FORTY YEARS AGO.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2191, 19 October 1920, Page 2

FORTY YEARS AGO.

(From ‘‘The Manawatn Herald,”

October 10th, 1880.)

Green Phormium. — Mr Chas. Pownall, of ’Wellington, him for many years devoted groat consideratiun to Hie best means of turning Now Zealand flax into a marketable article. In season and out of season- he Ims done his best both with his pen and more practical ways, to show the value of the isw material to which Nature has so bountifully scattered over this country, and though he is now engaged in business in Wellington') lie still keeps a watchful eye with the view of bringing before the public the value and importance of the flax industry. From Saturday’s New Zealand Times wc quote the following practical letter by Mr Pownall dealing with the heavy shipments of green phormimn now being made to Melbourne: —“Sir. —l notice (hat at a. meeting of the Harbour Board mention was made of the large quantity of green phormium now being slipped to Melbourne for pa permit king, and t cannot conceive a greater folly than allowing it to lie shipped in this state. Put, through one of the scraping machines and then dried, without any washing, the fibre would he cleared from all silica and deleterious matter, and wPuld be Tnereased in value for (bis purpose at least 2!)0 per cent., while the bulk for shipment would bo reduced to one-fifth; besides, it would afford a considerable amount of employment at a very t rifling out lay. Further, it, is painful to know in these hard limes dial Melbourne can afford to pay freight and manufacture paper at a profit from the material we have upon the spot.” The fact brought under notice by Mr Pownall is undoubtedly a most painful one. It would be much hotter i(, instead of spending money upon useless railways, to furnish work to the unemployed, the Government would offer bonuses for the purpose nt' inducing capitalists to start such industries as paper-making, which would employ (he labourers now obtaining subsistence from public money. As the money is spent at present it is only a temporary remedy, but if the plan we suggest were adopted a permanent euro would ho effected by the absorption of surplus labour through the opening of new industries.