THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1049, 28 September 1911, Page 3

THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

ADDRESS BY THE CHIEF GRADER. SOME ADVICE TO MILLERS. An instructive address on the grading and general standardisation of hemp was delivered at the annual meeting of Flaxmillers’ Association, by Mr W. H. Ferris, Chief Hemp Grader. THE STANDARD. Mr Ferris said that an impression was abroad that the grading standard had been raised in the Wellington district, and millers were naturally anxious to know where they stood in this matter. The standard had not been raised. What had happened was that when the position of chief grader was created, an endeavour was made to bring about greater uniformity in the work of grading throughout the Dominion. The work at the port of Wellington was taken as the standard, and it was therefore necessary to bring the grading at other ports into line with it. In several cases the graders were classifying on a rather less exacting basis, but they were now working on the Wellington standard. This ueccessary uniformity was not brought about hurriedly, or without due preparation on the part of the officials in charge of the work. A conference was held in Wellington, at which the different graders throughout the Dominion were given an opportunity to throughly grasp the conception of what constituted the various grades, to realise the ideal to be aimed at, to see the best quality the Dominion was producing, and, in fact, to get down to a common basis of action, instead of following individual opinions. In this process the work at some grading ports had necessarily to be amended II theretore, it had happened that the standard at any particular port was a little higher than it formerly was, it meant that the work at that port was now more in uniformity with that at other grading centres. It had merely been standardised. FAULTY STRIPPING. A bad mistake made by some millers was that of forwarding improperly stripped hemp—with a mass of vegetable matter adhering to the fibres —and expecting to obtain a “ good fair ” grade. This class of fibre was useless to the manufacturer, except for the making of low-grade cordage ; for binder twine it was useless. Such millers were advised to visit the grading stores, aud study for themselves the hemp of other millers which reached the standaid they were aiming at.

TRADE REQUIREMENTS

As with other lines of produce, it was imperative, if the best returns were to be secured, that hemp should be supplied regularly to the overseas markets ; and hemp probably suffered more than any other product in New Zealand by failure of the producer to realise this fact. With hemp a spasmodic supply was suicidal. With other commodities a manufacturer could buy rival productions in the intervals ; but with hemp a buyer once lost was probably lost altogether. If machinery had to be altered, or perhaps discarded, in order to suit another fibre, he was hardly likely to again risk the cost and delay entailed. It should be the object of millers not to discourage, but to encourage, Home manufacturers to use phormium fibre, and the best way to do this —given the desired quality and the proper uniformity —was to supply it as regularly as possible, maintaining the supply throughout the year. Even though this might mean holding back a portion of the summer output in order to maintain the supply of the other months, it would be preferable to milling in the winter, as in the rainy season it was not possible to maintain the desi. - ed quality. DISEASED leae. Millers were naturally concerned on account of the high proportion of diseased leaf they had to deal with of of late, and especially as to how it would affect the grading of their parcels. It might be definitely stated that though diseased leaf might be present, it was not impossible that parcels might get into “ good fair ” grade. It was necessary, however, if this standard was to be reached with each leaf, that the stripping and scutching should be as effective as possible. Though the points for colour and strength should necessarily suffer by reason of the percentage of diseased leaf, the fact of good stripping and good scutching would counterbalance this, and enable the hemp to get into the grade —though not as a high-pointed parcel. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Ferris for his address.