Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-09-09
United States Is
Planning a Great
New Industry---Flax

The high prices of linen and of the
flax fibre from which linens are made
has centered attention on the necessity
of establishing a real linen industry in
this country, the greatest consumer of
linen in the world. There seem to be
two big problems which must be solved
before success is assured. One is to
find some artificial method of prepar-
ing the flax straw for the spinner, thus
relieving the flax grower of this task,
and the other is to convince the Ameri-
can public that American made linen is
as good as any other. There are num-
Der of minor problems, and they are all
discussed in a report by w. A. Graham
Clark just published by the Bureau of
Foreign and Domestic commerce, De-
partment of Commerce.
The only country in which the pro-
duetion of flax fibre has increased con
sistently in recent years is Russia, the
report states. In the British Isles and
in France the production has decreased
in spite of all efforts to keep the nj
dustry growing and in Austro-H Hungary,
Belgium, and the Netherlands the indus
try has not been able to hold its own.
The American production has never
been of importance. Thanks to liberal
government aid and to cheap labor the
Russians had gradually been getting
monopoly of the business up to the time
the war broke out.
In the United States flax has been
raised almost entirely for the seed,
which is used to make the well-known
hnseed oil so necessary for the produc-
tion of good paints and varnishes. Of
some 100000 acres of flax raised in
this country in 1915, the Department of
Agriculture estimates that only 1000
acres were devoted to flax for fibre.
The bulk of the straw from the seed
bearing plants is burned and used for
fertilizer. 1t should be borue in mind,
however, that flax growing for seed
and flax growing for fibre are separate
and distinct industries. Some flax is
grown for both seed and fibre, but
decision must be made as to which is
to be the more important product, just
as the sheep raiser must decide whether
mutton OF wool is to be the primary con-
sideration.
In Europe the farmer not only raises
the flax, but prepares the fibre for the
spinner. This preparation requires sew
eral processes, one of which, known as
"retting" requires considerable cheap
labor and much time and is in addition
a most disagreeable process for the
workmen. The problem in this country
is to find some chemical process of ret
ting that can be carried out at fact
ory and thus allow the farmer to con-
fine his attention to the agricultural
end of the industry. This is the only
condition on which the American far
mer will take to growing flax for the
fibre, Mr.. Clark thinks. Some pro
gress is already being made in chemi
cal retting and at least two concerns
are now buying flax stalks from the
growers for further treatment. Chemi.
cal processes have been tried before
without much success, but one Of the
new concerns is now selling chemically
retted fibre to Europe and the other
is making coarse linens for use in cloth
ing and for curtains.
Even if good all-American linen is
produced in this country, however, there
still remains the great problem of find
ing market for it. That means that
time and effort will be required to per-
suade the consumer to buy the domestic
product instead of the imported. Many
people invariably choose the imported
article when it is displayed alongside
of domestic products, almost regardless
Of quality. The president of mill
now making dyed and bleached dress
linens from American flax has found
that, small as his product, there is diff.
ficulty in getting the jobbers and de.
partment stores to handle it. The ten
dency is to assume that, even though
it is apparently of excellent quality, it
cannot equal the old established linens
from abroad. There will never be bet
ter time than the present to popularize
the domestic product, for the imported
article is scarce and high priced. In
normal times our imports of linen
goods vary from 25 to 35 million dol
lars and the demand had been steadily
increasing up TO the time of the war.
The Bureaus report is entitled "De.
velopment Of an American Linen In
dustry," Special Agents series No. 122,
and may be obtained for the nominal
price of five cents from the superin.
tendent Of documents, Washington, d.
c., or from the nearest district office
Of the Bureau Of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce.
European struggle is over, resorting TO