N.Z. FLAX

Hokitika Guardian, 13 July 1932, Page 8

N.Z. FLAX

VALUE OF RESEARCH. - OPINION OF EXPERT. . WELLINGTON,, July 11. With good management, a wonderful future is assured tno Now Zealand flax industry, ■ according to an opinion expressed in ' an interview last evening; by Mr H. D. Sinclair, textile, expert and direct representative of the largest firm ’of’ textile machinery makers in Great Britain. He said there was reason to “believe that New Zealand was on the right linos in using her flax fibre for manufacturing coarse sacking goods, and there was no reason why this shout 1 not' become one of the most.important secondary industries in the SoutherHem i sphere. •Mr Sinclair, who is at present ;jr New Zealand in an advisory capacity to New Zealand Woolpack and Textiles. Limited, has been'closely studying the raw material question. \ "The idea of plant’ng flax from seedlings, in the first place, will not stabilise a strain, for it has been clearly shown by Dr. Yates, of Massey _ Col - lege, that from one lot of seeds taken from one plant, several varieties are produced,” .Mr Sinclair said:. “T l *. only wpy in which the fibre industry rnn be brought into its own is hv trans-planting the flax and thereby keeping the variety desired true to form. ' ' H • < , ■ ' 1 NEED FOR STANDARDISING. “At tire present time', the flax fibre is obtained wild from the swamps, and it is’'safe to say that some dozens of varieties ; a; e'taken from onie acre. It is clearly demonstrated that our fibre industry is'in a ‘lnggeldy-piggeidy;' state. lam of the opinion that New Zealand flax fibre Vill * hiold ; little 01 no place; in the world’s markets unti' a standardised fibre is produced, ■ untiit is milled in a standardised fashion and produced in such large quantities that the machinery. people, will adjust or build their machinery to deal with the fibre. ~ •> .■ •

j “To-day, New Zealand flax, fibre i | looked upon as misled; fijare, oil tl> border line between hard and soft ant ... : ! ' • »*• ‘ V containing-so many different ■ characteristics that it is used as ra ‘fill, un’ by the manufacturers. The: , present fibre condition, as I find it, - will • ini doubt fi ! l the r qui ements adniirabb for converting it into wOolpacks ant sacking materials. At the Same time, vast improvtoeiit’s could be made jr the quality of 'the fibre - for spec'fie purposes, apd in the fibre contest, In deliberately planting -.'elected strain' under the guidance- of Massey 'College. “Massey GoMe|i3 .'would • have'- to stabilise -and standardise the mostsoit- ' ab'Ue s t rain s ‘ ‘for' v tH e’cT ff e reii t.. 'purposes I - The Linen Research Institute, • mar . Belfast," Northern Ireland', : has done immense service to' the’ linen tradt by first finding and then, stabilis'ng a strain which, gave, a .much ‘bigger yield of high-grade fibre , per ton of green straw. ’Tt then showed the farmers how this strain couhl he pr,opagated on a commevcial\basis, thereby) .rfediicing t-he farmers’ expenses per acre and the scutchers’ expenses per ton.” ■ ■SACKING GOODS. EXPORT. \ Mr Sinclair said he could visu. Use that with proper • managepi'ent there was nothing to prevent New Zealand becoming a large, exporter of "sacking goods, quite apart from supplying Hvaluable local market. What..,jute had done for India, flax could do for New Zealand. The Cog hill \ process had solved the objectionable hardness in the fibre, an J thq, fabric that could now be.. produced -was, if anything,,.hot-, ter than the imported article, i ; It would, of course, be better if the varieties best, suited from -fibre content, fineness, etc., could be concentrated on, for then it opened up a field and a future for New. Zealand at present little dreamed of. It would be possible to get down to the manufacture of very much finer articles, almost' approaching certain varieties of coarse linen.' ■, \

However, this development was a question for the future and one which should be the function of., one specific Government department. Dr.' Yemtes was following the right lines regarding fibre production, and if given a free hand tofofllow up and develop his ideas a wonderful future was- ahead of the flax industry in New Zealand. It was deplorable to think that such a large sum of money*had been literally wasted in New Zealand in the tonltivatipn of flax “mongrel” varieties and planted on land possibly unsuitable for the purpose. - This . had done, ipeab'ulable damage to the flax industry, wasted the investors’ and served no useful purpose in helping nllong tine production of fibre. Tf. these flax companies had consulted Massey College and fol-n-m-i-d its ndvre what to-day was afailure would have been a foundation for fi'Sre production on a proper bash.' IMPORTANCE' OF TREATMENT.

“I think that- for the- very prbtr°tioii of the fkix fibre industry no cultivation of flax cn a large scale should be allowed until such time r« Ho

Oomrtment of Agreulture Ims thoroughly investigated - the question of the suitability of t-he land and ftp flax plant itself is approved,” Mr

Sinclair said. “This would have a twofo-1 i benefit, for it would prevent He nubl'h Pp'iig evn'oited end it would place tlie flax production oil a. sound basis. T do not wish to be misundersfend. Tim' present wild flax is'suitable, b-y unl cymtiton for the manufacture of wodtoaoks and sacks, provided tlmt .He stripping is carefully and conscientiously car-

red out-. Later cm it mnv be desirable also to manufacture other art’eies of a finer texture. Then the question of selected varieties of flax would > come in.”