NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3843, 11 September 1928, Page 1

NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

DEFECTS IN FIBRE. MANUFACTURERS’ VIEWS. QUALITY FALLING OFF. Flax, or hemp, or phormium tenax, being native to this country, grows exceedingly well in New Zealand. The early settlers found it here when they arrived in the country, and were quick to recognise its possibilities as a commercial product, especially when they say the uses to which the Maori put the fibre. The flax industry was to be the main one of the country. It certainly flourished at one time, but later it fell on comparatively evil days, and was to a large extent supplanted by other activities. The flax industry, however, is now showing signs of revival, science is being brought to bear on its problems, extensive areas are being planted, and hopes are held out for the reestablishment of a thriving industry. But New Zealand phormium fibre has to meet keen competition, and in order to be successfully placed on the market it must be able to stand up to all tests. Unfortunately it is only too apparent that the quality of the exported fibre is not what it used to be. Wherever the fault lies it must be rectified without delay unless the reviving industry is to receive a set-back from which it may take years to recover. Opinions of manufacturers, collected by the Imperial Institute and forwarded to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, clearly indicated in what directions New Zealand fibre fails. “It will be observed,” says the Director of the Institute in his summary, “that the chief defects alleged to occur in New Zealand hemp now being imported are as follows: —(a) Irregularity .in length and the presence of tow; (b) insufficient - cleaning and the presence of coloured runners and strawy fibre; (c) uneven strength; and (d) irregularity of colour.” Manufacturers concur in the opinion that phormium tenax is not as good as Manila, hemp for marine work. Many of them also exjrress the opinion that the fibre is not sufficiently well cleaned, that it would be an advantage to keep the fibre more regular in length, and of higher strength. “We have used a fair quantity of New Zealand hemp,” comments one big manufacturer, “and would use more but for the fact that the strength of this fibre varies so much. Sometimes we get a good strong parcel which we can use freely and quickly, the next parcel, though of the same grade, and apparently the same in every way, may be so weak that we can only use it up a very little at a time. It is not a questioji of buying a high grade in order to get a high strength. Sometimes we find a parcel of ‘rejected,’ which is the lowest grade, has a better strength than a parcel of ‘good fair,’ which costs many pounds per ton more and is highest grade. If something could lie done to standardise the strength as well as the cleaning and length of the fibre, the Dominion would then find that a very much larger quantity of the fibre would be required in this country, and it would command a better price. At the present moment buying New Zealand hemp is purely and simply a gamble.” QUALITY DETERIORATED. Another manufacturer says^: — “Prior to the war—say about the year 1906 to 1912 —we used this class of fibre almost exclusively for our manufacture of binder twine. During the war and since, the preparation has left much to be desired. The fibre itself is softer and finer than it used to be, which is not an advantage. Further, the cleaning is appalling. The price some eighteen months ago was attractive from a twine spinner’s point of view, and we took a sample of 50 tons of good fair quality and tried it out. The results were disastrous to us, in this way, that the naps were so frequent that we were really afraid to send it out as binder twine, consequently had to utilise it for other work, which showed a very considerable loss.” It is generally agreed by those connected with the flax industry that there is need of new outlets for the manufactured fibre. Unfortunately most of those which have been tried show but little promise. Its use in the manufacture of artificial silk, which bade fair at one time to be a success, is now a “washout,” and the high cost of the fibre prevents its use in the manufacture of fibrous plastex*, foi which it is eminently suitable. GRADING PROBLEMS. A number of firms in England seem to take exception to the methods used in grading New Zealand flax. It certainly would be better if the grading could be made more

central, the dealing with larger quantities at a time making for more uniformity. On this aspect one manufacturer comments as follows :—“There is another feature about New Zealand flax to which we take strong objection. In the earlier years two grades were known to us, namely ‘good fair’ and ‘fair.’ Some time afterwards, however, the ‘fair’ quality was split into two kinds —we rather think by the merchants. The pointings of ordinary ‘fair’ grade were 60/70. These clever people commenced to call 65/70 points ‘high point fair,’ and demanded a premium in price for it. The natural result was that any delivery of ‘fair’ purchased was lower than the standard which the grading authorities had set out originally to give. This unfortunately has now become quite a habit in the trade, and we do not know how it can be eliminated. When we bought ‘fair’ we expected to get 60/70 points; now we would only get actually 60/64, the ‘high points’ being picked out and sold as ‘high point fair.’ We do not wish to labour this matter unduly, because we are not actually interested in the fibre at all, for the reasons we have slated, but this is a matter that ought to be rectified if it is at all possible.” “Until the pre-war standard of cleaning and grading is reverted to, we are not disposed to use New Zealand hemp even for binder twine purposes,” is another view expressed. The suggestion is made that in grading far more attention should be paid to strength than is the case at present. ‘ HOPE IN THE FUTURE.

All this may sound a bit discouraging to those who were thinking of using a bit of waste land for the growing of flax as a sideline to other agricultural activities, to those investing in flax-planting companies, and to those interested in the actual milling and marketing of the fibre. But it should not be so; it should serve to stimulate to greater to produce the best and the best only, and not to be satisfied with half and half measures. The formation of a Flax Committee in connection with the work of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research will ga far towards placing the industry ou a scientific and sound basis, especially as the full co-opera-tion of the Imperial Institute is assured. Other countries, notably S. America, have recognised the possibilities in phormium tenax, have planted large areas of it, and have made a success of marketing the fibre. Surely New Zealand can do the same with her own product.