HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 706, 8 January 1910, Page 4

HEMP INDUSTRY.

The following interesting contribution is from the pen of Mr A. H. Hall, the manager of the Government mill at St. Helena, under the date of sth November, 1509. This gentleman writes as follows: — For the benefit of those of your readers who are interested in the production of phormium, it may be well to briefly outline just how the industry came to be established in this island. Upon the coming to power of the present Imperial Government, expenses were cut down in every possible way, and amongst other economies the garrison, which had been stationed for many years at St. Helena, was withdrawn, as it was considered to have outlived its usefulness. The business in connection with the upkeep of this garrison, and the trade with sailing ships (of which a large number used to call here), have been the only means of livelihood possessed by the Islanders for years past. The withdrawal of the garrison, and the falling away in the numbers of ships passing here, left the people in a most impoverished state, and as some phormium plants planted in hedges some 25 years ago had flourished, it was decided to have an opinion as to whether or not il was possible to null the leat. T'he | Imperial Government then set aside a grant A ig.O O, and iVlr G. J. Fulton, the Chief Fibre Expert for New Zealand, was sent to report ! ui'oiT.t.nf 01 succesjfcV.y ’ 'milling the leaf here. The report being favorable, the mill was started under Government supervision. The system of purchasing from growers is : We pay 5 per cent, (on the price realised in London) for flax delivered at the will, e.g., £25 per ton for fibre, 25s per ton for leaf, cut and delivered. This has worked satisfactorily. Our plant, which is situated at Longwood—-the only flat ground of any extent on the Island—comprises a 32 B.H.P. oil engine, by Hornsby and Sons, which drives a Booth-Mc-Donald stripper, and a scutcher made by A. Burgess, Palmerston N., the press being made by the same firm. The fibre is hand-scraped, and the details of preparation arc almost identical with those obtaining in the Manawatu. The class of fibre turned out would, in my opinion, be equal to Wellington “ G.F.A.Q.” Our last shipment brought £27 per ton, and our tow £ll 10s per ton, both of which 1 consider satisfactory prices. The labourers employed in the mill are Islanders, about 17 in number, and the rate of pay ranges from 2s to 3s 6d per day, the scutching being let piece work at Is per cvvt. This rate of wages will, I know, seem very low to you in New Zealand, as it did to me when I first came here. I am, however, now convinced that these people can live quite well on 2s per day. The staple tood of the labourers is “ rice and fish,” a considerable varieu of the latter being caught round the Island, and sold very cheaply. The question of salting fish for export is at present being considered, and it is to be hoped that something will come of it, as the phormium has not done a great deal for the people in the towns, and I understand that some of them are in want of the barest necessities. On the whole, I see no reason why milling should not regain to a large extent for St. Helena her lost prosperity, as the flax grows well, labour is cheap and plentiful, and the climate is suitable. It must be borne in mind that the Island is very small and that a considerable portion of it is quite unfit for any sort of cultivation, but in, say, two years’ time, the Island should produce 250 to 300 tons annually ; this would double the present amount of money for circulation in the Island, and would evidently help all classes. You will see from the foregoing that we shall never, however, be a factor worth consideration in competition with New Zealand. —Press Hank.