THE SILK INDUSTRY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3738, 24 September 1886, Page 3

THE SILK INDUSTRY.

Mr G. A. Schock, who is endeavouring to foster the silk industry m Auckland, has sont m a report to tho Government, m which ho gives tho following encouraging extract from a letter sent to him by tho manager of tho Mosgiel Woollen Factory : — "I may say that we would willingly purchase silk yarns, suitably wound and made ready for us. No doubt if tho silk was suitably prepared m wound up yarna we could uso it very considerably, cither m the best qualities or m tho inferior thick and uneven yarna made of carded cocoons, and would prefer to uso that produced m tho colony. It is a trado at present quite undeveloped, and wo could not say either quantity or price, but our desire 13 to give the industry whnt encouragement we can. Wo shall be ready at any time to purchase it whenever you have a parcel for 6ule." Mr Schock says : — " I still reeeivo a few letters from people who are desirous of giving the silk industry a trial. I have therefore written to a friend m Japan to forward lOoz (equal to 400/ 00 eggs) of graino of tho so-called green Japaneso variety. From half to one million eggs of this graino arc annually oxported from Japan at from 83 to 16s per ounce. I feel hopeful that m a few years we shall be abe to compete with tho Japanese." Mr Schock ia endeavouring to induce tho local board of education to purchase a few thousand mulberry trees, and havo them distributed amongst the schools. Tho Government hare authorised him to purchase 10)0 mulberry treca for distribution among persons who tako an interest m the industry.