Linen Flax Industry Sees Prospects Ahead

Chronicle (Levin), 20 July 1948, Page 7

Linen Flax Industry Sees Prospects Ahead

Press Associationj

(Per

. WKLLI^GTON, July 19. 'Linbu Flax CqVpofation of New Zealand has received adv,ice from Oregon, F.K.A.. that a trnil shijunent of 30 tons of New Zealand * linen flax tow had proved very satisfactory and in spite of high' landing costs, further purehases were eontemplated. In addition steady shi]nnents oi' linen tibre are being made to Great Britain wlienee sonie of it is reshipped to the Gon- , linent. In Austraiia, too, intcrest is keen as it had been found that New Zea'and ilax seed does weli tliere aud regular shipnients are made. Austraiia 'fc seed requi rements are between .'■!()() -aud 400 tons vearl v. The existing Hax industry is a promising survival of a wartime emergjency dttring which in 1940, Britain. asked fotjtlie plantiiig by New Zealand oi 15,000 acres of linen tiax, 500 tons of seed being sent at a cost of £30,000. Tlie acreage retpiested • was'.-subsequeut-ly raised to 25,000,' and 17 factories were event'ualiy workiug. i 'L'lie peacetime strength "of the industry wliicli is situated uiainly in Bouth ('aute 1'bpry and .Soutliland, 'is six factories * employing 303 workers. The export prospects of tlie infanfc industry are stated to -be 'fijirly favourable in view of Gie.downward trend elsewhere in linen tiax ' production. In Canada onlv 41 1 (ous of scutched flax and 515 tons of tow were produced last year, Ifidicatiqns point to a falling ofi' in Northern Ireland tliis year. ; New Zealand 's total production of long fibre this year is likely to be 543 tons. New Zealand still -has sotne flax to sell al £247 10s per ton, Priees being paid to Irish growers for 194S are 'uiore than £300 per ton. Great - Biflfain's imports of linen flax are (i(i, (H)0 tons vearlv. Tlie largest sup-f pliers were liussia, BeLgium aud Latvia.