FLAX DRESSING IN THE EARLY DAYS.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17687, 16 April 1929, Page 9

FLAX DRESSING IN THE EARLY DAYS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—ln reference to the above I expect that it will be news to many of your readers that there were at least three flax-dressing mill's in Hamilton East and the near neighbourhood when or about the time the writer first came to the Waikato in 1868. I think the first mill was built by Captain McPherson on his farm a few chains above the original crossing of the Tamahere Creek, a little above the present bridge. At first he formed a dam in the creek to give him the necessary power, but after running a short while there came a big fail of rain whicli caused a flood so large that it carried away the dam. He had then to procure a portable engine, which he had not worked very long before the price of flax fibre became so low that he had to stop the work, as it would not pay to make the fibre. ■ ■ The same may also be said of the flaxmill built by Mr Claude on the bank of the river in Claudelands. It was run by Mr Claude’s brother-in-law, Mr Jim Woolly. Another flaxmill was. started about the same time by a Mr Johns, a brother-in-law to Mr Trewhella, then in business as a baker in Hamilton. He had arranged to' take over the engine and belonging to Mr Gibbon, situated in the gully near to the Hamilton East School. I had arranged with Mr Johns to supply him with flax from my farm at. Ruakura. I cut the flax with my brother-in-law, Mr Thomas Dinsdale„ Mr Johns carefully told me

that he could not give me any cash, but I could have stores as cheap as he got them, but I soon found out that wc were also bound to the storekeeper, Mr Morris, whose place of business was near the pound on the west side of the river. He was taking all the butter which was made by Mr Dinsdale that we could spare, at lOd per lb, but at least half the , amount hatf to be taken out In stores. As I found I could not take stores from Mr John as well as from Mr Morris, I stopped carting flax. I afterwards found that the reason for all the flaxmillers having to stop was that the Natives after the war being short of cash, started making dressed flax by hand, and through an Auckland merchant sent a ton of splendid fibre |o London, where it brought a big price. People thought they could turn out as good a sample by machinery and so make money, but when the fibre reached London the price offered was so low that it was' not a payable proposition.—l am, etc., ISAAC COATES.