VALUABLE AGAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 51, 26 February 1943, Page 3

VALUABLE AGAR

MADE IN DOMINION BAY OF PLENTY SUPPLY Maori men, women and children collecting a special type of seaweed on the coast of the East Coast, and Bay of Plenty, New Zealand scientists who evolved special processes, and Christchurch workmen and women to carry out those processes, have broken a world monopoly held by Japan in the production of agar. Agar, which is of vital importance in bacteriological work, in medicinal Avork and in meat canning, is being produced in a Christchurch factor}* which was visited recently by the Prime Minister, the. Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, and the Post-master-General, the Hon. P. C. Webb. Mr Fraser was particularly interested in the explanation of agar production. It. was pointed out that the New Zealand-produced article has twice the value of Japanese agar, partly as a result of the seaweed used, which is peculiar to the Pacific, and partly owing to the process evolved. The New Zealand process was developed on original lines, as part of the. Japanese process consisted of taking the seaweed into the mountains, where the air played a special part in the. manufacture. Such a method could not be adopted in the Dominion, so a system had to be evolved to replace the natural process. A few rough principles : which play their part in the Japanese method were known to the New 1 Zealand scientists, but for the rest they had to be pioneers. As a result of their industry and ingenuity an article now twice as - good as the Japanese article is beJ ing turned out, and will be produci ed in even bigger quantities in the 1 future. Three or four months were - spent in preparatory work before ? poduction could begin.