THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 979, 13 April 1911, Page 3

THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

FOXTON GRADING RFTURNS. During the year ended March 31st, 1911, 33,176 bales of hemp were graded locally, being an increase over the previous year’s total of no less than 9,307 bales. The number of bales graded each mouth were as follows: April 3,623, May 3,202, June 2,195, July 1,633, August ion, September 1,632, October 2,313, November 3,422, December 4,113, January 3,311, February 3, 1Q 6 and March 3,615. The number of bales in the different grades each month were as under : & ~ Z iS g K 5 o April 31 1879 1607 22 6 May June July August 3D 5/2 60 21 47 Sept. J 5 D9O 407 1 19 October 5 1739 543 2 3 3 Nov. 94 2593 719 t 3 3 Dec. Irq 3340 637 7 10 January 85 2979 218 8 21 Feb. 125 1624 1222 114 21 March 169 1641 1729 60 12 4 Totals 643 20163 H 445 572 296 57 Worked out 011 a percentage basis the figures for the year give the following percentages : —Fine 1 -93, good fair 6077, f a > r 34‘49. common 172, rejected ‘B9 aud condemned ‘l7. The weight of the fibre handled in the 12 months was 6,580 tons 2cwt. 3qrs. As showing the increase in the amount of fibre handled locally each year the following figures are interesting : During the year ended March 31st, 1910, 11,320 bales were graded, for the next twelve months 23,869ba1es passed through the local sheds and for the twelve mouths just ended the amount graded had increased to 33,176 bales.

it will be seen from the above figures that the local grader, Mr Petrie must be kept busy, as he deals with the whole of this output with the assistance only of a boy. No doubt Mr ivtiie deals with a greater quantity of hemp than any of the other hemp graders.