THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2321, 27 August 1921, Page 2

THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

A representative of the flaxmilling industry in Palmerston North was asked by a Standard reporter if the better demand for New Zealand hemp, as stated in the latest cabled report of the High Commissioner, had yet affected the New Zealand market. The reply was that New Zealand flaxmillers had not yet heard of any increase in price; ns far as they were concerned the market was still “down.” It might he true that London buyers’ quotations were from £34 to £34 10s per ton for fair quality, with sellers asking £37 10s for high-grade, but the ruling prices, f.0.b., in New Zealand were at present £2B per ton for “high fair” quality, and £25 per ton for “low fair.” In reference to the industry in

; New Z. aland generally, and with rej gard to the Manawatn district in j particular, it was stated that there | had of into been a marked decline in i flax production, not because of the j low price offering-, but because of the ; serious inroads made upon flax | crops by yellow-leaf disease, which j affects tlie roots of the plant, caust ing the leaves to wither before they j attain maturity. This disease, the j nature <>f which had not yet been definitely ascertained, and which the Government experts were still invest igtiting,'appeared to be spreading, and it would appear that the Manawatn flax swamps were more seriously affected than other parts of the island. No remedy could be discovered till the nature and cause j of the disease had been ascertained, and in consequence of it many mills in this district had had to close down, and hundreds of acres of flax burned off. Some millers’ bad endeavoured to prevent the ravages of yellow-leaf by burning off, ploughing the land, and re-planting if with healthy roots, but this bad proved useless, since the cause of the disease appeared to remain in the soil, and though the new plants seemed to be healthy enough when I young, the trouble manifested itself ; tong before the leaves were of a j size suitable for cutting. All over the district the affected flax areas were being cleared, and the land given over to cattle grazing. Up !•> the beginning of this year, -aid the Standard informant, there were eleven strippers working from Linton to Tokomnru. and now there were only two. and it was questionable whether it would be possible to keep these two permanently in operation. On the Rangitane side, where there were twelve strippers operating, there were now none, and whett work was resumed there would be only one two-stripper mill working. The. disease jvhieh was killing the flax was considered 1 by some to be of a fungoid nature affecting the roots, and similar to one known as coffee-blight which mined the Ceylon coffee plantations, but this bad not yet been definitely proved. It. was a serious menace to the flaxmilling industry in any case, but, in the opinion of the representative interviewed, even the shortage in production caused by it was not likely to send prices of New Zealand flax any higher, since the total quantity of New Zealand hemp exported was small by comparison with that from Manila.