Mr Chinery's Evidence.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 29 August 1890, Page 2

Mr Chinery's Evidence.

EXTRACT FROM EVIDENCE OF C. CHINKRY. FLAXMILLER, RANttlORA, BEFORE THE FLAX AND OTHER INDUSTRIES PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE.

(Mr J. G. Wilson, a member of the Committee, being the Questioner.)

q. — Have you any objection to tell us what prices you pay for cutting flax, and so on? a.— No.

q. — Will you begin at the beginning of the process of cutting the flax. What orders do you issue to the men in cutting it? ~ a.— To cut just above the red.

q. — You do not like any of the red in ? a. — Not if we can help it; if they cut below that we dock them in the price ; we should tell a person a time or two, and if he persisted we should send someone to cut the butts off and charge them with the time spont in doing it.

q. — What do you pay for cutting the flax?

a. — Our common price is ss ; I have paid 6s lately. q. — More lat than previously ? a. — Yes ; and now I am offering 8s per ton for cutting. We leave the centre leaf untouched.

q. — Just the single senttre leaf ? a.— Yes ; this would cost 3s a ton extra for cutting, but then we get a crop every year.

q. — What is the cost of cartage ? a. — That depends on where and how far away the flax is. q. — Do you divide the flax into different lengths and grades ? a. — We always divide it into different length— suitable lengths and classes. q. — You work it into different length? as well as classes ? a. — Yes ; we divide it into three sizes and two grades. q. — Always into two grades ? a.- Yes. " q.— Supposing you have the different length, one, two, or three — Ions:, medium, and short— you begin by putting all the short through first, setting the machine for that particular class ? a.— We have three or four machines running, one length is run through one machine and another through another. q. — They are set for the particular length of the flax ? a.— Yes. q.-^You can set the mnchiney to dress the different lengths ? a. — Vps ; if you do not, it must spoil some and make all sorts of bungles.

q. — Do yon contract for the whole thing ?

a. — No ; I do'nt contract for anything about the mills. All mine is done by day work.

q. — When it is put through the shippers, boys catoh it ? a. — We have travelling tables which take it away from the strippers, and the boys take it to be washed.

q.— Does not the fibre get tangled in the process ? a. — No ; it comes down without being tangled ; everything travels the same speed ; it comes down perfeotly level and straight.

q. — And does not vegetahlo matter get mixed up with the fibre in that way ?

a. — No ; it comes away much cleaner ; when it is taken oft" the tables it is shaken out and dividpd into hanks.

q. — What sized hank is the best, small or large ?

a. — A fair sized hank, about the size of that on the table, is the best. It it then handed by boys to the men and washed, and then steeped, and put out into the paddock.

q. — How long is it steeped ? a. — Three or four hours, as a rule. q. — You steep it in water ? a.— Yes. q. — In hanks ? a.— Yes. q. — The water is constantly going through it? a.— Yes ; steadily. (|. — It is then taken into the paddock and laid on the grass? a.-Yos. <[. — How often do you turn it? a. — That depends a groat d*>al on the weather ; I like mixed, showery weather ; that is bait for getting on quickly.

q. — Extreme*, both ways, are bad ? a. — Yes. q.— Do you put any on the wires ?_ a, — I scarcely put any on the wires I always stack mine in the paddock. q. — How long does it remain in the stack? a.— l like to let it stand a month if I can, it is all the better. q. — In what sized etaoks ? a. — We put two tonn into a stack. q. — How do you find the flax runs— how many tons of green flax runs to a ton of the dressed ?

a. — That depends a good deal on the weather, but generally it is from five to six tons.

q. — Then, after having it in the stacks, you take it back to the scutcher ? a. — Yes. q.— How do you manage about soutching, do you contract for that ?

a. — Sometimes ; if it is done by th« claytime we give £1 a ton ; and if taken at the night-time we give £1 ss.

q.— And you have some person to look after it ?

a.— l generally look after it all myielf. q. — You save a great deal in the matter of tow ? You do not get much tow ?

a. — Not if it is carefully stripped. When I did all the scutohing myself I never made more than half a hundredweight of tow to the ton of fibre, but now there is from 1£ cwt to 2 cwt to the ton.

q.— Do you use ordinary revolving scutchers ?

a.— We have had a lot of different sorta —first, we had arm scutchers, then drum scutchers, and then skeleton drums, after that closed drums ; now we have also some fine cast-iron hackles on the faoe of the scutcher drum.

q.— Do you think that an improvement ? a.— Yes ;it is very much improved with comb.

q.— Does it not make more tow ?

a.— lt depends on the way in which the fibre is handled before it goei to the scutchers; there is a great deal in the handling.

q. -What length are the teeth ? a. — Abomt half an inch long. q. — And they work very close ? a.— You set them to suit your work—according to the fibre you are scutching ; if it were fine fibre you could set them yery close.

q.— Having got the scutching done, you have the man who takes off the hanks. What sized hanks do you make for baling ? a. — We put three hanks to one toppet. q.— l have heard the remark made that the toppets are too large for the London Market ?

a.— Many of them are much larger than

mm*.

q.— Three times that size (pointing to sample) ?

a.— Yes, just about ; making buoq toppet weigh 2Jlb. q.— Do you use any special comb for the purpose ? a.— No.

q.— You juat twist it up in haaki ? a.— Yes. q.— There seem to be great complaints about the size of the bales ?

