4A, THE LEAF-FIBRE OF NEW ZEALAND FLAX. 
Henslow, of Cambridge; Dr. Hooker, of Kew; M. C. Cooke, of the 
India Museum, and other eminent authorities on paper manufacture, 
or paper material. Among other results I was somewhat surprised to 
find that the amount of non-utilized material, quite equal in value, I 
believe, to New Zealand flax as paper stuff, is enormous. Fibres suit- 
able for paper-making, as well as for the manufacture of cordage and 
textile fabrics, abound in all parts of the world, that are characterized 
to any extent by higher vegetation, especially in all tropical, warm, or 
temperate climates. Many of the British Colonies are hence most 
prolific, especially the East and West Indies, Mauritius, and Natal. 
All, these colonies, however, have this advantage over New Zealand, 
that labour is abundant and cheap,—that of negroes, coolies, Kaffirs,* 
or other natives of the tropics, being largely available in all of them. 
These colonies are, besides, nearer England, and they have many 
other advantages over a distant young colony. From all which it fol- 
lows, that there is little likelihood, I fear, of New Zealand flax com- 
peting with other fibres as a paper material, unless in the local market. 
Other Economical Applications of the Fibre—In the New Zealand 
Exhibition of 1865 there was shown a complete series of flax-made 
fabrics from the coarsest to the finest, including railway cloths, sail 
cloth, canvas, duck, twill for cavalry trousers, and cambric; but such 
specimens have a very limited value; they show what can be made of 
New Zealand flax, under certain exceptionable circumstances, but they 
do not exhibit the cost of production. In point of fact, such speci- 
mens can only be regarded as “ fancy” articles “ got up” for exhibi- 
tion,—mere curiosities of local ingenuity and industry. They have been, 
for the most part, manufactured with great care from fibre dressed 
with great labour and at great cost. Articles similar to the samples 
could not be produced at prices nearly equal to those of jute or hemp. 
Briant regards New Zealand flax-as suitable for coarse bagging, corn- 
sacks, wool-sheets and bands, hop-bags, and similar articles, which, 
however, in this country at least, can be made infinitely more cheaply 
from jute, even though the latter is itself at present somewhat dear. 
The “tow,” or refuse flax, from cordage-making (in the form of an 
awled fibre like “corn ”) has been found suitable for stuffing mat- 
* In the south island of New Zealand there are very few natives, about 
, in Otago only 500, and in the north, where there are still 53,000, their 
daboar te much more valuable than that of 1 negroes or coolies, 
m" 
