THE FLAX EXHIBITION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 38, 14 October 1871, Page 3

THE FLAX EXHIBITION.

NEW EXHIBITS.

It was intimated a few days ago that the flax: exhibition now open to the public at the Colonial Museum would very shortly be closed, and people were wisely advised, in the words of the showman, to “ be in time.” It is to be hoped that the advice will be taken, and that an exhibition of such practical interest will be visited by all Wellington residents or sojourners in the city whose names have not already appeared in the visitors’ book. As a suggestion, we may add that it is to be hoped that the closing of the exhibition in Wellington will not mean the closing of the exhibition altogether. Now that the exhibition has been made so complete, it would be a pity that the exhibits should be scattered, by being returned to the exhibitors, without an opportunity being afforded to the inhabitants of Canterbury, Otago, and Auckland of inspecting what the Flax Commissioners have so carefully collected, and what is so extremely interesting as an illustration of the progress and prospects of one of the most important of our colonial industries. The suggestion may be considered extravagant, and to carry it out would, no doubt, involve a considerable amount of expense, but we are sanguine enough to believe that some understanding might be come to between the General Government, the Provincial Governments, the Commissioners, and the exhibitors, by which the other cities in the colony might have the advantage of an inspection of the collection before it becomes a thing of the past. It might, at any rate, be possible to utilise portions of it as a nucleus of similar exhibitions of a provincial character, to which local manufacturers might be asked to contribute. The suggestion is one, however, which the Flax Commissioners are most competent to consider, and we have no doubt that, interesting themselves as they have done in the success of the exhibition, they will do what is best to be done, or, at least, all that it is possible to do. Recently the exhibition has been made the repository of several new exhibits, which make it more complete than it even was at first, and which illustrate especially the uses to which flax may be applied, not alone by English but by colonial manufacturers. Several of these have not been catalogued, but are included in class 4, representing European manufactures, in the shape of ropes, twine, and miscellaneous articles, and, with the numerous articles cata*

logued, they form an interesting feature of the exhibition. The greater number of the articles added are from Cook & Co, of Nelson, Symons & Malcolm, of Nelson, and J. Sevan, jun., of Otaki. They include matting, hearth-rugs, door mats, and ropes and twine of various size, quality,and price. In matting, for instance, Mr A. B. Jackson, of Nelson, exhibits for Symons and Malcolm, thirty-six yards of manufactured matting, 4ft. 4in. wide, valued at 2s 6d per yard. The same agent exhibits tanned matting of the same breadth and value, samples of flax webbing, rough reins, halters, &c. Messrs W. Cook and Co. show matting consisting entirely of flax, made any breadth, from 12 inches to 4 feet 6 inches, the samples being priced at 2s 9d per square yard. Of door mats and hearth rugs there are'some excellent specimens—* some from J. Bevan, priced 3s Bd, others from Symons and Malcolm, plain and colored and priced at Is 6d to 2s per square foot, or from 5s to 6s 6d per mat, according to make; some from Lang, Auckland; and a number from Cook and Co., both plain and fancy, the “ fancy” being due to the flax-dyeing skill of Mr A. Robertson, and the flax itself being dressed by Messrs Sharland and Co. Messrs Cook and Co. are themselves the designers and manufacturers and as both they exhibit sufficient skill to give good promise of success, should they extend their manufacturer to other articles of domestic furniture than those which they now exhibit. Besides these exhibits, there are some fancy mats made at Timaru, and exhibited by the Canterbury Flax Association, and contiguous to them is a case full of articles still more fancy and fanciful in character, but these must be noticed specially at another time. It was only in consequence of the non-pub-lication of the catalogue of the exhibition at the time our first notice was given that specific mention was not made of all principal exhibitors and exhibits, but, now having the catalogue, and having the number of exhibits supplemented as they have been, we must not let the exhibition close without some further and fuller notice of its very valuable contents.