FLAX REGULATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 155, 1 July 1907, Page 2

FLAX REGULATIONS.

A representative of the Aucklai-*

•■ Star" had a chat this morning with a well-known Southern flax miller, regarding the new regulations which came into force next September.

' " I object entirely," tie said, '" to the proposal to alter the name lroin 2s"ew Zealand hemp to pliormium fibre. ' N.Z. hemp' is a good advertisement for the colony, just as " Manilla hemp' is for that place. To call it phormium fibre has nothing distinctive as associating it with this colony. Then there is another reason why 1 think we should stick te the name of N.Z. hemp. You know our flax is now being planted in Australiaand elsewhere. Why, the Government even lent its chief fibre expert, Mr. Fulton, to teach the people of that island how to grow and prepare the ilax. Now you see, if it is all called " phormium fibre' on the market, New Zealand gets no advertisement, but may have to carry the blame of poorly-grown fibre from other countries, because the flax may not succeed well in a new country. For many reasons 1 think it preferable that it should be called N.Z. hemp."

"Are there other regulations to which you object?"

"Well there is the question of binding the bales with fibre instead of tow. You people in Auckland use the fibre, but in the South we use tow, which i≤ much cheaper." "\vhat do you think of our hemp?" asked the reporter, the conversation being in the flax store, Quay-street. "There is a lot of stuii condemned by the grader, which only requires proper treatment to make good fibre. Take this sample, for instance (pointing to a hank), it shows bad scutching. Now, if you start that way, you cannot turn out good fibie. The whole secret of milling flax is to start it well. That is one of the troubles of the tlax trade. The other dangers are cutting the leaf in the winter, which 1 consider bad business, although they think it no harm up here, ily experience convinces mc that it does not pay in the end to cut ilax in winter. 1 need hardly add that the next thing of importance is never to let the cattle get at the flax."