"THE ONLY HOPE."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1036, 27 January 1911, Page 8

"THE ONLY HOPE."

POSITION OP HEMP INDUSTRY. -:' For- a considerable." time. things have been bad in the hemp industry, but still the* mills have been kept working. Howover, the millers' case is almost one of hope deferred. Their hopes of better days have been broken this time, dragging on without improvement or sign of improvement. Now, as an authority said yesterday, they have one hope left: it is the hope that" looks to inventors to solve the problem. ~-..•. The market is more depressed now than it'has been for ten or fifteen years. Prices, are down to .£l6'ss. for good, fair average, and £16 for fair. And there is very little demand at those figures.

"Millers in the AVelliristou district are continuing to niill in the hope of something 'turning up." said a man interested in tho industry yesterday, "but those in the trade have no hope of any improvement occurring for many months to come. '•

"It is only by perfecting; machinery and ■installing it, as the millers have done by installing automatic. washers, that a change for the good can l>o brought about. In every mill. where automatic washers have been installed three 1 hands less are needed. Attention is now being directed to scutching with a view to evolving machinery to save labour. ,

"The wage rates demanded., by the men are," he continued, "out of harmony with tho conditions of trade. The men, have, been approached times' out ■of number to work' for more reasonable wages, lint have refused. However, thev arc only doing themselves out of employment by such tactics, as the employers have been forced to look for machinery."