NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 141, 5 December 1846, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator. Sir, — I feel assured that no apology is needed for troubling you with the following letter, as it contains a plain statement of facts on a subject 'which must be interesting to all who have at heart the welfare of this colony. Much has been written theoretically on the subject of the Phormium Tenax, but little has been done practically towards establishing a steady export of that article ; and jet no one who has seen this plant clothing thousands of acres of the interior of this island, no one who has witnessed the universal use whjchthe maoriesmake of this free production of their soil for their fishing nets and lines, their mats, from the rough KoTari to the exquisitely fine Kaitaka, no one in fact who has used a piece of Korari to bind up his load, or to supply the place of his worn out shoe-tie, can doubt but that the day will some time come when the English manufacturer will cease to neglect this staple, of which the raaori makes such varied use. But the tide nowseemstoliave turned, and there is'at present a demand in London for a far greater quantity of this article thau there is any probability of our being able at present to supply, if only, as I shall presently show, certain conditions are complied with. And now for my facts : — During a recent visit to Auckland I had the pleasure of conversing with two gentlemen, Dr. Johnson and Mr. Smith, who have lately returned from England, and who are much interested in this subject. They reported that a manufacturer of the name of Donallan (I think), had completely overcome the difficulties which have hitherto stood in the way of the application of the flax to those kinds of fabric, for which the ordinary flax has been hitherto exclusively used, and on the good old principle that '• one eye witness is worth a hundred hearsays," they brought with them specimens of several kinds of cloth, from the very coarsest to some almost as fine as a spider's web ; there was, First, An exceedingly strong cloth for which there is now a demand to make tarpaulins for covering the luggage vans on the railroads. It is prepared in such a way as to be perfectly waterproof, and fireproof too I believe, at least as far as any falling spark is concerned. Secondly, Sail cloth of excellent quality, which has been tested with the navy canvass and found superior to it. Thirdly, A beautiful white cloth, for which Mr. Donallan has a very large order for cavalry trousers. And Fourthly, As a contrast to these useful articles, a piece of cambric, so exquisitely jfine, that it has to be laid upon a piece of paper to render it clearly visible. I think I heard that this was of French manufacture, but when the first difficulty of preparing the flax, and spinning it, is once overcome, the ultimate form which the thread takes in our English workshops is only a matter of demand aud supply. There is one other specimen which I had nearly forgotten, viz., white sewing thread, which has been made of every degree of fineness ; that which I saw was of the »ize usually employed for sewing on buttons, it was so strong that I was obliged to use the same degree of force in order to break it as I should have applied to a piece of string. Every person who has been teased by a button coming off just at the wrong time, and they always do come off when the unfortunate wearer of the shirt is in a particular hurry, must hope that the day will soon come when every button in the world (at least all his own) will be sewn on with New Zealand thread. Not only has Mr. Donallan sent out these spscirnens of what he can produce from New Zealand Flax, but, what is of more importo us, he has sent back small samples of the raw material, in order to shew the condition in which he requires it. The finest and most highly priced specimen was made of the well-dressed Tihore, just ti the maories prepare it for their finer mats. The second specimen had indeed the epidermis entirely removed, but was not much dressed* The third was much coarser, in appearance resembling those narrow strips of flax with which the maories make their nets; it was rigid to the touch, (the outer skin not having been stripped away,) and yet, I believe, this ! was the sample for which there is at present analmost unlimited demand. For it is now no longer a question whether or no the flax will succeed in the manufacture of the finer linens. That fact is established, and what the manufacturer now requires is not small samples for experiments^ but a steady and regular supply of the material in that state of preparation on which he can rely. On two points he particularly insists. First that the different qualities shall be|kept perfectly distinct. And secondly, whioh is of the greatest importance,

that in packing, the fibres shall be kept perfectly straight, not bent and twisted about in ' an irregular manner. A little ordinary care will accomplish this, especially in the case of the third and coarsest quality, of which I have spoken above. By the aid of an hydraulic press (and I hear that we are to have one shortly in Wellington,) the flax in this state may I am «ure he packed in bales very convenient for shipment, and vrith their own condition, which the English manufacturer imposes as a sine qud non, that the fibre shall be -perfectly straight before it is compressed. I have now done what I undertook, viz., to give you a plain statement of such facts as have come under my observations, it does not belong to me to say anything as to the best way of meeting the demand which now exists in England. Practical men must look to that. lam sorry that I did not make a note of the prices which those who are now collecting flax in the Auckland districts are authorised to give, so as to secure to themselves a fair return for the employment of their capital and time, but I have no doubt but that either of the gentlemen whom I have named above, will be happy tp supply any suc'i information if they are applied to by interested patties. My only object has been to call the attention of your readers once more to this subject, for by so doing I am sure that I am acting up to that name by which I beg to subscribe myself, A Well- Wisher to the Commercial Exports of New Zealand. Wellington, 4th December, 1846.