The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-09-09
UNITED STATES is PLANNING A
GREAT INDUSTRY.

The high prices or linen ana OF inc
flax fiber from which linen is made
has centered attention on the neces-
sity of establishing a real linen indus
try in this country, the greatest con-
sumner of linen in the world. And
there seems to be two big problems
which must be solved before success
is assured. One is to find some artl-
fetal method of preparing the flax
straw for the spinner, thus reliev-
ing the flax grower of this task, and
the other is to convince the American
public that American-made linen is
as good as any other. There are
number of minor problems, too. and
they are all discussed in a report by
w A. Graham Clark which has just
been published by the bureau of for
eign and domestic commerce, of the
Department of Commerce.
The only country in which the pro-
duction of flax fiber has increased
consistently in recent years is Rus
STA, the report states. In the British
Isles and in France the production
has decreased in spite of all efforts
to keep the industry growing, and in
Austria Hungary, Belgium, and the
Netherlands the industry has not
been able to hold it's own. The Amer
lean production has never been of
Importance. Thanks to liberal gov
eminent aid and to cheap labor the
Russians had gradually been getting
a 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 we'll
known linseed oil so necessary for
the production of good paints and
varnishes OF some 100000 acres
of flax raised in this country in 1915,
the Department of Agriculture esti-
mates that only 1000 acres were de-
voted to flax for fiber. The bulk of
the straw from the seed-bearing
plants is burned and used for fertil-
izer. 1t should be borne in mind,
however, that flax growing for seed
and flax growing for fiber are sepa-
rate and distinct industries. Some
flax is grown for both seed and fiber,
but a decision must be made as to
which is to be the more important
product, just as the sheep raiser
must decide whether mutton or wool
is to be the primary consideration.
In Europe the farmer not only
raises the flax, but prepares the fiber
for the spinner. This preparation re-
quires several processes, one of
which, known as ''retting," requires
considerable cheap labor and much
| ie in
greeable process for the workmen
The problem in this country is to
find some chemical process of retting
that can be carried out at a factory
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 Ameri-
can farmer will take to growing flax
for the fiber, Mr.. Clark thinks Some
progress is already being made in
chemical retting and at least two con-
Germs are now buying flax stalks
from the growers for further treat
ment. Chemical processes have been
tried before without much success,
but one of the new concerns is now
selling chemically retted fiber to
| Europe ana the OIher is ma king
/ coarse liners for use in clothing and
| for curtains.
Even If a good all-American linen
is produced in this country, however,
there still remains the great problem
| of finding a market for it. That
means that time and effort will be
required to persuade the consumer
to buy the domestic product instead
of the imported. Many people invar-
iably choose the imported article
when it is displayed alongside of do
mestic products, almost regardless of
quality. The president of a mill now
making dyed and bleached dress lin
ems from American flax has found
that, small as is his product, there is
difficulty in getting the jobbers and
department stores to handle it. The
| tendency is to assume that, even tho
it is apparently of excellent quality
it cannot equal the old established
| linens from abroad. There will never
be a better time than the present to
popularize the domestic product, for
the imported article Is scarce and
high priced. In normal times our i'm
ports of linen goods vary from 25
to 80 million dollars and the demand
had been steadily increasing up to
the time of the war.