THE HEMP INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 411, 21 January 1909, Page 9

THE HEMP INDUSTRY

Sir,—l see that our,"CHfef ' Mr. Fulton, has: had an .intortibw xnth'/a '&- ' porter of. the "Otago Dailp ; Tl'nie^ ? !riwiiefein [ he is .reported to ha'vo stated tllatVthefjßemp •; industry: is" reviving, and all" oh.* accourrfc 'Sot ' millers producing a finer'' quality-'.ofs.ifibre: Ho states that they can 'get-srom-j£4-3ffl,£s.' • more per-ton for line"hempiihan?fori-good, fair hemp.; .This statement Cis ini.pai?t- cor- : rect, but it is_' well known \*tb ;MK' ? Fiilton. ■ that should this same \ fiiie" grfi'doi'iif'rjemp be turned, out'in ,the i sam'e-'''"quantitKs rks good fair) then the' prices Vj for fine lJ igra.de would not be, more than ? "£2 r 6v«r' : good fair; and the chances arFnot-Won! Sat the demand'for .fine is T^y.ilimited; v ".iSus- . tralia takes, all; the fino.prgQUM'd,:arid,;i}bt more than 500 tons is required cherbr : ;jChen Mr. Fulton, knows that it stakes rat.'; least oiie i ton of green leaf more to;; make ai tonjvJbf fine hemp'than"to make a'.'ton.of and anotlier factor to. c? fine hemp' is that only certain duce it,: the majority pf-.'idistfictj haying the leaf nor the Equality l -of Vator. suitable' to produce fine hemf.'-(''Tlifl ; fe'(inills producing fino. hemp are: ',in ; the'Marlborough district, aiid';they : f6n"orily produce an average of four ton's '- a.one-stripper mill.. Their expenses',are-in-a T general way/ about t the 'of I mills in the Manawatu '■ flisift'efe'- I ,producing six to seven.tons a week of gooil-faii l hemp, so that the latter is actually .jhaking more: money,' or I, should .rathej;;;say.; iosing'less 'money, than the former, even at an advance of £4 to £5 on tlMs/toniTi How Mr, Fulton can show an improvement, in.-the industry passes cbmprehensipii,r,for.;}ieißpClias.. been gradually falling in price week by week, and I have not thp. .slightestvhosita T . tion in saying we havo torn, but- may look for a furtjjer!'droil7b,|,i£ l 2' or £3 per .ton.. Tho Manila ..inmtlpf;';*^ §luttod, and the:.output ijj' jilcr^aiu'hg'*year c y year. Our fatherly some extent strangled the industry.',' the men went to'tho .eighteen months ago theyjgbfcah;'aw#stfbr., two ; years of a' rate of ; wage's other unskilled labour in th^'Dominion. Meii ! who are totally, unfit for phy'sical:''Jiiird ai wbi i k:-' aro paid Bs.' a dayr-whenv;:!' ?thej'' are only and_ tho riiri I :up'- > to ! i2s; ; a day. I think it Would; for our Government to takei oyer alT'the flaxmills and run them as State jni(ls in conjunction with tho Stato coal Mines \n(L Stale' Insurance,: and then" fix up T xi"State bSuk f ;'s3' that tho: industry may not-be-strangled-'to death, for it is coming slowly : -bufe*-surely : %": that.—l.am, etc., v ■ K ":.{'-^jV*; .;'•■- ' .FIiAXMILLER. January 18. ;' ',:...-