DAY BY DAY

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14583, 4 February 1921, Page 4

DAY BY DAY

The need for the application of scientific research to New Great Waste Zealand industries in was indicated at Hie Flax Industry. Science Congress it Palmerston North recently, in some remarkable statements by Professor Easlerlield. In the course of a discussion on Hie blight that is affecting the flax in tho Manavvuln dislri'd. the Professor declared that the flaxmillers were guilty of groat waste. One hundred pounds of leaf, hu said, gave 53 per cent, of we| (Hire and i 7 per cent, of waste, which was mi rely the epidermis of the leaf. The 59 per cent, of wet libre meant 23 pei 1 cent, of dry fibre, or, if washed, 19.8 per cent., hut if washed and bleached 181 per cent. By Hie time H,he fibre was put through the scutcher l only 13 per cent, remained, and in the final stage 12 per cent, remained. That is. that from every 1001 b of leaf, 121 b of marketable fibre is secured'. From the waste, which we believe is burned as fuel in the mills, Professor Easlerlield said water and juice could be squeezed containing G per cent, of sugar, which would yield 3 per cent, of alcohol, and he calculated that 9,0.000 gallons of this alcohol could he produced at the Maranui and Weka mills per annum, while from Hie ash resulting from burning the dry waste matter could be obtained potash and nitrogen, in view of the demand for alcohol for industrial purposes, it’seenis foolish to neglect such a source of supply, at a lime j Wi,cn scientists in several parts of the i world J vc experimenting with a view to i obtaining , j from ail manner id waste substances, thus providing a substitute fur oil.

At the recent meeting cf the Dominion executive of the FarSettlement mers’ Union, discusof sion took place on a Ex-Soldiers, proposal, emanating from Dannevirke, tliat the settlement of soldiers on the land should be suspended, in view of tiie unsettled state of the markets and Urn possibility of land falling in price, th ■ contention being that by delaying the purchase of land the soldiers would be more likely to gel their land and stork at prices more in keeping with the probable value of produce in the future, ■lodging by the remarks which fell from seme of the speakers, there was justification for the opinion voiced by the chairman that many returned soldiers would not understand the motive that lay behind the motion, and in support of tin's view may be quoted the statement made by a delegate that "the Government was mopping up the money required to finance the farmers' produce, and in this way was accentuating the difficulties created by the fall in the market prices and the growing scarcity of money.” With an argument of that nature there can be no sympathy, for by its outstanding selfishness its condemnation is absolute. The Government is pledged to carry out its scheme of soldier settlement with as little delay as possible, and though some of these settlers may he up against a stiff proposition owing to their having acquired holdings at high prices, (hat is no reason why the scheme should be held up, though it is a strong argument in favour of protecting those for whom land lias jet to be found by ensuring that capital loading is fair and reasonable. The motion was rightly defeated, and if those farmers who evince a desire to benefit soldier settlers would in pursuance of the pledge of the executive at a previous meeting, "find all the land they could for returned soldiers,” they would be doing far more good than by accusing the Government of “mopping up money required to finance the farmers’ products."