a.— All my buyers like good big bales. It is different to go on the Market. None of mine go on the Market, they go direct to the manufacturers, who would rather have large bales. In this way you nave a good deal in dumping, as it is only 2» 6d for a good eize bale, and you have to pay the same for a small one.

q.— lf you were selling in the London Market, do you think you would ecntinue to have the big bales ?

a.— As long an it suited the customers. I have heard that it would be more convenient to have smaller bales for the London Market, and I should think about two and a half hundredweight in a bale would be sufficient ; but at long as the large bales suited I should have them, as I like them best because they are less trouble.

q. —Do you bale by day-work or piecework ? a.— By dajr-work. q. — What do you put round the bales ? a.— Nothing but a lash made of tow.

q. — Can you give us an idea of the cost of turning out flax, such as you have described, per ton ?

a. — The whole thing ; Yes. I should think it could be done at a cost of £14, with an engine. It cau be done as cheap with engines as with the water, because one saves cartage with an engine ; but with water you have to put them in where you have the water power, which often involves extra cartage.

q.— lt depends on the situation of the water ? a.— Yes. q.— You think £14 a ton fair ? a.— Yes. q.-Have you visited any of the mills in this distnot ? a. — No. q.— You say you have only seen one sample of the flax produced in the North Island ? a.— l saw a few samples on the wharf this morning. q.— And you thought them inferior? a , _ Very inferior ; neither washed, bleached, or anything else.

q.— lf you had visited some of the mills yon would be able to form a bettor idea ? a.— Tos. q. — it is not fair to say all the flax is bad if you have only seen a few samples, as you say? a , i have always understood the North Island flax-leaf to be better than that of the South Island ; it is not the fault of the flax, nor of the machinery, but the fault of the people who dress it. q. \ s far as the present demand is concerned, the machines are good enough as they are at present ? a.— Yes ; they are quite up to the occasion, we do not want better machinery for the purposes for which the fibre is at present used.

q._Do you mean to say you could not, by a certain process, turn out the flax cheaper ; £14 seems an enormous price to pay for turning out flax ; in Foxton Distriot, you can get it done much cheaper ? a.— Perhaps it is not in a bad plaoe for

carting. q.— They pay 5s for cutting ; the mul« are all very close. a.— l have lately given 5s a ton for flax; paid 6s for the cutting, and 7« for carting ; it cost me another 5s for rail carriage, and then I have to make a living out of it.

q.— ls that hill or swamp-flax? a.— Principally hill-flax ; Ido not care which it is, so long as ft has a good green leaf. But I like a good swamp-flax verj well, it is soft and works nicely. q. —Would not the hill-flax be the stronger fibre ? a.— There is a lot of difference in the flax and the ground it grows upon. I have •een both hill and swamp-flax brittle ; much depends on the nature of the soil. q._What do you thiak the best Boil to grow flax ? a. — You want nice gullies and hollowi, with deep loamy soil , in our district there is good deep soil, the flax grows well and has strong fibre. q.--You think your proposed new machine will turn out flax not only for the purposes it is used for at present but for finer purposes also ? a. —Yes ; it will do for anything. q.— What will be tU*cost of. it 9

4

a. -I could not tell you the cost of the machine at the present time. q._What will be the cost of turning out flax by such a machine as you hope to make ? a.— lt will cheapen the cost, a good deal, q.— Even of the ordinary flax tamed out now? a.— Y«s; it will not cost anymore per ton than it does now, only, of course, it will take another ton or bo of green leaf to make a ton of the fibre, winch however would be worth three times the money. q. — It is quite obvious to get a trade for fabrio purposts would be a new trade ? a.-Yes. q. — Would the process you hope to bring out make the ordinary flax cheaper supposing you found that for fabric purposes we could not get a good market ? a. — Yes; for we could alter the setting of the Machine so as to dress a quality equal to that by present machines, or to any required grade up to a fineness fit for fabrio purposes. q.-Do not the present beaters in the exiiiting machines bruise the flax ? a. — No ; that is the fault of the man who is looking after it. q. — Have you s«en the n«w machine of Mr Bull's ? a. — N« ; I wish to see it. q.~ Supposing you brought out a new proceif for turning out a large quantity of flax for fabrio purposes, and tht highest price you could get was £50, Would it not pay better to turn out a Urge quantity of the present flax ? a.— We could not say that until we hare triad it. q. — As to the inspection ; you say the proper place for an inspection would ba at the mills ? a.— l should think decidedly that would b« the proper place. q. — That would mean a Government Inspector for every mill in the colony ? a.— Yes ;if you wanted to inspect them all ; I should not want on inspector to in■peet my mills. q. — Wonld it not be better to open the bales at the port ? a. — I should be very sorry to have my bales opened up. Ido not think that would ba the right way at all, it would destroy the bales to pull them about. If there were to be any inspection, it should be in the manufacture of the fibre. Ido not see how it could be properly done without the inspectors visiting the mills where it was manufactured. q. — Do you find that the longer the hemp is the more sale there is for it ? a.- -Most of my customers like it fairly long — flax from 5 to 7 or 8 feet long is as good a length as is required. q. — If you could get cultivated flax woiild it be of any better quality ? a. — I do not think it would. q. — In reference to the question of machinery, the eo*t of turning it out seetns to me excessive ; the thing would be to devise a means of reducing this cost by £3, £4, or £5. Is it not possible that Borne process might be found which would give us the same result with hemp at a much less cost? a.— -Yes ; if you could bring out a machine that you could put it into and bring it out finished.