Manamatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1890. Bad Flax.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 4 March 1890, Page 2

Manamatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1890. Bad Flax.

_ — i « The Hew Zealand Times discdvered, the other day, and produced a leader on the iu|rt,i; tEfttj "the flaxmillera in the 'Wefiingtbh province, as well as the up- country journals represeipti&g.itfeiir .districts, hare of late tnetf **&> create a panic in the trade by representing chat the miHjßr^iWiei^^ite victims of a We!-lingtom-?ing,*fmo?e sole object was to " boar " the market " Our esteemed contemporary is- altogether in error; as'wb, "itt conjunction with other up-countvy journal? endeavoured to prevent a panic caused by the action -;of the. Wellington merchants and buyers of flax. The hemp millers were suddenly aroused from the even tenor of their ways, by having their produce condemned in a most wholesale manner, fibre, ■which Jbut a tpty week* previoiwljt had- been purchased greedily, 'was now stated to be most badly dressed. On the hemp millers visiting Wellington they were impressed by those with whom they had been doing business 'th»t '' tho bottom had fallen out of the flax market " and that caMeg:ams had been received frpin America, to ..bivr , no more, and to- get 'out -of any con- J tracts already entered into, if possible. Thus theK^uWtion of quality became one of much more interest than had been previously the case, and we are informed by a reliable j miller, that out of the l«re:e quantity of fibre now lying at ■Wefiiugton, and' which the merchants, stated' was not a fair sample, and actually took him through the sheds to prove it to him, there were two thirds, in"bia opinion, quite up to the usual ; sample. It is rather amusing to be told that we and tho millers made the panic. It would not have been worth rofprringitr^y^bf^ f uss agaitiV j had it Jaofbeen fo«ih'e. : constant at*, i tempi made by the Wollington papers to vilify the characters of the millers in -this district; ■: Now that ! the attempt to Mfthtett ?/ - the flax ! drosser to accept a lower rate for his ■ turn-out has failed, every other day [ instances are quoted, where bales, of flax have been examined nnd found to have been fraudulently packed! Just this tinw !. it ia singular ! Omt of the thousands of, bales shipped from Foxton during this last twehw I months the public have never heard", so much about th-e- rascality practised, 1 as thfiy have; dpiie during the* j past fortnight. Yet,' before purchas.- : ing, all the lots have been exarninedV at Wellington, and it is, wonderfnl ,J to contemplate the patience cx er" ! cised^by the', puVchasors, "if mich, tricks have been 'frequent and de-. liberate.; . lt may surprise the N, 55. j Times to learn that until {the cable-* ,i grams from America, informing the.; We Khgton agents not to buy, every fcrand from thrsi'districfr, ihas been purchasedi, .after examination, so that- j the imputed conduct caunot have been, aa baias ftis state?!. The.. American cablegrams frightened the buyers, and acting ai Agents for large firms, instead as merchants, when their clients censed buying they thought the world had come to an end. It was a considerable jar to the nerve < of these excitable gentlemen, when Mr) 'Wi!fon : *«'-curetl ft direct cablegram from London re th« market for: bWljTrcWUice, but that wa» got over by a generab-referenee,, to A the incapa^li^^b^heßVieP* Grfir^graJ to ujider^ttmd J^t*i" after- this .-we received the flourishing . preis cablegram ; qttbting : fl^x : at r £fi4. and £35. and therx tne.'cprrect pne. of., jester--; d ay ioaTri ;% "the ""price £,\o $. : tqn lower. We sha'l too doubt bavetjie. N.Z Time¥ telling us how well , his informat ; on works ia wjth the action of the Wellington buyers,^ but does itf The evidence giten. .of .thi thoroughly uneliability of the press cablegrams, so far .as they relate to tho hemp maiket,,. and' also the ao | : Jttiowledged ignorance, of the Wellington buyers, of that market; should prevent millers being hampered by the news. We know that the London maKket in December permitted sa'es of brmds which previous to shipment, when the quotations by cablegram • were -hjgher than -p <W, were übfialeable at £16, netted the Pwner .£2o. a ton Jh'^o. For every firm tohd'ean sKip!home, the market '^Hl be satisfactoryV^nd. we again regiet that th«re ia.-.,p0 firm puhlio .epirit'ed enough to. meet the smajfeii mi 'lets with sufficient advances, to cover nctual cost of production. To eudfavonr to brand them as rogues and stupid* ia about as rough a *ay to foster local industries «s could be thought of. W» tnwt that both iowa m wMioiry will to pri! te 1 •

getherto devdiopea baiin. «9 which has been of so much service in em. p'oying ! about, and that tha buyewwill eudeiayQur to obtain kt the mimuiaanver tho beat prices obtain* able, and that the manufacturers wili turn out the best anie'e for th« money. The last quotations for g^o.l quality of flax will still pay the natt'or?,': ■'■"'• r ■■■' -'^' M ■ ■ ■