FLAX IN ST. HELENA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3774, 17 September 1907, Page 3

FLAX IN ST. HELENA.

A letter has just been received by the President of the New Zealand Flaxmillers’ Association (Mr A. Seifert) from Mr C. Fulton, the Government flax expert, who recently went over to St. Helena at the request of the Imperial Government to report on the possibilities of the flax industry on that island and for the purpose of starting a flaxmill there. He says “ The people of St. Helena are, without doubt, the most hospitable people one could meet. The island itself is in an impoverished condition. I should say there are about 2000 tons of leaf (flax) fit for milling, but it is very hard to give a true estimate of the quantity, as practically the whole of it is grown in the form of shelter hedges, varying in length from 20 to 30 miles. The matter of starting a mill was about the most difficult problem I have ever had to solve, a more difficult piece of work I consider it impossible to find. The whole place is of a momitainous nature, with practically no flat country at all, and the only place suitable for the erection and working of a mill is right awaj r from the leaf. There is also an absence of water, and it has to be conveyed to the site in pipes.” Speaking of the possibility of St. Helena ever becoming a competitor with New Zealand in the hemp market, he states that New Zealand flaxmillers need entertain no apprehension as to this.