A COLONIAL ROMANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 177, 25 July 1908, Page 7

A COLONIAL ROMANCE.

START OF A BIG INDUSTRY. THE STORY OF THREE GENERATIONS. Anything connected with trade is apt to be considered practical and prosaic, yet some of the most romantic stories are those connected with the launching of what afterwards developed into big industries. Hitherto most of the romances in Auckland district have been either connected with the Maori war, or sensational finds on the goldfields. Yet, within eight miles of Auckland, a most interesting story was awaiting the pen of the writer in the description of how one of our most prosperous local industries was launched, engineered, and developed, until the trade grew so big that a few weeks ago it was registered as a company, with a capital of £100,000. To start the story properly, it is necessary, to carry the reader's mind back to the year 1820, when Napoleon was a prisoner at St. Helena, five years after the great battle of Waterloo, at the close of the reign of George HI. Free trade was then beginning for the first time to make headway and become an established fact in Great Britain, and many of the harsh laws of the 17th and ISth centuries were being repealed, as the spirit of tolerance and respect of the individual rights and liberties of the subject replaced the bigotism of earlier days. Not far by coach from the great city of London (wirich was thi . not bo renowned for its smoky atmosphere and dense fogs as at present, there being no railways, steamboats, or huge smoky factories, as the steam engine waa not then brought into practical use by George Stephenson) "'n a sunny villa lived a happy household, where might be seen romping three brothers—Latimer, Edwin and Rice Owen Clark—varying in age from sto 12 years. Little could one guess then the career and destiny of those three rollicking boys, or was there such in their manner to indicate that eventually one would become the inventor, partner, and co-worker with George Stephenson, undertaking the engineering and construction of many of the pioneer railway lines, and erecting the first iron bridge across the Thames. Another was to become one of the leading lights in the early electrical world, inventing numerous telegraphic electrical instruments and contrivances, including searchlights, which, up to the present, have not been superseded in some of our warships, and whose later scientific works on several suojects are still among the text-books of our university graduates; ■while the third and youngest lad, Rice Owen Clark, with whom we will be more intimately acquainted shortly, eventually was to come to New Zealand and found what is to-day, in its special line, the leading manufactory in the Southern Hemisphere, and is turning out an article that for quality cannot bo excelled even by the long-established English and Continental houses.

After walking Lloyds (the great marine insurance house) for several years, Mr. R. O. Clark, at the age of 25, decided to try his fortune in a new country, so he invested all his capital in mining machinery, which he brought out on a sailing ship with him in 1840. He landed on an unknown shore near Wellington (the capital of the colony being then at Russell, Bay of Islands)—a new country with all conditions so essentially different from the Homeland, nnd he found that his invested capital was practically useless, as it was too early in the development of the colony for mining machinery to be of any good in a land whoso timber-clad interior had never even been traversed, lot alone prospected to any extent. The neatly attired "new hand" therefore found it impossible to dispose of his unwanted machinery, and soon found it necessary to secure some employment; but as pit-sawing and bushfoiling' were the only occupations offering, and no gang wanted a "gentleman" greenhorn, it was a long, disappointing, and vain search. At last, when in desperate need, a kindly stranger, noticing tho "new chap" down on his luck, and probably remembering his own plight when ho first landed as a "new chum," said to tho young Englishman, "Well, young man, why ar*nt you working?" To this the reply was, "I have been trying my best to get a job, but no one seems to want anybody." Then followed the question, "What kind of work do you want?" to which came the prompt reply, "Anything I can get, sir." This decided the kindly stranger, who at once said, "Right you are; come with mc. and I'll soon fix you up." lie then took the young man to his shack, supplied him with a coat n little the worse for wear, some sacking for leggings, and dark and somewhat shabby flannel, in place of the starched white collar and shirt, and said. "Now go and try your luck." The result was that within a few hours he had secured a billet on a survey party. This was one lesson learnt never to be forgQtten. He soon got the corners rounded off, and learnt the gentle art of bush-falling and pitsawing, and other pioneer necessities! About 1848 our one time "new chum," now a bronzed, horny-handed pioneer of 32, took to himself a wife, a sturdy, capable daughter of one of the earliest settlers in New Zealand, and herself a colonial. But long ere this the neigh--bours had found out there was a man in their midst who should be putting his evidently first-class education to a better use than bush work, and so persuaded Mr. R. O. Clark to open a school in Wellington, where their sons and daughters could at least learn the rudiments of education. However, one of the severe earthquakes that were then not only "common property" but of "common .occurrence" in Wellington, demolished both his school and home, so with a family of two children of his own, our schoolmaster, with true pioneer instincts, decided that there were better opportunities of advancement in the.newly-formed capital and rapidly-growing port of Auckland, and so thither he repaired to prepare a new homo for his family. The first work that offered itself here was that of sawyer at Henderson's Mill, which our pioneer knew now how to avail himself of; but the men coming down one month end from the pits for their wages, found the cashier, who should have had their money made up, dead drunk, and as the men had to lay in a fresh supply of provisions and return to their work, one of their number, our pioneer, stepped up and offered to write up the pay-books and pay the men's wages. A sawyer who could do thnt in those days was a curiosity indeed, but so quickly and well did our one time "LJoyds" marine insurer do his self-imposed task, that the manager there and then requested him to become cashier, which he did for some time, though one big burly sawyer, sooner than accept his wages from a one time "mate," refused to take his wages tit all for several weeks, and eventually left sooner than see the dignity of paymaster thus suffer. About 1854 our pioneer, who, by dint of hard labour, had saved sufficient to buy some Land, secured a block of WESte land, which is now the prosperous Borough of Dcvonport, and also included Fort Cautly. Subsequently selling that at £2 per acre, he made his home on the upper reaches of the

