THE WEALTH WE WASTE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 971, 30 March 1870, Page 7 (Supplement)

THE WEALTH WE WASTE.

"It needs but a glance at the statistical tables," says the Wellington Independent, "to see what ample immediate employment New Zealand itself can provide for an enormous addition to its pi'oducing population. With its gold mines in every part of the Colony, and the certainty of a rapidly increasing development of the flax industry, it is apparent that New Zealand has little need to fear the want of a ma,rkes within herself, for any quantity, not only of the necessaries, but also of the luxuriea of life which she can grow, and the coru. sumption is likely to increase in a far more rapid ratio than the praduction, unless an enormous addition ba made to the agriculturists, who are alreadyfar behind the requirements of the Colony. Taking a most cursory glance at ths statistics of 1868 — what do we find imported which could be equally well, probably better and more cheaply produce^ by our own small farmers within the Colony, if they had only the roads to get, their produce certainly and rapidly to the numerous ports ? Imported beer which we have every facility for making for ourselves froths in our face to the extent of £85,000 a year. New Zealand cows by thousands ran u,nmilked, while £28,000 worth of foreign butter melted in ourmouths. New Zealand mice had the opportunity of nibbling £12,000 worth of foreign cheese. Australian hens cackled to the tune of £11,000 worth of eggs cracked on New Zealand tables. £146,000 was expended on flour, to be consumed ii* the shape of New Zealand bread and puddings, to which was added £9,000 worth of bottled fruit to make New Zealand pies. New Zealand dessert was furnished with £20,000 worth of fresh fruit, and £3,000 worth of musty nuts. £93,000 was taken, to pay for foreign grain, and in addition to, the bill for beer, an item for malt appears of £44,000, besides £.48,000- more for hops. Importations, chiefly from Australia, of cattle, horses, and sheep amounted to, £119,000. Nearly £4,000 was paid formeal, and while New Zealand pigs ran, half wild by thousands, and potatoes were rotting in the ground, £18,000 was spent for Australian and English bacon, £25,000 for hams, and £7,000 for pickled pork. New Zealand pasture was sown with £14,000 worth of English grass seeds ; £22,000 was spen,b in soap to wash away New Zealand dirt, while the materials for its manufacture are wasted wholesale on every New Zealand homestead. The farmers surely might appropriate some of the £293,000 which went in the purchase of sugar, or at least they could produce honey in endless quantity to supply its; place. £78,000 was paid for timber certainly not better than our own bush lands produce ; and the purchase of £90,000 worth of tobacco has absolutely ended in, smoke, as far as this Colony is concerned. £87,000 was paid for wines, though gooseberries and rhubarb are almost weeds in every garden in these islands, and would make as good and far purer champagne than that which gets into the fortunate miner's head. But last — and the item which should make our little farmers blush — £22,000 went the year before last to pay the market gardeners of Victoria for fresh vegetables imported here. We might add largely to our list. We might fairly complain, for instance, that New Zealand farmers gain no benefit from the grain which must be used from which to distil £.218,000 worth of spirits imported, in 1868 ; but we do not think it necessary to go any farther, especially when it is remembered that the bulk of a.ll the imports to which we have referred, come from the neighbouring Colony of Victoria, which, with a far inferior soil, not at all to he compared with t>ha.t which we possess, we allow successfully to compete with us in our own markets."

Experiment with Flax.— The Lyttelton Times states that an experiment has recently been made by Measrs Mills and Co., with the view of ascertaining whether New Zealand flax is subject to spontaneous combustion. About five weeks agQ a quantity of flax was thoroughly saturated with water, and then done up in a bale. The bale having been sewn up in coarse sacking well tarred on the inside, was packed in a wooden, case and placed in Mr. John Anderson's engine room, so as to be subjected to the heat of the fires. Yesterday the bale was opened in the presence of several gentlemen, among whom wero the agents of the principal Insurance Companies, The flax was found to have dried considerably. The middle of the bale was decidedly warm, but there was no appearance of scorching or extreme heat. In some places the fibre had commenced, to rot from the action of the water. The result must be considered satisfactory, as it is certain that either wool or hay would have shown eign^ of fire under similar treatment.

Spontaneous Combustion of Flax. — A writer in the Southern Cross speaking of the experiment lately tried at Christchuroh, at Messrs. Mills and Co.'s, for the purpose of testing the spontaneous combustibility of New Zealand flax, says : — " Though I have endeavoured to show, in, several previous communications on the subject} of the spontaneous combustion of New Zealand flax, that New Zealand flax is no more liable to, spontaneous ignition than any other vegetable fibre, I can by no means take the result of the experiment as a proof that New Zealand flax is, not liable to spontaneous combustion. If we take the manner in which the bale of flax iv question was made up, and the place in which it was kept during the experiment, and refer to, the cause of spontaneous combustion, we shall find that the experiment was carried out as if the persons engaged in the expei'iment desired, to prevent spontaneous combustion. In the production of heavy carburetted hydrogen, the ohief agent in causing spontaneous combustion, it is necessary that the wet or oiled fibre should not be entirely excluded from the atmospheric air, and it ought not to be exposed to a constant current of air in an open room, such as that in which tho bale used iv the above experiroenc was placed. It would be a much wiser plan for those gentlemen engaged in the above experiment to admit that if New Zealand flax, like other vegetable fibre, will spontaneously ignite if exported in a wet condition, to repudiate tha charge made against New Zealand merchants^ of exporting wet flax, until some evidence c^fl be adduced in support of suoh a ph&rge.