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THE LEAF-FIBRE OF NEW ZEALAND FLAX. 25
mechanical, and not of a chemical kind,*—that is to say, that specially
adapted machinery is required, and not special chemical reagents.
For myself, I believe that difficulties of both kinds exist ; and even
were these successfully overcome, there remain many other " Obstacles
to the Utilization of New Zealand Flax," which I have discussed else-
where, f
So long ago as 1856 (December 20th), the General Government of
New Zealand offered seven premiums, amounting in all to £4000,
the first or highest being £2000, the second £1000, and five of
£200 each,— " to the person who shall, by some process of his own
invention, first produce from the Phormimn tenax^ or other fibrous
plant indigenous to New Zealand, one hundred to.is ol merchandise^X
The competition was open till January, 1839. It was stipulated that
there should be a hona fide sale of the merchandise in Europe at an
advance of 20 per cent, on the actual cost of the article when landed
at any European port,—that is to say, that there should be a demon-
strable profit on the cost of production and sale. Subsequently, the
Government of Canterbury offered a premium of £1000, with similar
aims ; while, still more recently, the Provincial Government of Otago
advertised a bonus of £530 to the person or company that shall first pro-
duce, within twelve months, a ton oi paper from Phormium tenax, or
other indigenous fibre, equal in quality and price to imported paper. \
Partly as a result of these offered rewards, partly springing from the
high opinion of the value of New Zealand flax entertained by the colo-
nists themselves, the experiments i| made
—
on the preparation of the
* ' Jurors' Reports of the New Zealand Exhibition of 1865,' p. 372.
t Proceedings of British Association, Section E. (Economic Science), 1867.
Seemann's ' Journal of Botany,' 1867, p. 3il.
\ ' New Zealand,' by Stines, 1859, p. 33,—an essay to which the London
Society of Arts awarded its silver medal.
§ 'Jurors' Eeports of the New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 236.
II Some notice of the earlier experiments in question, and of the causes of
their want of success, will be found in Ur. Thomson's 'Story of New Zealand,'
1859, vol. ii. p. 260. Eeference may als.o be made with advantage to a work
on Phormium tenax, by John Mm'ray, F.S.A., F.L.S., which possesses the additional
interest of being printed on New Zealand flax-made paper. 1 have
not been so fortunate as to see a copy of this work, which would appear to be
rare. A copy was shown in the New Zealand Exhibition of 1865, by the Hon.
Wm. Colenso, F.L.S., of Napier (' Catalogue,' p. 17). Details of the more recent
experiments on the preparation of the flax-fibre, along with the most
trustworthy information regarding the growth of the Flax-plant will be found
in the ' Jurors' Eeports of the New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 429. Eeference
may also be made to the section on " Fibrous Substances and Manufactures,"
in the same ' Eeport,' p. 112.