THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 882, 23 August 1910, Page 3

THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

A NEW STRIPPER

Practical tests have now been made of the improved hemp stripper invented by the Featherston miller, Mr W. Wakely, (says the New Zealand Times). The results have justified the most sanguine anticipations. It has not only proved all that was claimed for it, but has disclosed advantages which were neither foreseen nor thought possible. Even the keenest millers have never favoured the opinion that the present stripper could be made to extract the fibre of phormium satisfactorily, that is without imputing its quality ; but the apparent impossibility has been attained. A number of leading Mananwatu millers were unanimous in declaring, after seeing the new stripper in operation, that the maximum result under the present system had been attained. The objective of the inventor was to so improve the stripper that the injury caused to the leaf would be obviated, or, by providing springs to the drum bearings, to do away with the bruising caused by the flax being operated upon between stripping blades and a solid beating bar, both always in the same position, irrespective of the amount of hemo being dealt with. By securing the necessary “ give,” which the springs provide, effective stripping is obtained, whatever the thickness of the flax being dealt with, a fibre resulting which is clean, free as never before, and possessing all its natural strength, no sign of bruising being at all perceptible. From a quality point of view the patent stripper is a remarkable success.

The principle, simple as it is, has, however, achieved very much more than revolutionising the quality of phormium fibre. It promises to reduce the cost of production to such an extent that the business of milling New Zealand hemp will not only become a much more profitable undertaking but the principal worry attached to it will disappear. Hitherto the success or failure of milling operations has to a large extent depended on the stripper keeper. If this man knows just how to keep the stripper always running the same, that is having just the right tension, a matter of considerable difficulty in view of the continuous strain on it, he can maintain the desired grade. Such a man is difficult to obtain and still more difficult to keep, and up to £6 a week has been paid the good stripper keepers even where a man was not able to read or write ; in fact, the stripper keeper dominates the position. All this will be now changed. The new stripper requires no keeper. Once set anyone can run it, so that no special supervision will be required. The occupation of the stripper keeper is gone. Coming to the question of output. With the ordinary stripper 22cwt is the limit of green leaf which can be put through in an hour; with the Wakely stripper 30cwt can be dealt with ; and the increased output is obtained with fully three horse power less of engine capacity. By reason of the reduced strain on the flax when being stripped there is not nearly the waste at the stripping stage; thus, while the average amount of green leaf to fibre is nine tons with the new process fully a ton less of green leaf will he required. Then the stripping being effective right to the tip the hemp is free throughout its length when put out to bleach, no tangling at the tip being perceptible. This means that when it comes to be scutched there is not nearly the same loss as with the present process. The bleaching takes less time. The first lot dealt with by the Wakely machine was only out in the paddocks for ten days, and this is the depth of winter ; in fine summer weather the bleaching should be completed within two or three days. To summarise the advantages of the new method ; Increased value of hemp ; increased ratio of hemp to flap ; increased daily output ; reduced cost of running engine less wear and tear, oil, etc. ; naj danger of bursting chairs, beatinjl bars or drum spindles; reduction 3 in time required for bleaching ; scutching simplified, and with less strain on the fibre in the process ; more hemp and less tow ; expert labour not required. Thus it will be seen that the Wakely process will not only mean a much more valuable fibre than that at present being produced, but it will very greatly reduce the cost of milling it, and by the general improvement, certainly the result and simplicity of procedure will put the business of hemp milling in quite a new light, thereby materially strengthening its position as a staple industry.