THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1880. OUR NATIVE INDUSTRIES.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2108, 25 November 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1880. OUR NATIVE INDUSTRIES.

All those who have at heart the interests of the colony must have been pleased to gather from the remarks of the President of the Industrial Association that there is an opportunity of the much despised phormium being need as an article of commerce apart from rope-making and twine for hinders. The President, during his late trip to Australia, visited Geelong, where there are extensive paper mills. The proprietors of these mills are anxious to obtain some Now Zealand flax for extensive trial experiments in the manufacture

of paper, that already tried on a small scale having been exceedingly successful. The main feature about this is that the portion of the flax which is of most value in paper-making is that which is not able to be worked up for anything else. As Mr. Howland puts it, there are now tons of this very class of stuff lying useless in the yards of the flax dressers. Thus it will be seen that, should the experiments on a larger scale prove successful, a market, and a profitable one, will be opened up for the utilisation of a portion of our native products, which at present is practically of no value. This is one of those matters in which the usefulness of an organisation such as the Industrial Association becomes apparent, and we trust that the flax dressers and others engaged in the industry will, so far as they can, assist the Association in every possible way so as to enable them to forward to Australia a quantity of the phormium to enable the necessary experiments to be made. It is just one of those things that may develops into a very largo and increasing export though starting in a small way, and every possible encouragement should bo given to it, so that it may have a fair chance of development and expansion.

THE CESSION OF DULOIGNO. It would appear by to-day’s telegram that affairs in connection with the cession of Dnlcigno are reaching to more or less a climax. The Porte appears to he more prepared to carry out his part of the programme than was at first thought probable. He not only called oat 40,000 Rediffs for service on the Greek frontier —should their services bo necessary there—and in Albania, hut Dervisch Pasha, in obedience with instructions from Oonstantinoplo, proceeded to form a complete cordon troops round the town. The Albanians refused to assist him, and the townspeople were decidedly adverse to having their town handed over to Montenegro. In a further advance, the Turkish troops have come into collision with the Albanians, and the latter, having been fired upon, have replied so vigorously as to causa a suspension of the advance. It is very probable, therefore, that the Albanians and townspeople are prepared to resist by force of arms the surrender of the place—a fact that should force the Great Powers to a more decided intervention than their dead-and-alive proceedings up to date. The country around Dulcigno would decidedly favour the mode of warfare adopted by the Albanians and Turkish troops might find considerable difficulty in dislodging them. A series of steep spurs run down from the mountains into the sea, and on one of these ridges is built the town. Old walls, erected by tho "Venetians in days gone by, enclose it, but, at the present time, take in a space a world too wide for the shrunken streets. A recent description given by one of the officers in the combined fleet has graphically pourtrayed the place, and has mentioned the feeling of incongruity caused by the contrast between the magnificent appearance of the ironclads and the absurdly miserable town they had come to bombard. But the ruggedness of the country may enable the inhabitants and Albanians to offer a somewhat prolonged resistance, and cause more blood to flow than would ho the case if the great Powers were to take the matter practically in hand. [A telegram in our Second Edition shows that Dervisch Pasha soon recovered from his repulse and has entered Dulcigno with but little further opposition. All that now remains to he done is to hand the place over to the Montenegrins. Thus, a serious complication is in a fair way of being solved.]