N.Z. Inventor Endeavoured to Make History

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 723, 24 July 1929, Page 7

N.Z. Inventor Endeavoured to Make History

Modern Flax Process Known in Early Days FORMULA NOW IN AUCKLAND Undulating areas of thick green leaf, rich in fibre of silky texture and uncommon length. Countless hundreds of acres of this vegetable treasure, beckoning to the newcomers as it swayed in the wind; challenging man's resourcefulness. This was one of nature’s gifts to the pioneers of Xew Zealand. As it happened her offerings were prolific and amazingly generous. Gold there was and timber, rich soil and whale oil, gum and utility minerals. The wealth of flax was not so apparent and, because there were other, easier channels, for the time being it was ignored. Yet the •wiser, shrewder heads in that first group of settlers began to notice the uses to which flax preparations -were put by tbe Maoris. They examined the creamy fibre after it had been scraped, prepared, bleached and woven. They noted its length and silky texture. They discussed it iu terms of cloth, and ships’ sails, rope and twine, clothing material and paper. BORN BEFORE HIS TIME Among these deeper thinkers was | a man who, as an inventor, was born before his time. He -was one of a family whose brains were essentially creative, a fact that is proved by the appearance of similar traits in his descendants, now resident in Auckland. Had he been able to convince the world of his discoveries Mr. Luke Nattrass might have changed the history of New Zealand, for he invented, nearly 100 years ago, a process of treating raw flax that was speedy, economical and immensely practical. He perfected a method of treating flax and reducing the fibre in 12 hours to a condition suitable for shipment. Even today, by the methods in general use throughout the Dominion, this process occupies nearly as many days. The strange fact of the story is that Mr. Nattrass’s process, or one on similar lines to it, is only now being recognised as possible. A German professor has announced that all kinds of paper, from the toughest banknote material to tlie finest imitation rice-paper for cigarette manufacturing purposes, can be produced excellently from New Zealand flax. DOUBT AND SUSPICION It was indeed unfortunate that the early experiments of Mr. Nattrass and others bore little fruit. They were treated by the colonists with doubt, not unmixed with suspicion. Despite the strong backing of at least one newspaper of the day, the progress of the industry was slow and disappointing and the business of flax fibre production became and has always remained a minor phase of New Zealand’s primary production. To discover the attempts of Mr. Nattrass and men of the same mind as he, one must turn back to the year 1844, when a special statement relative to the flax of New Zealand, its quality, the tests that had been applied to the fibre, and the possibilities of organising a market, was placed before a committee of the House of Commons appointed to investigate New Zealand affairs. A copy of this statement is held | today by Mr. H. Nattrass, of Mount Albert, grandson of Mr. Luke Nattrass, one of New Zealand’s earliest settlers. The pioneer head of the family preserved this and other relative papers, including his formula for the preparation of fibre and the making of not only cloth, but artificial silk and cordage of special strength. A man in whom the qualities of inventiveness and practical foresight ran strongly, Mr. Nattrass reached New Zealand in 1838, and it was not long before he turned his attention to the raw products of the new land and the uses to which they might be put. UNSCRUPULOUS ACT The next trace of the activities of the flax industry supporters is to be found in a prospectus for the New Zealand Flax Importation Company issued in 1544 by Mr. M. J. J. Donlan, of Staffordshire, with whom Mr. Nattrass was directly associated. This referred enthusiastically to the future of the industry. This also dwelt darkly on a fire which had destroyed Mr. Donlan’s factory in London, stating that damage amounting to £16,000 had been caused bj r an incendiary acting on behalf of rival trade interests. Mr. Doulan’s claims were based on the results obtained from chemically-prepared New Zealand fibre produced about 1535. Mr. Nattrass came into the New Zealand public arena in 1864 when he contributed many letters and articles to the Nelson “Colonist,” a paper that supported the ideas and proposals for all they were worth. In its columns Mr. Nattrass told the colony of his experiments and successes, of a public meeting he convened at Nelson, of the poor reception he received, and of the general apathy throughout the land. Mr. Nattrass was also in touch with the Nelsou Flax Commission, which in 1569 requested him to supply detailed information of his experiments. Ail New Zealand knows the subsequent history of the flax industry, and the fact that these early experiments in fast, scientific preparation were not utilised. It is significant that, in a year when the value of such a process is being recognised abroad, there should exist in an Auckland home papers nearly 100 years old, which give accurate and specialised information about the same method.