Flax, Wine & Dairy Committee.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 1 August 1890, Page 2

Flax, Wine & Dairy Committee.

The committee which has baen ap* po nt> j d by the House to report upon the flux, wine, and dairy industries began taking evid-nee ( n Monday. Flrxia in the first place the subject of i s enquiries. Mr ' baa. ' henery, of Chiistchurch, was examiued in the morning at some length. He recommended that whatever assist are* is given by the Government should take the form of encouraging an improvement in rnechaoionl means of flax-dressing as dia tinguished fr<>ni oheraical proce sa* Touching upon the fire 3 which have occurred amongst flax cargoes, Mr Cheney ridiculed the theory of spontaneous combust on. slating that he had had various experiments made in the w*y of keeping the fibre in bratil rooms for a considerable length of tune. He attributed the low prices realised in the London 1 market to the cnrelpspness of th c

flaxmillers and their want of knowledge of the machinery. Mr John Holmes, of Holmes and Be 1, Bleu heim and London, gave evidence in the evetiing, and he strong'y advised the appointment of Government in spectors of exported flax at the chief ports, who, by opening nay one out of ten bales, could classify the fibre according to quality. Mr Robe t Gardner, Chairman of the Welling ton Flaxmillers 1 Association, who was the principal witness at to-day's sitting, favoured giving a bonus for improvements in the machinery, which he thought should be something in the nature of the substitution of some kind of scraper for the present beaters. Mr Wm. Pollard, a Blenheim flaxmiller, gave evidence of similar purport. — Post.