Wairarapa Daily Times [ESTABLISHED 1878] WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1892. THE FLAX TRADE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4144, 22 June 1892, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times [ESTABLISHED 1878] WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1892. THE FLAX TRADE.

Being the extended tote of the Wajkarapa Daily, with wuich it is IDENTICAL

Manilla and Sisal are oot the only rivals that New Zealand flax has to fear, There is a plaut called Ramie, grown in some of tbe Southern States of the Union, and also in India. Rtmie is capable of being minufaotured into an excellent hemp; but its greatest advantage over our flax consists in this, that it can be cut three or four times a year for something like twenty years without replanting,

It is well that we should realise how far we are troin commanding the market-, We have to cope with competition in three'quarters, and our own product is far from being tbe best of the four commodities which are concurrently trying to work their way to the front, What, then, it may be asked,' is the cause of the excellent prices which for some time past have brought joy to the hearts of all persons able to get hold of flax ? We apprehend that the increase in the present-market value of New Zealand flax is due . to a combination ot causes, some of them temporary in their operation, First of all, the universal adoption of harvesting machines has, of course, produced a corresponding demand for binder twine; and this demand will no doubt be permanent, But we rather expect to learn from Mr Perceval's report that the recent increased demand for our own flax is owing in some measure to a comparative failure of the crop of Manilla. We know that there has been some failure; and it is reasonable to suppose that the absence of one of our rivals from the market has been favourable, for the time, to our. own position. We know also that in the case of Sisal there has been an excess of demand over.-supply for some.little time past; though we confess that we are not sufficiently posted in the subject to be able to account for the non-appearance of this particular oommodity. Once mors, we know that the great drawback to the placing of Ramie on the market hitherto has been the want of proper maohinery for preparing it. Thus, some of the causes of our recent success with our flax are, as we intimated,. temporary in their charaoter. The Manilla crop is, we understand, recovering its fertility; it may be assumed that I those intarested in iSisal are taking all necessary steps to increase the supply; and, as for flamie, if it.has been a mere question of machinery, we shall be surprised to learn that the machinery has not been produced by this time for turn* ing out t|e manufactipd article, On all these points, hpwever, we confidently expect to find important information up to date, in our Agent. General's report, In the meantime let us quite understand that good prioes to-day are no sort of guarantee that there will be good prices to* morrow, And, understanding this, the sensible colonist will not rush blindly into the business of flaxmilling. He will reah'sp two thingsfirst, that no sound business enterprise ever pays enormous dividends in perpetuity) and secondly, that the indiscriminate Wr'Botipn of our flax by those who haste to get rich is simply killing the goose that lays tho golden eggs. Flax can only be out, we believe, once in two years—at tbe very outside, Yet there are people si) sply iii their greed that they eepm. to be inclined to treat fax as though H possessed the property of the Eaniie which we mentioned jußt now—the capacity to stand outting for twenty years, Before we close an article whioh mav seem to breathe despondenoy, but" is intended only to oonvey oautiovij let,n's iefer-to one moie trouble in connection with flax in New Zealand. Over and above the perils of competition, beyond the risk of reduoing our stook of raw material through impatient' avarice, there looms the over-present danger of spoiling our markat by sending Home flax improperly prepared,, We need not labour the point; everyone knows all about it already. Unless tbe flax whioh wo export is carefully dressed

and bjeaobed anibaled, we shall find I befotf.lpng'thßt-rodeperidentiy of the riralry ofManilla, Sisal.or Ramie r-an'ihdiJßtr; wbioh at present pays a wages' bill probably of £200,000 per annum will dwindle to a trivial affair.