Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1869. COLONIAL INDUSTRIES.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 715, 6 September 1869, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1869. COLONIAL INDUSTRIES.

The complete success which has attended the first systematic attempt to turn the immense deposits of iron —or, as it has been more correctly termed, steel sand—which lie on | certain parts of the West Coast of jthis island, to account, must be re- ' garded with much satisfaction by all jwho take an interest in ihe well- ; being of the Colony. It affords good grounds for believing that another I and most profitable source of wealth iis about to become utilized, and I ! ; though the "ery sanguine dreams ot | enormous profits which some of tho*e Imost nearly interested in the venture' lindulge in may not be fully realised, enough margin in the value of the 'manufactured article surely exists over the cost of production to make jthe Taranaki steel a most valuable colonial product, and its manufacture an exceedingly lucrative enterprise.

When we remember that it is now nearly 20 years since the tirst specimens of steel were manufactured by way of experiment from the Taranaki iron sand, and that ever since that time its value has been known, it does seem strange that ?o long a period has been suffered to elapse before it has taken its place in the list of colonial productions; but it i* at length gratifying to know that the many difficulties from time to time experienced in the way of developing this industry have been o\ercome, and Ta:miaki at length bids lair to be noted as the iron producing district of the Colony. We remember one of the first attempts to manufacture the Taranaki sand which was made on a small scaJe in Wellington in 1849; and though the metal could not on that occasion be made to "run," it was reduced to a kind of pasty mass in the furnace, and proved to be capable of being forged and manufactured ; and when we remember the almost unlimited supply that is to be obtained along the extent of upwards of 150

miles of the Taranaki coast, and the well underscoo.l quality and value of ! he steel obtainable from it, we are led to regret that such a mine of wealth should so long be neglected, and still more to feel gratified by the knowledge that it is at length being turned to account, j

I This is, however, only one of the se veral long-neglected industries which promise to become established in the Colony. Like the Taranaki sand, the native flax has from the first set tlement of these islands offered itself as a raw material for the exercise of the ingenuity and skill of the enter piising, and promised ample remuneration to the fortunate individual who should be successful in discovering a method of cleansing the fibre and rendering ic a marketable article. Much time and money has been .spent and lost in fruitless attempts in this direction, without effecting much improvement upon the ancient rude method practised by the aboriginal inhabitants of thes-e islands, who, from the earliest known period, did it, and did it well too, as their first mats, seen and described on the discovery of the islands, prove. It was, of course, a tempting enterprise to the early settlers, and many were the plans proposed and tried for preparing a marketable article. First drying the leaves and then beating them; next soaking and rotting tbem, again boiling or steaming and washing them, with a miscellaneous collection of other substances sup-po.-.ed to be capable of dissohing the gum. Soap, soda, potash, alum, salt, and even cowdung, are amongst the numerous chemicals lYUi&vr'Wjh. the sole effect of rendering the experimenters the poorer for the expense and trouble undertaken, and the victims of disappointment at last. Of late, however, it is gratifying To know that machines have been invented which can and do prepare the raw material for the manufacture, and the prices obtained for it in the home market, as quoted by us in a late is*ue from W. W. Tickle and Co.'s .trade circular, show that a considerable degree of success has been obtained. Still there are some who .regard this success as but partial compared with what is obtainable ; and these yet look to chemistry for the discovery of a solvent which shall materially aid, if not supersede, the merely mechanical processes now practised. It scarcely needs tl at we refer to the gold deposits that have been discovered in various localities, and which of late years have figured so largely in the exports from the colony, without which, it is scarcely too much to say, that it must have succumbed to the difficulties it has had to pass through. This has given employment to vast numbers of our iVJlow-colonists, has added materially to our population, enriched a few, supplied the Colonial Treasury, and supported our credit. These deposits, it is not too much to say, are of unsuspected extent and richness. It is hard to say where they do not exist, or what district in the Colony does not possess them. We hope that a few weeks will show that Hawke's Bay is not behind her sister provinces in this respect.