seen treataS by his prooesß seem to entirely support his claim.- In experimenting with the waste material he has been equally successful, and when it is remembered that the waste in tow at the flax mills amounts to about 25 pec cent of the fibre it will be apparent that tbe turning of this to profitable account ia a matter of very considerable importance. There are no v oa exhibition at the shop of Mr T. B. Huff am, Hardy street, three samples of fabrios made from flax tow by Mr Haycock, of these a thiok felt like material is being used for bed quilts, and is evidently a very warm material. Another specimen is of somewhat finer quality, and this material was made with the object of faeiog utilised by medical men in the way 'of lint, while the third is of still finer quality, resembling parchment. Last July a select Parliamentary Committee sat to consider all matters pertaining to the development of the flax industry, amongst others, and tbat Com _uttes recommended that a bonus of £10.000 should be offered for the encouragement of the industry, to be devoted to the following purposes, viz. :— For a process of flax dressing which will improve the quality of dressed fibre,: making it suitable for textile purposes ; for a moie of utilising the waste produots of the industry. Could the permanent establishment of the industry be thus secured the expenditure of the sum named in the direction indicated would be a moat profitable outlay on the part of the Colony, and certainly the bard working and ingenious inventor in entitled to all the consideration that oan ba fairly given him. Whether the process discovered by Mr Hayoook ib one that will leave a large margin of profit we are unable to iay« but from what he has shown we hops that careful enquiries will be made by the new Agricultural Department, and on these proving as satisfactory as at present appear certain that proper enoouragement will ba given Mr Haycock, that his discovery may bsnefit the whole Colony.