REDUCING THE WASTE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1906, 14 November 1913, Page 4

REDUCING THE WASTE.

MODERN METHODS OF TREATINC FLAX. SCIENTIFIC "DECORTICATION." A visitor to New Zealand just now ■ is Mr. Thomas Milne, of Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, who is tho business representative of the World's Fibres Machinery Corporation, Ltd., which has acquired a new iiax-drossing machine, designed by Mr. Ernest Wright, A.M.1.M.E., a New Zealandcr, at present domiciled in the. Old Country. In Dumfriesshire and the South of Sect-land generally—tho historic country of tho moss-troopers of bygone days, the growing of tho New Zealand variety of flax, phormium tcrax, on a commercial scale, which lias hitherto been practically confined to tho Dominion of New Zealand, has been occupying the attention of a number of landed proprietors and others in tho South of Scotland. Within the past few years planting, by way of experiment, has been systematiundertaken on several well-known estates, and in view of the satisfactory manner in which the plants have come to maturity it is believed that steady progress will now be mado with the development in Scotland of this important branch of tho agricultural industry. Mr. Milne's business in New Zealand is to bring before the attention of the Government, and of flaxmillers in this country, tho waste-saving principles which are embodied in tho Wright '_'decorticator." With tho object of bringing to the aid of millers of phormium fibre an improved process of extraction, tlic New Zealand Government somo time ago offered a bonus of £12,000 for a machine which would enable the fibro to bo secured in an unimpaired condition ami at a minimum cost. Mr. Wright's machine, which ho has designed and patented in Great Britain and abroad, has been acquired by the World's Fibre Machinery Corporation (Limited), whilst the British rights are owned by Mr. Bell Irving, of Whitehall, Lockerbie, who, along with other Dumfriesshire gentlemen, is deeply interested in the flax-growing industry in this country. Mr. Milne has, since his arrival in New Zealand, paid a visit of inspection to several of the flaxmills 011 the Manawatu' line, nnd has been struck by tho fact that a great, deal of the leaf, in tno process of treatment for the market, is lost in various ways by what he considers to bo employment of antiquated machinery and handling. It is claimed for the Wright machine, he says, that while it does not profess to reduce the number of mill-hands lequired, it effects a great saving by decorticating a maximum quantity of tho leaf with a minimum quantity of waste. The combing principle, of separating the fibres of plants or leaves from the tissues containing them, has long been accepted as the ideal one in contrast to beating and scraping-machines. Tho great trouble hitherto, ho says, has been in keeping the combs from becoming clogged up with tho pulp and debris, but this has been successfully overcome by Mr. Wright by'a very simple arrangement of cleaning bars, which thoroughly clean the teeth or combs each time tho drum on which tho latter are fixed revolves. The combs of a machine whiclrhad been running for some weeks before b'ung overhauled for inspection, wero entirely freo from dirt, although they had not been attended to in tho meantime. "Ono great advantage of this combing machine," ho says, "is that it will decorticate and work almost any known variety of fibre-bearing, plant,'and tho nbre r is" delivered clean, and entirely free from tanglos, which is a -great advantago from tho point of 'view of the millers, as it means a vory small loss in tho subsequent scutehing. By the Romuora, which arrived in port on Saturday last, there was shipped a 40-comb decorticating machine, which Mr. Milno proposes to use for de-monstration-purposes in New Zealand. "I have for some time past been personally interested in the growing of phormium teiiax in Scotland, and was re-, cently asked by the World's Fibres Ma- | chinery Corporation, Limited, of London, to allow them to thoroughly test .0110 of their newest machines on our plants before sending it out to New Zealand to compete for the bonus the Government is offering for an improved decorticator. I was only too pleased to agree. The machine was accordingly sent up to Scotland, and several tons of leaf put through it. with astonishing results. Mr. Wright himself recently met with an accident, which, unfortunately, will incapacitate him for somo tune, and was on that account unable to accompany his new machine to New Zealand. That is why I have decided to come myself. "Tho machine which I have brought out is a well-designed fibre decorticator, of faultless construction, made by Messrs. Greenwood and Bateley, of Leeds, England, a firm famous for superior workmanship. All its working parts are fitted to guage, and tho materials are of the best.- The lubrication of all the principal bearings are I automatic, which obviates the evils_ resuiting from careless workmen. Fibre ; machinory is mostly used in countries where repairs are difficult to procure, honce the necessity of simplicity and good materials. The 'Wright machine does not require to have the loaves cut to a special length (as many do), but deals with s all lengths of leaves, from two to twenty feet long. Nor does it requiro a crushing apparatus along with it, as some do, but deals with tho leaf at one operation. Tho leaves enter the machine end ways, tho feed rolls lead it forward to tho combs, and a I star roller, so timed that it presses the I leaf towards tho comb, which instantly strips tho whole skin off both sides, dropping tho cleanod fibre on to a trav-elling-belt. This carries it to tho rear to be removed by an attendant, for further treatment. In this operation the whole length is thoroughly decorticated from end to end. No tail pieces are left to bo cut off as waste. During the decorticating process jets of. water are played on tho fibre from above and from below, washing away much of the dyes and gum. "Power.required?- Well,. of course, much depends on tho size of the machino, but a machine to produco ono ton of decorticated fibre per day of ten hours would require from 8 to 10 horsepower. Other machines to produco this quantity in tho same time would requiro from 30 to 80 horse-power. The machino can either have a fixed or portable installation. This is another great consideration, as it would obviato tho necessity of carting about eight tons of leaves before yon could got one ton of fibre—more economy. "Mr. Wright told me that he expected to extract an average of 25 per cent. As we know it is considered good work in your country to got 12 per cent, to 14 per cent, of dry fibre, I thought that he must have mado a mistake, and accordingly weighed out 1121b. of fresh leaves, and put them through tho machine, dried, bleached, and took tho iibro back to the scale. It weighed exactly 321b. This gives a percentage over 28i. Presumably, tho phormium tenax plant grown in Scotland contains more fibre than in its native land, as it is obviously impossible to extract more fibre from a leaf than it contains. What it does contain, however, Mr. Wright's machine will. extract, and I should cstimato the loss of libro during decortication at less thau lib. per ton. All tho foregoing facts may be verified by any ono interested viewing the demonstration shortly to take place."