HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1958-07-23, Page 38egrilITMTAL . gOk-.444. •
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'THE 1,476019W: ,SENVINI4: ZUCKNOW, ONTARIO
1 II ad 'Big Role In Canadian Flax Itidustr
357: B. Anderson).
The ' firm •of Anderson Fla*:
ProduCts Limited had its incep,
lion, Ail 'the SOring of 1920; and,
Since Its founder, Mr, J. G. And-
erson, had been a somewhat prom -
Merit citizen of Lucknow for
some twenty-five years previous
to: this time, it haS' been Suggest-
ed that a brief resume" of his
early history be given,
John George Anderson was
born in 1.866 on the family farm
situated: some eight miles south
of Lubknow on the Gravel Road
On the Ashfield side. In 1894 be •
started' in the produce business lin
Lucknew. In a few years his prin-: .
cipal business .developed into ttiq
buying, and .selling, of Kiiles,...his.
purchases being'Macle.On a natiOri
wide scaie from the Okanagan,
Valley.. in l3ritish.Cohunbia ,• t a the
Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia,
I-Ii'S' markets •were • wherever
there was. a demand, in Western
.cariada,. in the cities of the East,
but principally in the British..
Isles. Owing to the extent : of his
- .
operations he became widely
known as the Apple King. He ,op-
.eratecl. cold , storage plants in;
fatt,1"10..M.LP.L 'MX
wholesale fruit business in the;
City of .Winnipeg.
BeCause of the shortage of
shipping space
and also dollars
during the. First World War the
export market fp:apples was en
lirely cut off 'add. this market
never recovered, For other reas-
ons' the local Markets also .be-
came' more restricted but . -tbe
wholesale fruit PUSilleSS, in Win-
nhOes , was oPerated till' .about
During theSe years Mr. Ander-
son took an active, interest arid
•part in practically 'all local act-.
,ivities..He was Reeve' of the Vill-
age at various times, chairman
of the:SchoOl. Board, chairman Of
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oodiao;00004:101000,1,figooti.:Expansionfoom4NEW MASSEY-FERGUSON PLANT
.,:.
BUILDS 250
*RAcTgR,
250 'world-famous Ferguson System markets in OVer 13/5 other countries.
Tfractors every day . one in less than ,
two Minutes! A remarkable production
figure that goes a Jong -Way towards
proving'this new :-Massey--..Pergli§on.
. ,• . plant, at Detroit one of the Most :ad-
vanced industrial facilities in the world!
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The .DetroitplEttit is Part of a whole
new series of developments Irangmg
..
through pruclutt_r_esearch,„ •_manufac-
turing , -i.i11-Enviietifig, that. have
recently been .put into „effect by this:
dynamic 110 yeir �ld aoropaiiy.
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WEPNESDAY 41714,Y 195&
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11314 'Service will be 'PrOvided to transport visitors
and local residents "Baok-No-,School" ,Qn Saturday
morning; • August. 2nd. •
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•BusseS, will, leave Motgomery's Garge at.: 8,36a.ni,
on the following -routes; - • ' •.• .
ROUTE 1—Over Standpitie. Hill, to Stauffer .Street,
north to Ludgard St., east to Havelock (at Silver
wOeds Corner) -,a,pd south on Havelock: to the Public •
School.. • •
'..-ROUTE td'IngliS St. Wentral Garage), nOrth:'',
+ toGough,•St., east to Outram St; south to Carhpbell •
east to. Havelock .St. (United Church), south to
the Flax MiHi west to .R.9SS St. (quality Hi1l and
north to Campbell Street, thence to the school.
a ride to school.
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the- Board Of Stewards of the
'United Church, chairman Of the
focal ; Red Cross during World
. War • One and. represented the
Riding of Bruce in. the. Ontario
Legislature, ..He was an ' ardent
curler and , Supporter of sports.
Always one eager to engage in
a new venture Mr.Anderson in
1914., purchased a' half interest
in the Ripley Flax Mill This
along with, a few others in Wes-
,
tern ,Ontario,. had,:been operating
hi a small way. With tie, out-
break of war in 1914 'flax ,fible
the. strongest :and most • dhiable
fibre then' khown; became a pro-
duct of vital importance in, ',the
• War', effort. After Spinning and
weaving' the 'fibre the 'resultant
product, i;e. linen thread;and fab-
ric, had almost Innumerable war
uses, •s4Chas aeroplane ,wings
parachutes,.. shoe thread, ,hatch
and:. wagOri• covers, ropes, gun
swabs, • etc., • ete. Previous to the
war the., spinning and -weaving
mills . of . Northern Ireland and
Scotland had depended principal-
ly on , Russia .., but arso on
glum, -Holland and.. France for
their supply of flax. With °the
outbreak of war in 1914 practi:
pally- all this.supply was irnrnect,
iately cut Off and the British
government looked ta Canada:. to
fill the need • a- far as possible.
The result was that .by the end
of the warabout sixty flax mills
were ' operating ,in Western .ctn-
tario.'Everkone thought the boom
would . last; forever and early in
1920, Mr. -Anderson and his
:W. ,B: Anderson; started a Mill ire
Lucknow 'operating ' under the
name of J G. Anderson & Spri,
Mr. Anderson had some years
previous purchased and operated
the Lees. and Douglas woollen
mill as • a ., depot for buying . wool
during : the War. In the • Spring
of, 1926 a large 'flax crop. was
planted, new' flax Machinery in
Stalled in . the inill.' and ' storage
barns .constructed : • Shortly after
'harvest, ‘, the boorn collapsed, -the
deniand for war purposes. Ceased
and large `:.^ accuniulated stocks
from. :Russia and . the ,continent
J were thrown on the market. All,
mills , suffered Such crippling
financial lOSses.that • by 1922 all
bit the two Anderson mills at
Ripley ' and LuaknoW had Ceased
.: . to operate. - - ,.•
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2,000: to 2,500 acres of pedigree
fibre flax annually all under
strict , Government inspection.
