KAURI GUM INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 17 August 1929, Page 6

KAURI GUM INDUSTRY

GLEANING WORKS ESTABLISHED

AUCKLAND, Aug. 14

A dew enterprise which promises to mean much for the future of the kauri gum -industry is -about to be taken in hand by the Gilm Control Board. The venture is the establishment of gum-cleaning works, which will he formally opened at Penrose on Monday in the presence of Members of Parliament, exporters and others. The position on most of the gum fields now is that' the land has been worked over for so many years that only low grade gum with a high percentage of impurities is obtainable. It no longer' -pays to work many of these fields. Until recently the demand of t-lie chief user A of the gum at Home, sucii as linoleum manufacturers, was for the low grade of material. The situation in that respect has, however, completely changed of late, and now the demand is for gum as pure as it can be made.'' The ordinary gumdigger can, and's'Ontetlmes does, bring bis gum up to a fairly'high standard of purity by laborious-washing on his own claim, but as he gets'-very little more return for washed glim it- is often not worth his while to' give the extra labour necessary to rilOan it. Often, too, he has Tiot the 1 nbcessarly water and other facilities available.-’ . ‘I’ ~

Itrtis to rneet these difficulties that the Gum Control Board has established; this ' plaht ' at‘ Penrose .- -Its aim will, be to turn out gum; of .90-per cent, purity, which means an-almost pure “chip,” as there is on'an average . 5 per cent, moisture in gum, leaving only 5 per cent, for foreign matter.