THE IRISH LINEN TRADE

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 200, 23 April 1887, Page 8

THE IRISH LINEN TRADE

Ireland just now is occupying a- very large? share of ihe attention, not oniy of the 1 British PaiHament, bub of English-speaking-people throughout the world. It is pleasant to remember, among all the ctoleful accounts of evictions and agrarian outrages which unfortunately figure so prominently in paragraphs relating to Ireland, that " the mosft distressful country " is celebrated in othw and more praiseworthy respects. Many of her industries **aye attained a position highly creditabJte to a people handicapped, as most now admit the Irish to have been, by centuries o£ misrule. In th/e production of linen- goods especially the: Emerald Jsle has for a long period held a position of proud pre-eminence, the large proportion of linens uried the world over coining from Irish looms. She sends her productions to all quartern of the globs to be used by all classes of society. It is to the persecution of the Huguenotsin France that this industry owes its origin. These men and women, "of whom the world was not worthy," driven from their | homes on account of their religious belief, [ enriched the countries which gave them shelter with their skill and enterprise. France never made a greater blunder than when she exiled these pious people to start silk-weaving in Spitaltields and lay the foundations oi the Irish linen trade. Some of these Huguenots settled at Lisburn, near Belfast, and began not only to cultivate the flax plant and manufacture it into linen, but to instruct their neighbours in the art. They succeeded so well that in process of time the industry spread over the country, especially in the province of Ulster, ; till it was an almost universal practice for the North of Ireland farmer to grow his field of flax in the intervals of farm work, dress it, by the aid of his wife or daughters make it into linen and bleach it for household use, or sell it to the linen merchant, who shipped it to the markets then open. The invention, of the spinning jenny proving a success in the cotton trade.it \va» soon adapted to the flax iibie, and the American civil Avar breaking out, making cotton dear, resulted in numerous mills springing up over the Noi Ih of Ireland, and a few in the South, giving an immense impetus to the trade. The hand-spinning wheel was completely " bowled out." and is J now preserved merely as a relic of bygone days. The steam power loom was soon introduced, and side by side with the spinning mills linen-weaving factories -were erected, giving, employment to great numbers of people. At first only coarsest varieties could be produced by the power loom, the liner makes of Fronting.s, Damask, etc. , being still made by the old hand-loom, but the machinery has been brought to such a stage of perfection that the linen for the best dress shirt can be woven by steam power, and it is only a question of lime when the hapd loom shall take itb place in the museum beside the spinning wheel. All these improvements in the process of manufacture meant the larger production of goods, and at such a lowering of tho cost that linen, from being tho luxury of the few as formerly, is now becoming the necessity of the many. The damp climate of Ireland is certainly a drawback to her agricultural prosperity, but it is well suited tor the manufacture of linen yarn, which in mo&t cases require. 1 -, an atmosphere saturated with moisture ; Avhile in her verdure-clad fields she possesses a spread ground for bleaching which renders her unapproachable in thu> department. It is an acknowledged fact that nowhere is linen ble.-t 'r*." 1 .- u Ji a snowy whiteness as in the htoie island " whore the grass grows green. " Belfast.the commercial capital of Ireland, is the principal seat of the industry, and owes nearly all its prosperity to what is locally know n as the staple trade of Ulster. Some idea of the importance and growth of the manufacture may be gathered fr-jin the fact that .sixty years ago Belfast was an insignificant town, and is now a fine city with nearly a quarter of a million inhabitants, while in the .surrounding districts numerous smaller town.s owe their existence to linen in some of its numerous ■varieties.. Of late yeais the Continental nations have been developing this as well as other branches of industry, and instead of being large buyer*, as in the past they are now rivals of Belfast in some departments oi the trade. The result is that profits have been greatly reduced, and in some cases mills forced to close up. This is not surprising when we remember that Continential employeis can work then hands for any houi a and at almost what pay they like, while Factory Acts and Tiadcs Unions tie the Irish manufactiuor hand and foot. Anothci item which handicaps the Belfast mills, is the fact that the greater part of the flax used is grown on the Continent and shipped to Belfast, the Irish farmers supplying only a small proportion of the annual consumption. This opens up a question interesting to New Zealand. Can we not grow this ilax as well as Russia or Belgium, and send it Home as we do wheat or wool ? The Continental countries impose high protective duties on linen imports, which in the case of Russia, especially, are almost prohibitory. We on the other hand admit linen goods with a small duty, and some varieties free. New Zealandgrown flax would thus be entitled to, and would receive, a preference from tho Home manufacturer, which would be greatly in its favour. Our climate is as well adapted to flax culture as that of Belgium or Russia, and the question of suitability of soil is easily settled by experiments in different localities. In the tfnited States, the flax plant is cultivated in some places for the seed alone, which makes a most fattening food for cattle, and is also used in medicine. Our hot summer would ripen the seed, so that it would be available for feeding purposes or to send Home. At present, the Irish fai mer imports his flax-seed at a higk price from Belgium and Russia, the Irish summer],, as a rule, not being dry enough for bile saving of the seed. So that if both the fifercand the seed were marketable there seems little doubt but that in suitable soil the European flax plant would prove a welcome addition to our crops, and do something to remove the agricultural depression. Messrs Smith and Caughey, Quoen-sfcreet, have at present in their window an interesting exhibit of Irish flax in all stages of its manufacture, from the fla*x in the straw to the finest fabric that is woven — bleached and ready for use. One specimen of linen yarn, from the mill of Messrs J. T. and M. Greeves and ,Co., Belfast*, is worthy of notice, This yarn, spun by steam power, is so fine that four niilss in length of it weighs a little over a quarter of a pound. In the olden days of, the spinning-wheel |it was the boast of many an Irish farmer's wife > that she could spin a hank of yarn so fine that it would pass through her wedding ring. This feai), diffi- , cult for human fingers, hasbeen all but accomplished by tho spinning frames of the , Belfast firm jusfe mentioned, , Messrs Smith and Caughey are also exhibiting a fine collection of linen fabrics, all

of Irish xnartufftefcure, »orae of them 6f amost artistic description, and very creditable to the skill and taste of the Irish artisan. This firm lias for some years imported all their linen* direct, from the Belfast factories, and will be glad to give any information to those interested in the question of flax culture; Which we think deserving of consideration by agriculturists and by everyone 1 interested in the- prosperity of our colony. — " Auckland Star."