The resultant seed was shipped
fo Northern Ireland and, the
straw was processed in the local
mills .principally into uPholster,
:In,..Octobr 1937, Mr. J. G.
Anderson died after •a .shortill-
ness ' and in October 1938, .Mr.. • : ,
Virden Mowbray became actively:
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associated with W. B. Anderson,
..the business, . •
During the 1930's flaX:pulling
machinery . and flax .and.. tow
scotching Machinery. , had been
. Perfectedin Europe-- thus elfin- 7
inating the costly'. arid, 'hack,.
.-breaking labor of hand pulling •
aid spreading and hand •sctitch-:
ing•i In 1938 the 'firm 'decided to
Convert the Seaforth inill back
to ;the produCtiori.,of fible and •
these machines were ptirclipstd
.imported. and ,iristalled in the,
Seaforth mill „ •
War; again broke out in 1939'.
" and ;again Britain was' almost im-. •
Media.tely mit off .'from the, COD -
of Europe and her Prin-
cipal suppliesOf flaX. Canada
once more called upon, to greatly
inCreasethe supply :Of flax: for
British SPinneri. This could only i
be done ,if an adequate SupPiy of, . •
'Suitable' see, was available ,for.
sewing. in .1940 Anderson's,: had.
all their suPply of 1939 seed still
on hand and: early that Fall the.
Federal:Government took it 6cr
completely for distributiori:here
itdeemed most _advantageous:
,Also, in the early Spring Of//1940 .
the Government had ,Pattei'nS
made of all the recently imbort-
ed machines and: these machines
were soon being Manfactured,in
,two plantsin -Ontario and' QUe-
bec. It might be :Said. -therefor that .
this' local ,firm, in its own field.
12V,s inost importaft.t Contribut-
or to the war effort by haiiing
available at the right time .arid
Place the necessary seed and •ina•-•
Chiriery• for 'what beCamea great-
ly eicpaniled- War industry prin-
cipally, in. the Province ofQue. •
Trie7TilirCr -lperseV:eied under
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trying conditions and: about 1924
° were 'fortunate,. in.. establishing
what developed over the .next
few, years into ,a valuable'and
important overseas ConneetiOn.
Space does not permit the de-
tailed .recounting of this but
AnderSeri andaSori were chos-
en by "the :Linen Industry Re-
search Association of Great Brit-
ain,. to be the sole producers Mn
a commercial basis of neW 'and
improved varieties of 'pedigree
, Yet this is the Output of only one. of The largest manufacturer :of tractors
, . .
--. . sixteen Massey -Ferguson factories that • and ,self-propelied combined in tbe, , •
operate in seven countries—in Canada, world 'dtoday, Maiiey-Ferguson-ta. - •
.; the ITS.Ad; England, $coil.arid., Prance, • ' Canadian cornpank with a•truly inter- ' ° •
Germany arid .Australia. Over 3,O00"2 •• national outlook—looks forward" to - • •
employees in inese factories manufac- continued .progress..in ,the mechaniza- • .
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; ture complete line of farm and light tion" Of agriculture throughout the
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industrial.. equipment that. reaches .. world,
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fibre 'flax go6d,' the parent ,seed
• , • , ' • . • hemg. developed on the Kin's
. • '' tstate at Sandringham. The dot
Masseylrergiisoii, 11A. rxiited ' . • bland for those new improved,
• , , Varieties 'grew_ steadily .and by.
' ' ' ' . . •• '. ' . '''. ' , ' - ..4 . • ' 1927 AhderSOris Started another
,... . • , . • T. 0 R 0 N. T:::0 ', ': . .. . ' ''' Mill', at '1Viitchell,- in 1930 another
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4 . , . . at. Seaforth 'and in '1932 anOther
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at*Tavisto_ck. From 1932 Etna
' • s• • , • , •• war- the ,tikni was growing from
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In the winter .Of .1941 °the.
at •Seaferth, 'Mitchell 'and TaVi-
stoek were Sold .outright to ,..
I.1,eskY. Flax Products .Lirnitecl and.
the "operations • at 4:meknow wete
cerisiderahly ;04)anded with ad- ..
`ditionif iFteage arid the neceVm.'
.1;iuildingS. During the war And-
ersonsalso acted: as agnt of the
ailadiair. Wheat Board for the-
purchaseof oil. ,:flaNseed. from. •
p.rodtacerg 'in.' VV,esfern Ontario,
In 1946 the firm 'Was inCoriiorT.
aced , itrider its present name
AnderSiin•Fla,,t „PrOducts., Lifnited.
In 1948 Mr. W, ;13: Anderson ;
all has stock . to 'the 'present
OWners and 'Ttorn that time 'has •
had .:no interest, ,ffnaneinl or. •
otherWise, i1. ;the •
-Present.oWner's are V. A. Mow-
biay,.X:‘ W. Mowbiay,
Taylor, • The flax mill' ,Was
destrOyed byirin Rine Of 106Z: •
bt4 Wag rebuilt ,and "opehtion.
aii late .the net spring, 'The
pretent, Owners, as well as, eon' •
tititiitig the flax ,buSinOss• h4ve-
turned also to generalfarming ,
and the „growing oftoarse grains, , •