143 REPORT — 1867i 



2i That in Eni-ope alone there is practically an w«limited demand for this class of 

 fibre. 



8. That in order to such fibre as New-Zealand flax becoming marketable, 



A. The supply must be both regular and large. 



B. The quality must equal that of the fibres which at present command 



the market. 



C. The cost of production must be such as to leave a considerable niargin of 



profit on its market price. 

 4. That hence any candidate for preference in the fibre market must submit to be 

 rigorously tested by the following standards : — 



A. Amount and regularity of supply. 



B. Quality. 



C. Market price. 



Theutilizationof New-Zealandflaxhasbeen stimulated in evei-y conceivable way. — 

 by the self-interest of colonists and colonial governments ; by the attraction of sub- 

 stantial government rewards ; by the high prices offered in the British market for 

 good samples of dressed fibre ; by industrial exhibitions throughout the world, includ- 

 ing New Zealand itself ; by the perennial encoiu'agements of the local press. So 

 long ago as 1856, the general government of New Zealand offered premiimis to the 

 extent of £4000 for the production of a marketable fibre ; the provincial government 

 of Canterbury subsequently offered a bonus of £1000 with the same object ; and 

 still more recently, that of Otago has promised a honorariimi of £500 for the pro- 

 duction of a marketable paper from New-Zealand flax, or other indigenous fibre. 

 None of these premiums has yet been gained. Infinite have been the experiments 

 instituted, the patents talcen out, the efforts made to produce a marketable fibre : 

 while at least one special book, printed moreover appropriately on New -Zealand flax- 

 made paper, has been devoted to the subject. Nevertheless no prooress has been 

 made beyond the products of the crude art and hand-labom- of the Maori with his 

 simple mussel or cockle shell ; if, indeed, his results have been rivalled by the best 

 specimens of colonial art. The endeavour to give New-Zealand flax a permanent 

 and satisfactory place in Em-opean commerce has hitherto been a signal failure. 



The authors object is to discuss the causes of this failm'e — to indicate the combi- 

 nation of circumstances that has hitherto operated in preventing the practical appli- 

 cation in the textile arts of a fibre acknowledged by all authorities to possess a high 

 value. 



The author's main propositions are the following : — 



I. Ajnoimt and regularity of supply. 



A. There cannot be a sufficiently large or regular supply to meet the require- 



ments, either of the local or European market, till 



1. The plant is systcmaticalh/ cultivated. 



2. Labour is more abimdant and cheaper. 



B. It remains to be determined by experiment on the large scale : — 



1. What are the most suitable forms and circumstances of cultivation — in 



reference especially to such practical and important points as («) the 

 kind of soil, and (J) the artificial aids to growth. 



2. What are the methods of cultivation most suitable to those Botanical 



species or varieties which possess the finest quality of fibre. 



3. What is the best time for cutting down and preparing the leaf. 

 li. Quality of the fibre. 



A. ^^aries in different s;jec2Vs oi Phonnium and different varieties of P. tenax. 



But it has yet to be detei-mined what species or varieties yield the finest 

 qualities of fibre, whether in the 



a. Cultivated, or | , , 



b. Wild f P^^^*- 



B. Is improved by cultivation. 



This has long been recognized by the Maoiies, who cultivate, solely for 

 its fibre, the New-Zealand flax plant as carefully as they do their 

 maize or potato as food-plants. 



III. Cost of production and market value. 



The present scarcity and high value of labour in New Zealand render the cost 



