THE FLAX INDUSTRY

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1930, Page 9

THE FLAX INDUSTRY

OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE. , (PROSPEOTS OF RECOVERY. The opinion that th© flax industry is likely to be> th© first to recover from th© depression is held by those most closely associated with the . position. Already several factors ar© operating which it is considered are likely to have an important bearing in restoring stability. , Dr, Marsden, dlrectpr of the Industrial and Scientific Research Board, who .. is at present in England, has forwarded an encouraging report'to flaxgrowars in New Zealand. (He stated h© had attended many meetings of th© fibre committee of the Imperial Institute, and from what he learned there, he advised Naw .Zealand growers to continue planting out the best varieties, as it was only a matter of time until ’the glut nf ffbre now being.experienced on the market would right itself. Many of the sisal growers, ho stated, were going out of the business. That meant that there would be a shortage of hard fibres in the world and an im* mediate demand would spring up for New Zealand hemp- As gisal yielded leaves for four years only, and flad to be planted regularly it was obvious that if planting ceased there would be a period of noji,production of that fibre. Furthermore, it was a tropical plant and much cultivation wag required regularly to keep the ground clean of rank growths. That entailed continuous expense and owing to the depressed financial state. of the world growers vw« not pushing th© work. / New Zealand flax ‘was. a different’ plant. It is a perennial, and a year’* rest would do good, and, with th© maturing of the young flax, a heavy crop would be available when priceg lifted. ■Several thousand acres had been planted lately in the Auckland Province, and it was considered that th© flax would be ready for cutting by the time th® mar'ket began to improve. 1 “TJie position is quite different from that in the dairying industry, which has to carry op whether prices rise or fall,” said the grower. Or a falling market there was a tendency in dairying to produce more to make up for lower price?, In th© flax industry the position would right itself more quickly by growers ceasing ta operat© and allowing stock© to ft© used up to create ft demand. A? production costs would be lower in the future, jt would be possible to place hemp on the market at a price at which it would hold, its own . against the other hard fibres tif the world, . - . . . • ■ ■