AUCKLAND AMMUNITION.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 87, 14 April 1887, Page 5

AUCKLAND AMMUNITION.

Mkssus Wiiitsky and Sons have achieved

another success with their cartridges ; this time in Diincdin, till lately the very plane of all others adverse to the idoa of anything good coining out of Auckland, least of all such tilings as cartridges. Wo will not trouble our readers -with the score attached to tho following report received from -Ml- John .1. Atkinson, .Musketry Instructor, Garrison Hill, Duuedin, through Lieutenant - Colonel Bailey, President of the Military School, Wellington, but just give the report, which explains all that, is needed: "Sir,- 1 have tho honour to forward enclosed the return of the practice with tho Auckland ammunition. Ah instructed, L secured the services of seven ot our best shots, four rille and three carbines ; they fired shot for shot. As you will see, the scores are hardly equal, and but for the breaking of three of the caps in the Auckland the practice would be more regular. Sergeant- Fredrick tried some of his shots with two degrees lower sighting by the Vernier sight adjustor, and found it was that much stronger than, the Kynock, which accounts for so many high rules in the Auckland scores. Ten rounds of the Auckland weighs three quarters of an ounce, heavier than the same number of Kynock. After a fair test 1 consider the Auckland ammunition superior to the Ivinoeh." In a chat with Mr Awi "Whitney, who in Ins father's (Captain Whitney) absence is carrying on the manufacture of the cartridges, most of the machinery for which he is the inventor and maker—we learn that ono of the greatest ditlicult.ies experienced in the factory is to get careful hands for the work-. Everything must be so mathematically accurate) in the work that a careless girl (we say " girl," because most, of the hands employed belong to the softer sex) may do several pounds worth of damage per day, not counting the bad eftcet which may be produced upon this rising industry, by bad work leaving the factory. J'onr cncouraijer h« aiihta, Messrs Whitney and Sons offered a prize of a pretty little silver watch for the most careful washer in their factory, of either sex, and Miss Maggie McGann is the successful competitor." The boys' prize is not decided upon. There is a second prize in both cases. A number of new and ingenious machines have been added to the factory since our last visit, and one for minimising the danger to the fingers of the workers in the punching machines especially recommended itself to US. Some photographs of the factory can be seen at Mr Josiah Martin's studio in Queen-street. Captain "Whitney's visit to America and Europe is to procure more machinery, which, on arrival, will place the New Zealand Cartridge Factory in a position to turn out 1.j,000 instead of the past 2,000 cartridges per diem.