8

THE NEW ZEALAD GAZETTE.

41, offering rewards, on certain conditions, for
the discovery of efficient means for rendering
the flax and other fibrous plants of New
Zealand, available as articles of export, and the
following extract from a letter just received by
Government relating to this subject from a
gentleman engaged in flax spinning at Leeds is
published for general information.

"The Flax could be made very serviceable
and of immense value to our manufacturers here,
in the present state of the flax market, as we
are now paying £10 to £20 per ton more for
all kinds of flaxes, then we were doing last
year."

ALFRED DOMETT.

Notice referred to.

NEW ZEALAND FLAX.

£4,000 REWARD.

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Auckland, 13th September, 1861.

The Government of New Zealand is prepar-
ed, subject to the undermentioned conditions, to
give rewards to the amount of £4,000 for the
discovery of efficient means for rendering the
Flax, and other fibrous plants of New Zealand,
available as articles of export, viz:-

£2,000

To the person who shall, by some process of
his own invention, first produce from the
Phormium Tenax, or othes fibrous plant
indigenous to New Zealand, forty tons of
Merchandize.

£1,000

To any person, other than the person entitled
to the first reward, who shall, by some process
of his own invention, next produce from the
Phormium Tenax, or other fibrous plant
indigenous to New Zealand, forty tons of
Merchandize.

£1,000

Viz:--£200 to any person, not exceeding
five in all, other then those entitled to the first
and second rewards, who shall, by any process,
whether of his own invention or not, produce
from the Phormium Tenax, or other fibrous
plant indigenous to New Zealand, twenty tons
of Merchandize.

Every claim for the above rewards must be
preferred before the 1st Januray, 1864.

The Merchandize must be saleable as an
article of Export from the Colony of New
Zealand, and have been produced at a cost not
exceeding 75 per cent. of its value at the Port
of entry from which it is exported; and the
process used must be fully made known, with
a view to the discovery being at once made
available to the public.

His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand
will from time to time appoint Commissions,
to consist of not less than three persons, to act

at such places as circumstances may require,
and each claim for reward will be referred to
such Commission as may be considered the most
convenient for its proper investigation. The
acts of the majority will be deemed the acts of
the Commission.

Each Commission shall be at liberty to adopt
such means as it may deem most fit for deter-
mining the value and cost of production of the
Merchandize, for ascertaining the process em-
ployed, and for fully investigating in all respects
and reporting upon the validity of any claim.

Every competitor wishing to have flax in-
spected must apply to the Collector of Customs
at the nearest Port, who shall forthwith give
notice to the Commissioners acting for the par-
ticular locality, who shall forthwith appoint some
convenient time and place for the inspection, and
communicate the same in writing to the compe-
titor. Any competitor may exhibit to the
Commissioners any quantity of flax not less than
five tons at a time.

For each quantity inspected and approved
by the Commissioners they shall give the com-
petitor a certificate signed by a majority of them,
a duplicate of which must be forthwith deposited
at the Collector's Office, at the nearest Custom
House.

When the total quantity shall have been in-
spected by instalments and more than one cer-
tificate is given to a claimant, then each certifi-
cate after the first shall state in words the quan-
tity already passed and approved on behalf of
the same competitor. Whenever the quantity
approved of on behalf of any one competitor
amounts to forty tons, the Commissioners shall
certify in words, at length, the date on which the
full quantity was passed, and the name of the
competitor, which certificate they shall immedi-
ately deposit with the Colonial Secretary, keep-
ing one copy for themselves, and giving the
competitor one. The date of such certificate
shall be deemed the day on which the claimant
produced the forty tons of merchandize required.

Whenever any quantity of flax is brought
for inspection, satisfactory proof will have to
be given to the Commissioners that no part
of the flax has been already inspected by
them.

One half of the reward will be paid at once
to any person whom the Governor, on the
report of a Commission, shall declare in
writing to be entitled to the same, after
which no other claim to a reward of the same
class will be entertained; and the other half
of such reward will be paid upon satisfactory
proof being given to the Governor, or his
appointee in London, of the bona fide sale of
twenty tons of the merchandize in Europe, at
an advance of not less than twenty per cent.
upon the actual cost of the article landed in
Europe.

All costs and expenses connected with the
carriage to or removal from the place of in-
spection of any flax offered for inspection, and
all other expenses, if any, connected therewith,
to be borne by the competitor.

WILLIAM FOX.