Image
A worker feeds flax leaves into the stripping machine, which removes the green fleshy parts of the leaf and exposes the strong fibres. Usually another worker would be sitting underneath the machine, in the so-called ‘glory hole’, to catch and bunch the fibre. The shrieking machinery and slimy waste material made this job very unpleasant.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Alexander Turnbull Library, Agriculture Department Collection
Reference: 1/1-007581; G
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.