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IMPORTANT TO FLAXMILLERS.

Palmerston, North, July 18. A case of very great importance to flaxmillers was heard at the last sitting of the Supreme Court at Palmerston, in which Pearce, a settler on the banks of the Oroua River, sought to show that four flaxmillers whose mills are on the banks of the Oroua, cast, or allowed, refuse from their mills to flow or get into tne river, with the result that the water was polluted and unfit for consumption by stock ; further, that the bed of the river was raised, causing the river in flood time to overflow and flood plaintiff’s land. Reserved judgment was delivered to-day, in which the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) decided in favour of plaintiff. He said that defendants could not put effluents from their mills into the river and so pollute it. “It may be,” he continued, “that a considerable industry may be crippled or destroyed if they cannot continue what they have done, and it may be that plaintiff’s loss or damage will be small, compared with the loss that defendants might suffer by an alteration in the present methods of disposal of effluents, but I cannot consider such results.”

The court held, however, that none of the defendants were liable for the damage sustained by the overflow of the river.

Judgment was given for £5 damages in each action, with costs on the lowest scale, and an injunction to issue to prevent effluents from going into the river in its present state.

A MILLER’S VIEWS. Last night's Manawatu Standard publishes the following interview which, however, exaggerates the position as affecting the milling industry as a whole. The Chief Justice’s decision is, of course, serious, so far as the millers at Rangiotu are concerned, but it does not affect those milling at Makerua to the same extent, because the owners of the flax land in that locality possess the agrarian rights. The decision will have a very far-reaching effect, because it will apply also to the dairying industry. However, here is the views of a Rangiotu miller to our contemporary : “ Manawatu flaxmillers are panic-stricken. Sir Robert Stoat’s decision of yesterday is far reaching and hits more than fifty flaxmills doing duty in the Mauawatu district. “ It means we can’t mill,” said one of the owners to a “ Standard reporter to-day. Will the four affected mills on the Oroua river close ? “ All the mills will close,” he said emphatically. “So soon as the injunction issues torbidding the flowing ot the water into the rivers all the other riverside owners may start lawsuits.” How many mills drain into the rivers. “ All of them —directly or indirectly. Four drain into the Oroua and about fifty drain into the Manawatu or its tributaries.” Are there no other methods of disposing of the effluents ? “ None.” Filtering, say ? “It won’t answer.. The flax matter in the water chokes the filters and makes them watertight.” Sand filter beds, then ? “ They might work for a day or two —perhaps a week as an extreme limit. Then they would be covered with a waterpn of film and would overflow. There’s no way. of disposal known to flaxmilling except by draining into a river.” You’ll have to establish modifications ot a nightsoil farm —flow the stuff over the land and get it absorbed there.

The miller displayed an attitude of great despair and replied — “ How is that possible with such a quantity as 180 gallons per minute, which is the output of an ordinary mill ? If it were 180 gallons an hour we might —well, try it. But xBo gallons a minute ! ”

Ours are not very absorbent soils, commented the interviewer. “It would flood the countryside,” put in another miller standing near. “ Then vve would have lawsuits from that cause. I tell you we know of no other method of drsposal except the present.” “ It seems a regrettable thing,” said the first miller,” “that an entire industry should be wiped out in this way.” A canal to Foxton harbour, to carry the effluent—is that practicable ?

The industry couldn’t stand it. Besides, we should have to pass through people’s properties to get there. We would have to buy them up like a railway company. It is impossible.” Then, admitting that the industry is wiped out, what does Palmerston town stand to lose.

“ Everything, The flaxmilling wages in Manawatu amount to between £B,OOO and £IO,OOO a week. Practically all the spending of that is done in Palmerston. In addition, the mill-owners themselves spend perhaps another ,£IO,OOO in the town. There is £20,000 a week that the Palmerston tradespeople stand to lose. And it is all loreigu capital —a clear gain.” What are you going to do about it ? Are you arranging a meeting ? ’ “We shall meet together to discuss the situation and decide what course, of action to take. But it is certain that as things are now all the mills must close,”

Commenting on the above the Standard says ; “The judgment has certainly come like a thunderbolt to the millers, and we heartily sympathise with them. During the past two or three years they have hqd a very trying time between bad prices and labour troubles, and just as prices have taken a turn tor the better, and a good understanding has been reached with the men, a new trouble, more serious than the others, has confronted them. It will affect a great many of the mills, and we are given to understand that some of them are to be closed immediately,”

A Palmerston telegram states that officers of the New Zealand Flaxmillers’ Association declare that there is no practicable way ol filtration, and that the stoppage of their use of river waters means the stoppage of the industry, and that fifty-two mills in this district must close down directly the injunction is granted. They add that they have tried various means without success, as all forms of filtration have proved inadequate. One miller states that the outflow from his mill is 180 gallons per minute, and, for every eight tons of flax treated, there is six tons of green refuse which flows out with the water. They have not yet been able to find any practicable means of stopping all this from going through, and, if any goes through at .all, they would be liable to damages under injunctions.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MH19120720.2.12

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1072, 20 July 1912, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,057

IMPORTANT TO FLAXMILLERS. Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1072, 20 July 1912, Page 3

IMPORTANT TO FLAXMILLERS. Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1072, 20 July 1912, Page 3

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