THE HEMP INDUSTRY

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 4000, 21 September 1929, Page 2

THE HEMP INDUSTRY

NEW USES FOR FIBRE

Dunedin, Sept. 20.

Continual discontent, it is reported here, lias been prevalent among the/flax growers of the Dominion tor the past few years. They have approached the Government for subsidies and may have been reduced almost to financial ruin. However, an announcement that the Dominion Hemp Mills are to be er- , oeled at Oiivtram, near Dunedin, should lie hailed with a great deal of optimism as to their future prosperity. The mills will absorb all their crops in the 'manufacture of sacking, hessians, bags, sacks, wool packs, engineers’ wiping waste, oakum, and padding materials. The new company will be known as Dominion Hemp Mills, Ltd., and its prospectus has been tiled with the Registrar of (Companies in Dunedin. The company will have a capital of £IOO,OOO in £1 shares. Exhaustive research, extending over a period of years, was conducted by Mr. Robiirt D. Coghill, technical chemist of Dunedin, into the manufacture of the .materials mentioned. Now, it is reported, his efforts have reached a stage when the manufacture can commence. Four acres of land in Outram have been iilioseit for the site' of the works, which will be electrically driven. At present considerable quantities of flax are growing near Outram, and it is understood -that certain Qidorprisiiig farmers intend cultivating. flax on the Taieri. A quantity of the raw material will come from south of Dunedin, where in the Jlaxgi owing areas thousands of tons of leaf are produced annually.