A DEMONSTRATION THAT FAILED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3794, 19 May 1928, Page 2

A DEMONSTRATION THAT FAILED.

' WHEN DAD PULLED THE STRING. Blue .print copies of patent stripping machinery lay on the table at the Manawatu Flaxmillers’ Association’s meeting on Thursday afternoon and members spoke speculatively on the merits of various patents at present attracting the attention of millers throughout the Dominion. •‘I believe Mr. is demonstrating a patent process to do away with paddocking,” remarked one miller. “Has anyone seen anything about it.” “1 saw that process demonstrated years ago,” said the Daddy of all millers, from down the line. “A lot of us millers went away up North to witness the demonstration. The process claimed to be able to treat the green blade from the stripper to the press and avoid the necessity of paddocking. The plant consisted of an old 8 h.p. portable engine with no water or steam guage, .but well fired up. The I lax was standing in a low trough with the butts submerged in a solution of salt or soda to stop (he juice .from rising after the fibre was spread. From the stripper the fibre was supposed to he zig-zagged about instead of being paddoeked, 'and finally was to end up in the press room. Here the vegetation was to be knocked out of it, and taken -away up a Hume, put into sacks to be used for calf food. “When it came the actual demonstration said to me‘Hey you! When you see a blade go through that stripper pull this string will you?’ Everything clear below? Right.’ In /Went the green blade, and I pulled the string and nearly ■got killed. The heater bar Hew into about a dozen pieces, all of which whizzed past my head. The demonstrator, turning to the millers, said, ‘Gentlemen, the demonstration's over! And it was!’