HELP FOR FLAX INDUSTRY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 42, 5 March 1937, Page 13

HELP FOR FLAX INDUSTRY

-Own Correspondent.)

Guaranteed Price; Licensmg of Mills

TESTING OF STRAINS /

(By Telegraph-

| WELLINGTON, Last Night. The Minister of Industrles and Commerce (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) in a statement. issued to-day, gave details oi 'the material propoBals of the plan of jrehabilitation for the New Zealand 'phormium tenax industry. As mention'ed by the Minister in an announcement ;made in Palmerston North a few days jago, this plan has been prepared by the Bureau of Industry under the Industrial Effioieney Act. Under the Act it is required that the material proposals of the plan be made publie so that full opporitunity is given to any person to lodge :any objections or. recommendations in jregard to the plan. The following are the material proposals of the plan, of which due fonnal announcement is also being made in to-day 'a issue of the New Zealand Gazette:— 1. ivfinimiim guaranteed prices for phormium fibre to be declared from time to time, such prices ,t.o be based on ' a grade schedule and to remain in f orce for a sufflcient time to secure necessary Stability in the industry. 2. A system of licensing of flaxmills to be introduced. 3. An immediate advisory service for; flaxmillers to be established by the Government, such sgrvice being designed to mahe available to flaxmillera the' most up-to-date infoxmation in regard; to improvements in the methods andj machinery used in the processing of! phormium fibres. 4. The Government to provide finance') jfor: — (a) The purchase of approved igrades of phormium fibre at declared! i selling points, (b) The marketing, under j 'the control of the State, of such fibre I .overseas and internally. (e) The provision of stocks overseas, and the pro-j secution of publicity and investigational work, including the maintenance of conjt.act with spinners of fibre, with a viewj |to encouraging the greater nse of Newj (Zealand phormium, overseas. 5. Government protection to be given j ifor the development of the domestici itestile industry by means of restricting 1 jimportaions of Taw or manufactured! ! material as occasion warrants. 6. The fostering of the domestici manufacture of iextiles, cordage, etc.,j from phormium. • * 7. The control, if considered necesIsary, of the level of Toyalties charged !on phormium tenax suppliad to mills. 8. A properly staffed and equipped jresearch organisation to be established iwith the object of investigating ali jproblems associated with the cultivajtion, processing, and utilieation of phor- : mium tenax. 9. A suitable area ot land to be pur;chased by the Government and uaed for Ihe following purposes; — (a) To supply phormium leaf, including cultivated leaf, to a Government operated mill to be established on the lines indicated in section 10. (b) To propagate and grow phorminm plants of approved sfrains. (c) For experimental work on planting, cultivation, harvesting, and utilisatioa of phormium. 10. A Government mill to be estab* lished, consisting of: — (a) An experimental section. (b) A commercifll sec* tion of approximately 300 tons per annum capacity. 11. Approved strains of phorrnium plants to be tested and multiplied, and distribution arranged to commercial areas. 12. An Industrial Committee to bei set up under the Industrial Efficiencyi Act, the committee to be given by re-j gulations, the necessary powers to re-, organise and control the industry in accordance with the plan of xehabili* tation. Recommendations or Ohjections. The Minister stated that in the formal Gazette notice in regard to this plan, any person or organisation who,j in his opinion, will be directly affected thereby if and when the plan is brought! into operation, is requested, if he soi desires, to forward to the Minister inj jwriting within one month of the datel jof publication of the notice, any recom-! mendations or ohjections to the plan. In announcing at Palmerston North that the Government was about to take certain steps to rehabilitate the flax industry, the Minister stated that the Government agrees with the Tecommendation of the Bureau that the flax industry is of sufficient national im-| portance ;to warrant drastic action beingj taken to ensure its rehabilitation and; that with the co-operation of the industry it is hoped and anticipated thati within a.few years the industry willi once again be put upon a prosperous basis. '■ Steps are also being taken to give special notice of the material provisions of this plan to all persons directly affected, and the Bureau is arranging a meeting at which any • person can atvend to discuss the proposals.