NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6834, 23 April 1890, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

i • MR CHAYTOR'S REPORT. £Pbr Press Association.] WELLINGTON, April 22. Mr J. C. Chaytor, of Marlborougb, who recently visited England and made full enquiries into the uses to which New Zealand hemp is put and the manner of its disposal, has addressed a letter to the Colonial Secretary on the subject. He states that he visited Manchester and saw the Landtsheer machine working. It is a machine used for scraping* ramie, t&c, and he doubts whether it could be eaßily adapted to dressing flax. From his examination he concluded that our machines were fairly satisfactory, and with careful management good work could be done, though the details may be improved. He then explains THE MODE OF SELLING flax. Some of the bales from each shipment are taken to the showrooms, where they are laid in rows on the floor and the ties cut. Valuers and buyers take out hanks as they please, open them to see how- the flax is dressed, and they are sure to discover any dishoneut packing. He saw several brands he knew. One had the strawy tops of the leaves cut off after scutching, and one manufacturer had told him it was not worth doing, and if it was, it could be be done cheaper in England. He saw several lots of manilla and sisal packed in wrappers, but it was not considered worth the while of New Zealand to use wrappers. He had tried the experiment of packing in wrappers on a shipment to San Francisco, but it did not pay. It had been said that the hemp suffered in dumping, but from enquiries he found that this was not correct, providing that it had been well dressed and packed. He saw some of the hanks matted by pressure, but they appeared gummy, and apparently had been packed damp. Shippers should avoid dumping together bales of different brands, as it causes inconvenience and delay. Mr Chaytor states that business at the sales for both buyers and sellers is in the hands of brokers, and manufacturers rarely attend. THE DISCOUNT of 3J per cent, which is giving producers so much dissatisfaction, is absorbed by middlemen, and he considers it will not easily be got rid of. Producers should, however, combine and insist on net cash terms, as in wool. This has been done in the case of sheepskins, which till lately were subject to a discount of 2£ per cent. Tying bales with flax or rope is preferable to binding them with wire. •PROSPECTS OF THE TRADE. He believes that New Zealand hemp is used entirely for rope and twine-making, and none is used for textile fabrics of any kind. He enquired from one manufacturer whether the New Zealand fibre might expect a collapse in this trade such as occurred some twenty years ago, and the latter replied no, and if a really good article was sent the demand would continue. This manufacturer laid great stress on the fibre being of uniform colour. Mr Chaytor states that he finds this can only be done by soaking the flax (after washing) for four hours in clean water, as is done in all the mills in Auckland. Small bales, and especially small hanks, are preferred. One manufacturer stated that he considered the hemp next to manilla for ropemaking material, aud in relative money value worth JSIO per ton less. It had, Mr Chaytor writes, been said that New Zealand flax would not take tar, but he had seen tarred rope being made out of .New Zealand hemp, and manufacturers said they had no trouble with it. The increased demand for binder twine was counterbalanced to a considerable extent by the .great use of wire rope for shipß* rigging, tackles for loading and discharging cargoes, &c. Places where they used to make hemp rope are now only making wire rope. In conclusion, he states that in the present state of affairs millers should be very . careful on two points — (1) To produce only a first-class article; (2) to study economy at every point, both as to manufacture and transit to market, so as to meet a lower range of prices.