The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1870.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 2, 3 January 1870, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1870.

* Had auyone publicly announced twelve months ago that within the short space of one year, the item of most interest to New Zealand in the month's summary of English news would be that which referred to the price of our flax, he would have laid himself open to a cousHerable amount of ridicule. Such, however, has proved to be the case this month, aud in the whole string of telegrams which we published on Saturday there were none bearing so directly upon the interests of the settlers in New Ze-aland as those which told us that " New Zealand flax commands high prices, and daily increases in favor. £45 per ton has been offered and refused for 600 tons, Percy. The flax per Jocelyn was bought at £40 ss. 500 bales of New Zealand flax were sold at £45 15s. to £51 1 Os ." Those who are not directly interested in the manufacture of flax may uot have troubled themselves to think much of the benefits it is likely to confer upon the colony, but once let them look into the matter, and they will at once allow that it is scarcely possible to over estimate the advantages that will accrue from this new branch of industry. Hitherto, settlers taking up new country have looked upon the flax as a nuisance I to be got rid of as speedily as possible, , and have had their land cleared of it at Ihe cost of from £1 to £2 per acre, now however all this is changed, and it is discovered that this weed, when manufactured, realises in England the handsome sum of from £45 to £50 per i ou. Ata very moderate computation an acre of flax will yield a ton ol the manufactured material, and thus it will be seen that after deducting from £10 to £15 for freight, insurance, and hon e charges, each acre of what has hitherto been looked upou ns a useless cumbrance to the ground, may by careful working be made the means of introducing £35 of English capital into New Zealaud. Wheu it is considered that there are thousands upon thousands of acres in New Zealand on which this plant is growing luxuriantly, and that, if judgment be used in cutting the leaves, a good crop may be ensured every year, it will, we thiuk be readily admitted that we are not exaggerating iv stating that it is hardly possible to overestimate the boon that has, been conferred upon the colony by the opening up of this new trade — a trade in which we shall be free from the competition that is brought to bear upon the growing of wool, at present our staple export, hut which it seems probable will soon be equalled if not surperseded hy flax. In our own Province not very much has yet been done in this way, our efforts at present beiug confined, we believe, to three mills, one in the town and two in the suburbs, but no long time will elapse before the hum of machinery will be heard in some of the outlyiog districts ; at Motueka Valley there is a considerable area of flax land which is soon to be turned to account, whilst in the Moutere and at Molueka there is also a large quantity of the raw material which we are convinced will not be suffered to lie idle long ' when it becomes generally known that a ready market at highly remunerative prices is to be found for the manufactured article in England.