THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3747, 28 January 1928, Page 3

THE HEMP INDUSTRY.

STARTLING POSSIBILITIES. Dr. E. Marsden, Director of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, informed a Do-., minion reporter yesterday that the department had received advice from England stating that experiments in that country had opened up startling possibilities for New Zealand flax.

Dr. Marsden explained that some time ago, Sir Amos Nelson, a large spinner and manufacturer, of Nelson, Lancashire, had visited New Zealand, and ha_d become interested in flax. He had waited upon Dr. Marsden and Easlerfield, and they had referred him to Mr. Petrie, the Government flax grader. The result had been that Sir Amos Nelson had taken Home with him samples of New Zealand flax with the idea of utilising it in the manufacture of artificial silk. He had found, however, that -i-neh was too small for spinning purposes.

News had now been received from Sir Amos Nelson, however, that his chemists had been successful in producing from flax a fibre two inches in length, with an excellent lustye, which he considered would make a valuable admixture for cotton and woollen goods. If able to spin this successfully, Sir Amos Nelson stated that he would be able to absorb the whole of the output of New Zealand flax for the next five years. Experiments had- not yet been completed, but lie did not see why they should not be successful.

FIBRE VALUE NOT APPRECIATED.

COULD INCREASE OUR EXPORTS TEN-FOLD.

Speakirig at the first annual conference of the New Zealand section of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland at Wellington last night, Professor Easterfield dealt with the possibilities of chemical research to the natural products of the Dominion, particularly in regard to New Zealand flax. This was a unique plant, and was almost the only natural product that was so specifically New Zealand in character that a great future could be built upon it. The New Zealand people did not seem to realise what possibilities there were in flax. It produced more fibre per plant than any other in the world, yet its value was not fully appreciated. If scientific investigation had been devoted to New Zealand flax in the past as it should have been, our exports would have been ten times as great as they were to-day. He quoted the opinion of a leading Lancashire spinner to the effect that if the work, of converting. New Zealand ■flax into material fit for spinning was successful, they would take the Whole flax export of the Dominion for conversion.