A VISIT TO THE PENINSULA FLAX MILL.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume III, Issue 302, 26 October 1881, Page 3

A VISIT TO THE PENINSULA FLAX MILL.

Rhino in the neighborhood of Spring Creek, and having a spare hour to spend, 1 thought 1 could not do better than take a stroll as far as the Peninsula Flax Mill ; having heard that alterations had recently been made in the machinery, itc. Passing the Goods Station I saw what convinced me that at least (lax was being turned out in large quantities ; there were between forty and fifty bales waiting transit. On the approach to the mill were several paddocks with the fibre spread out in different stages of bleaching ; one paddock of about f>o acres was almost half covered with fibre evidently the last two or three days’ washing, a couple of men being engaged turning the fibre. Arriving at the null, I, with the kind permission of Mr Sewell, first inspected the working of the two strippers. They were in admirable working order, requiring all the attention of the men feeding the machines with llax, the machinery running exceeding!) smoothly ; the fibre being turned out of the machines in such a manner as to keep all hands on the move, busy as bees, and working with a will, which was evident by the cheerful whistling and singing indulged in by most of the hands employed. There were about ten tons of flax in the shed awaiting shipping, and a dray load of about four tons was delivered whilst I was there. Mr Sewell informed me that they are now shipping on an average seven tons of flax per day. The previous day’s washing was a stack of about twenty three hundred weight of fibre. I took one or two banks from the pile and fine specimens they were, fifteen and sixteen feet in length. There were two men engaged washing flic fibre, which is thrown to them in hanks from a stage by a boy who acts as “ fly,’ tlie term used in reference to bis work of taking the hanks from the machine to the washers, and a more appropriate term could not be applied ; be has to fly, for by the time he has shaken and thrown one lot of hands to the washers two more are ready, and there must not be any accumulation of hanks at the machines. The scutching being done at night 1 passed on to the pressing shed. The hales turned out would do credit to any of t.. 0 Old Country warehousemen ; finer samples of flax I have never seen, which was shewn ell’ to perfection by the style in which the

bales are packed. Rope and twine making is a branch of the business the ma nag ment of Mr. Janies Donaldson, and will no doubt be an important branch when the quality of the work turned out is more generally known. The men and boys, of whom about twenty are employed, are comfortably accommodated—those working at night having a house at a distance from the mill to prevent being disturbed during the day. The business is, apparently, in a prosperous state, and I trust will continue to be a source of benefit to both employer and employe.—Communicated.