FLAXDRESSING MACHINERY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 859, 30 June 1910, Page 3

FLAXDRESSING MACHINERY.

COMPETITIONS SUGGESTED. A FOCAFINTERVIEW. In connection with the request to the Hon. Thos. Mackenzie, Minister for Agriculture, by the New Zealand Flaxmillers’ Association, that he should make provision on the Estimates for a sum of money which would be offered as a bonus to inventors to encourage inventive people to turn their attention to the devising of better flaxmilling machinery, our representative yesterday interviewed Mr Earnshaw, consulting engineer for the New Zealand Hemp Process and By-Products Co., Ftd,, on the subject. The whole of the mechanical portions of the Company’s new works at Foxton are under the direct supervision of Mr Earnshaw, and having had a great deal of experience in new machinery, his views on the above matter should be interesting. The suggestion by the Flaxmillers’ Association in connection with the bonus which the Government has been asked to offer is that it should be a sum sufficiently large to ensure the inventor an independence for life —an amount of from 15,000 to ,£20,000. Asked his opinion on this proposal, Mr Earnshaw said that he did not think that to offer the bonus in the manner suggested by the Flaxmillers’ Association was the best way in which to induce inventors to turn their attention to flaxdressing machinery. He said that the proposal was that a committee should be set up to consider any new process brought forward and, although machinery might be invented that would be a great improvement on that at present in use, the committee appointed could say that it was not up to their standard and no prize would be awarded. He contended that the best way to bring about an improvement in the present process of flaxdressing was to offer a series ot prizes for the best patent in the different sections stripping, scutching, and so on. The patents to be exhibited at a given time, and the prizes to be won by the best process in each case, and not to set up a standard as is suggested at the present time. The prizes to amount to ,£SOO or ,£IOOO each. Under these conditions he contended that there would be twenty competitors to every one under the conditions as suggested at present. Under those conditions Mr Earnshaw said that he would not think of competing, but be would under the other conditions where there was the certainty of someone getting the prize as against the chance of all the patents being thrown out by a committee of men on the ground that none were up to the standard they had laid down.