595
and at the same time experiments were made with the view of obtain-ing a better class of fibre by water-retting and by means of alkaline solution and other chemical agencies. But the fibre pro-duced by these rapid and comparatively economical methods
733 very inferior in quality to that produced by Maori handiwork. It may be positively and truthfully stated that no means have yet been devised for producing by mechanical or chemical processes fibre in the perfect condition it shows when selected and prepared by the Maoris themselves without any sophisticated aid. Ten years ago the export from New Zealand was only 1,300 tons of a value of £50,000; now it is now I am unable to say, probably the business has given way under the pressure and prominence of more valuable industries.
Agala, in Samoa we find that 30 years ago a Danish prize was offered by the Government for the most perfectly success-ful machine for separating the first and most important of commer-cial fibres, viz., the Phormium. The prize was not however awarded. No single machine was found to comply at the time with all the requirements. Within the last few years strenuous efforts have been made to get rid of the difficulties of dealing with Sisal grass, and the difficulty of the separation of the fibre has at last been overcome.
In Mexico I am informed that a Baltimore firm is using machines with success. The cleaning machinery is said to differ very greatly from that used in Yucatan, but to it is added an automatic feeding device which permits the leaf to pass through