This photograph shows unidentified flax workers in the Makerua swamp. The Makerua swamp was adjacent to the eastern bank of the Manawatu River and extended from Linton in the north to Shannon in the south. The swamp was 14,000 acres in size and was the largest commercial flax-growing area ever developed in New Zealand. At the peak of its production it was supplying green leaf to 18 flaxmills which employed 600 men.