NM nn ee 
—_- OOO OO? Ole. 
EDITORIAL. 
THE EMPIRE'S FLAX INDUSTRY. 
An interim report by the Empire Flax-growing Committee on the 
general situation of the flax industry, and the immediate prospects of 
supply, strongly emphasizes the importance of the industry to Great 
Britain and the necessity for sustained effort to foster the revival 
of flax-growing in Great Britain and extend its cultivation within the 
Empire. ‘The efforts made under stress of war conditions were directed 
mainly at determining whether under modern conditions, including the 
use of machinery and the central retting process, it was possible to re- 
establish the industry on a sound economic basis. The Committee 
recommends that research should be undertaken into the possibility of 
further mechanical improvements in the means of cultivating and 
handling flax. The programme suggested for Ireland includes, inter 
alia, permanent provision for the training of instructors and scutchers, 
and loans for the erection and repair of scutch-mills. In British Hast 
Africa the results already achieved warrant the hope that that success 
in this arena is likely to be permanent. 
LINEN INDUSTRY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION. 
A Linen Industry Research Association, organized by the Depart- 
ment of Scientific and Industrial Research, has already been formed, 
with Dr. Eyre as Director of Research, and Belfast as headquarters. 
All departments of the linen industry are represented on the Board of 
Directors. At the inaugural meeting the range of investigations was 
only hinted at, but the improvement of seed by selection was regarded 
as of initial importance. At present the position of fibre flax seed is 
one of the greatest confusion. Long habit and short, coarse and fine, 
early maturing and late, are hopelessly mixed together. One authority 
stated his belief that it should be quite possible to have one variety of 
flax producing fine weft, another medium warp, another heavy warp, and 
soon. The utilization of waste products was another problem. Dr. 
Eyre pointed out that there was clear evidence that inequalities in the 
raw material for spinning was responsible for much of the trouble 
experienced in the after-processes. |The work would be mainly on the 
agricultural side, but would reflect through nearly all subsequent stages 
of the industry, particularly the spinning end. Apart from work of 
that kind, certain problems associated with bleaching must be ap- 
proached, and a careful study must be made of the problems associated 
with the artificial drying of yarns. Mr. R. Garrett Campbell, Chair- 
man of the Irish Committee of the Flax Control Board, warned members 
of the Association against expecting substantial results for many a 
day, and reminded them that they were only commencing to work 
towards results which eventually would undoubtedly appear in their 
balance-sheets. 
GEOGRAPHY A PRACTICAL STUDY. - 
A plea for the teaching of geography on a higher plane in Australia 
was made by Professor David, of the University of Sydney, during a 
recent visit to Brisbane. He described how in the United States 
settlement had been increased greatly under the most favorable circum- 
stances by studying propaganda work through all the Government 
Departments, the schools, technical colleges, and universities. What 
461 
