COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE QUALITY OF HEMP.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2294, 25 June 1921, Page 3

COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE QUALITY OF HEMP.

A meeting ox flaxmfilers nominated by the N.Z. (Manawatu) FlaxIXlillers , Association, and export representatives nominated by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, was held on Monday, 30th May, to consider the* widespread complaints that had been received from manufacturers with regard to the quality of New Zealand hemp. At this meeting the following resolutions were carried unanimously: —

(1). That this meeting of millers, merchants, and officers of the Department of Agriculture ask the Agricultural Department to recommend millers to sort their leaf with a view of producing a uniform length of fibre in the hanks, and that the special attention of the graders be called to this recommendation.

(2.) That the Agricultural Department be asked to send a copy of this resolution to every flaxmiller in New Zealand.

The sorting of the green leaf into uniform lengths, before being put through the stripper, is absolutely necessary, in order that uniform lines of hemp may be received at the grading stores. The main complaint from manufacturers is the excessive amount of badly scutched and improperly stripped, barky fails occurring in the lines.

In order to remedy these defects, and make scutching at all satisfactory, sorting of the leaf prior to stripping should be carried out by all millers. Unless this is done, the reputation of New Zealand hemp will be seriously impaired, and the whole industry affected.

During the past few years there has been a growing tendency towards lack of uniformity in the individual lines turned out by millers, almost entirely due to not properly sorting the leaf. As excessive variations of quality of the hanks in a line renders proper grading almost impossible, it has been decided that unless a distinct improvement is effected in this respect in the near future, any line showing variations in quality in the individual bales will be graded on the basis of the lowest quality in the line.

An Australian rope manufacturer has written to a Manawatu ilax-mil-ler as follows“ The future of the hemp industry is at present uncertain. Low quality Manila hemp is now procurable at £3O, c.i.f., Sydney. This quality is not equal to ‘good fair’ New Zealand in colour, but is a stronger and clearer fibre, and will make a much better rope; and mixed with ‘high fair’ makes an excellent binder-twine. At the abovo figure this hemp is better buying than ‘high fair’ at £2O f.o.b. New Zealand ports, and that so far us Australia is concerned it would appear that New Zealand flax is in danger of being permanently ousted from the Australian market. We are not aware whether the Englsh or American buyers will be in a similar position to ours or not, but wo imagine, the outlook is not reassuring, unless your mill bands will recognise the world-wide demand for lower wages. That is the key to the position, and until your worker, like his Australian brother, comes to his senses, we fear that many of us are in for a bad time.” —Times.