A DECLINING INDUSTRY.

Shannon News, 7 August 1923, Page 4

A DECLINING INDUSTRY.

What was once a flourishing industry in New Zealand —the dressing of flax — is how seriously declining, as a result of that dread disease, known as “yellow leaf,” which has played havoc ; with flax fields in all the leading flaxproducing districts of the Dominion. It would really seem that, unless taken in hand seriously, this disease will almost completely wipe out what was at one time a flourishing and remunerative industry. How far the disease has affected the industry may be gauged from the fact that the export of flax fibre for 1921 totalled only 9,643 tons, , which was just half of the product of the previous year, while for some years past the output has been about 23,000 to 25,000 tons per annum, and in 1923 was 28,092 tons. Those who have put large sums of money into flax mills and plant have been much disappointed with thh Government’s failure to help them to any great extent in fighting this yellow leaf disease. In response to urgeht requests made by flaxmillers the Government gave a subsidy of £290 when a £I,OOO was asked for. The matter has been taken up in the House of Representatives by Mr. W. H. Field, j who urges that the full subsidy asked { for be given. A few interested per- | sons have spent large sums in experi- | menting with various methods of eom- | bating the disease, with hopes of ulti* j mate success, and in the interests of an J important industry, which brings a large sum of money into the country, and employs a considerable amount of unskilled labour, the Government should not hesitate to give a helping hand. Good flax land will .give twice the return that can be made from dairying land, and there are large I tracts of this land at present totally unproductive, on account of the presence of disease. A few years ago the value of flax imported amounted to nearly a million sterling annually, which shows that the industry is worth fostering.