FLAX ASSOCIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 681, 29 July 1870, Page 2

FLAX ASSOCIATION.

The sub-committee met at 2 p.m. yesterday. Present : — Messrs E. Richardson (in the chair), De Bourbel, Johnson, Pavitt, Sheath, Hassal, F. H. M. Walker, and Bird (hon. aec.) The following correspondence was read : — Kowai, 19th July, 1870. To the Chairman of Committee of the Flax Association, Christchurch. Dear Sir,— We are duly in receipt of your letter, of the 15th instant, asking what we have done in the matter .of the .experiments that the association requested us to. undertake.; We beg to inform you that we. thought the series of experiments, suggested by the association would prove in practice of such an expensive and impracticable nature that we did not feel justified in spending the funds of the association, in carrying out what, we know would be attended by results inadequate to the expense incurred. . W» have, however, made a series of experiments, with the appliances we have, without putting the association to any expense, and have given the association samples of the results, and will again show samples of some other trials. We would suggest that,, if the association could spend the money intended for the experiments suggested to us, in the construction of a pair of, heavy' rollers, made after our plan, we think we could produce an article of very superior quality, at no greater expenditure than at present incurred, and we shall be happy to carry out a number of experiments without putting the association to any other expense— and we shall always be happy to carry out any feasible suggestions that the committee may wish. to make, without any expense, except for any alterations in machinery that may be required. We remain, Dear Sir, Your obedient servants, Bekn and Walker,

Account of the flax samples Bent to the subcommittee of the Canterbury Flax Association, July 28, 1870, chemically prepared by Dr Florence's process. Ist. The flax leaf was taken from Bing's land, St. Albans, promiscuously, namely, old and young leaves together, and without any selection as to age. 2nd. It was passed twice through Johnson's ordinary stripper (Price's), rinsed, dried on the lines, scutched, and then passed through Florence's solvent, rinsed again, and roughly hackled. This relates to the largebale of hackled- fibre marked Nck=l. No. 2. — Once through- the stripper, and while still damp passed through Florence's solvent, dried and roughly hackled. • ••- : No. 3.— Small sample hackled from the tow procured promiscuously from the large tow-bale marked No. 4, and from which the fibre-bale marked No. 1 was procured. No. s—Small5 — Small samples taken from someJlf the younger leaves picked from the bulk. Expense* of purchasing the stripped leaf, as supplied to me by Mr Johnson, at the rate of XI 10s per cwt, lj on delivery; cost of Florence's solvent, 2s ; one boy's assistance for two days for the drying and hackling, &c, 10s. Augustus Floeahce. July 28, 1870. - . The Chairman Sub-Committee Flax Association, — Sir, — The small bale of flax sent from the North Road Flax-mill has been prepared in accordance with the suggestions of Mr Thompson," namely — Passed through the stripper three times, and washed after each time of being passed through ; placed on the groand to bleach, where it remained sis dajs; then scutched and baled up. - - The quantity of green flax used was ID cwt ; the quantity of fibre produced is 1 cwt 27 lbs ; the cost of production £2 12s, . (Signed) . "J. Taaffb, ■ • '■■ . Manager North Koad Mill. Christchuroh, July 20, iB7O. The Hon. Secretary reported that a bale of .flax, prepared by Booth's machines, had been received from Dunedin. Also, samples of flax alluded to in Dr Florence's letter. The Hon. Secretary said that a friend of his, who had just comedown from Auckland, informed him that the price of the best hill flax there was £24 per ton, and swamp flax from £20 to £22, for shipment to Sydney. It was resolved that each member of the committee be allowed to take not more than three hanks, for the purpose of experiment* from the bale of flax prepared by Booth's machines. The committee ad journed.