THE FLAX INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 21, 20 October 1919, Page 8

THE FLAX INDUSTRY

LAST YEAR'S OPERATIONS

COMPLAINTS ABOUT QUALITY

Tho flax industry is surveyed in detail in the annual report of the chief hump grn(ler (Mr. W. 11. Ferris). Althougli the quantities of hemp and tow received fur tho year show a fairly largo decrease compared witlx the previous year (when record prices were ruling) tiie output and tho prices obtained must be regarded as satisfactory (says Iho report). The rccent epidemic (during tho mouth of November and Decernber) was responsible for a decrease of at . least 9000 bales. The closing-down of tho Opuhi mill of four- skippers (owing to diseased leaf in the swamps) helped materially to decrease the Foxton returns. Congestion in the grading stores at Auckland and Bluff, . owing to the shortage of shipping during tlio year, compelled the merchants to discontinue buying, with tho result that many of the smaller mills had to cease operation. Tho average pricSs obtained for our fibre are ns follow :-Ilemp: Clood-fair. ,£i2; high-fair, £40; low-tair, J.'3B; and common, '.£3O per ton respectively. Tow: First grade, .£7; second grade, jIG; third grade, .65 per ton. The. total value of the hemp, tow, and stripper slips produced in tho Dominion for the year was approximately Jil,o6i,JCs. Notwithstanding that high values ruled, the quality of most or tho hemp graded in tho Dominion during the ear was of a disappointing character. Especially is the position unsatisfactory when it is remembered that the milling plant has been greatly improved during the last few years, thereby making it possible to produce a much freer and better-coloured fibre. The principal cause of the decline ill quality is, in my opinion, poor stripping, due either to n desire to strip more fibre than the stripper is capable of treating effectively, to careless work on tho part of the stripper keeper, or to tho employment of inexperienced men. In many cases the phormiuni leaf has been merely spit owing to the stripper not beinfl maintained at the correct sot. For the same reason much of tho hemp has been bruised and_ I hereby reduced in strength. Tho stripping being bad, after processes have failed to correct tho weakness. Where the vegetable matter has not been proporly rcmovod from the fibre no system of washing or bleaching will ensure a gocd colour. In numerous coses where tho stripping had been satisfactory the fibre had. to bo graded down owing to the poor scutching, and bad scutching is often more serious from the cordage manufacturers point of view than poor stripping. 'I'he latter may leave considerable vegetablo matter adhering to the fibro, and may cause it to have a poor colour, but tho fibre will „ot be knotted or towy. 0:f courso, it is impossible to properly scutch fibrebruised in the stripping process, as the more such fibre is scutched the worse its condition becomes. It is not forgotten that some mills have very poor leaf to deal with—loaf from which nothing but a low grade of fibre can lie produced—but these mills aro excluded from the above remarks. Some of «the largest and best mills in the Dominion, having n good leaf to deal with, aro turning out unsatisfactory fibre. During tho past few seasons tho percentage of low-gradß fibre has been very high, which is without doubt duo to the high prices ruling, as well as tllo'unsatis.factory milling work. Previous to the present boom tho general standard of our fibre was very good. Certainly only the best mills were working at tho lower values, but these were intent on aiming at quality rather tlmn quantity. Now, as in the previous boom time, the position is reversed, and everything is apparently being sacrificed to quantity. Jloro money may bo made by a heavy output cl low-grade libra ■which can be sold at a high price, but.it is doubtful if it is more profitable even now than milling a superior article, and it is certainly against a permanent demand for phormiuni, the reputation of which is being imperilled by the present short-sighted policy. There is a good demand for good-fair fibre, but very litflo of this quality is available, a matter for great regret, as good-fair has been our standard quality for binder twins. If this grade is not obtainable cordage manufacturers will bo compelled to use other fibres for this purpose tp our disadvantage. Australian binder twino manufacturers prefer our good-fair to manila, but as the former is not available they aro heing (forced to uso manila. A very bad feature of some lines coming forward is that, evidently with the idea of utilising every scrap of fibre, somo of the hanks are "faced" with good fibre, giving tho hank the appearance of being of decent quality, but when the hank is opened for inspection it is found to contain hemp of a very inferior, quality. To millers who make it a practice of "facing" their hemp no consideration is shown by the graders, the hemp being severely graded down. The only district that turned out a good quality of iibre during the past season was Marlborough district, practically the whole output being either fino or good-fair, the percentage of good-fair at the chief grading ports was very disappointing. The quality of tow for th'i past season, especially at the ports of Wellington, Foxton, and Picton, was exceptionally good, chiefly on account of the automatic scutchers and tow-shakers used. The quality at the ports of Auckland and Slulf is still very inferior, the proportion of first grade at Auckl'and having been only 2 per cent., and at Bluff nil. Tho large decreaso in stripper dips is duo to. tho low prices offering for this by-product" and shortage of shipping.