Waitemata Harbour, started fanniitg; with no near neighbour • but the natives .who .congregated there at certain seasons in good numbers for the fishing. With axe and saw he soon fashioned a snug bush house of punga tree fern, trunks' and nikau thatching, and one bleak day removed into it with all his earthly belongings, and his wife and three children, the youngest but a few weeks old. Arriving near dusk, our pioneer had a bright log fire blazing on the hearth to welcome his family and guests for the night (the boatmen), and while the first meal Was being cooked all were regaled with delicious tea from the few tin pannikins available. The clay floors were richly strewn with a soft carpet of freshly gathered fern, and the two elder children made their new fairy house ring with mirth and laughter as they gambolled and buried each other in the fern carpets, and explored all the wonderful nooks and corners of the fairyland. When a good area had been brought under cultivation, Mr. Clark, finding the soil somewhat heavy and clayey, determined to set about draining it. However, there were no earthenware pipes or tiles to be had for love or money, and there was certainly not money available if the drain tiles had been forthcoming; and so, choosing the spot where the strongest and most adhesive clay abounded, the' pioneer and his three eldest children set about constructing ft shed of pungas, ti-tree and nikau, making rough wooden moulds to make the tiles by hand. Little did he then dream that he was even at that time laying the foundations of what was ultimately to develop into a big local industry. While one got the clay to a very primitive bullock-driven mixer, the other two moulded the tiles and set them to dry in the shed. Next a hollow cavity was formed in the side of a clay hill. This was filled with tiles, and the front was built up of stones, pungas, and daub, the top covered with shells, and wood fires lighted. Thus, the first drain tiles were made in the Auckland province, and from then until the present time the business has steadily increased. It speaks volumes for the bulldog tenacity of purpose that the early pioneers had, that they achieved so much with the few simple things at hand to help them. Thus, Mr. R. O. Clark, during the long years of struggle with adverse circumstances and poverty—poverty that precluded his children from knowing the taste of butter on their bread until they were in their teens; circumstances that prevented him from enjoying most of the intellectual pursuits that he was so well fitted for by education and disposition, and could " have had at home, though his people were in good circumstances in the Old Land, he never returned to the lap of luxury, or let his friends or relatives know of the severe struggles he underwent, until he had conquered both circumstances and Maoris, for he fought through the Maori war; and then on two occasions in later life did the pioneer visit the dear Homeland, with all its early associations and tender memories of long ago.

The pioneer's second son (named after himself), R. 0. Clark, junr., eventually took over the pottery works, and devoted the whole of hi 3 time and energies to enlarging the business and increasing the efficiency and quality of both machinery and manufactured article ; and under his able guidance, steady application, and inventive ability, the business grew by leaps and bounds. He established agencies in all the main towns in the Dominion, and in 1898 visited the Homeland, Europe, Asia, and Africa, to get the latest ideas in. machinery, but found that for his particular clay there was nothing at Home that could equal the machine he himself designed after years of experiments. When in turn Mr. R. O. Clark's junr., own sons joined the firm, (the late) Mr. Clark, who was of a particularly practical turn of mind, insisted that they should commence at the bottom of the ladder, and learn every trade in the business by successively going through a practical term in all the various branches and departments, with the result that they became thoroughly practical men, and naturally proved themselves competent to carry on the business successfully during the last ten years. There, ho-wever, comes a time in all private businesses when the demands of a rapidly-increasing trade necessitates making provision for a much larger output, when, in fact, the concern becomes too big to be run privately. In the case of this business, it was . found necessary, in order to cope with a demand previously undreamt 'of, to define the various individual interests, as well as still further extend the scope of operations, to form a limited liability company, with a capital of £100,000 in £1 shares. Of this number the vendors, will receive 50,000 fully paid-up ordinary shares for the lands, works, plant, machinery, and the interest in the goodwill of the, business. 20,000 ordinary £1 paid-, up shares were set aside for the acquirement of other existing pipe-yards in the Auckland district; but, in the event oi such purchases not being effected, the 20,000 shares are to be used by the directors for the benefit of the shareholders. The remaining 30,000 £1 six per cent preferential shares are open for allotment, and within four weeks 16,000 of these were privately applied for in Auckland alone, applications being received from leading financial men who had watched the rapid growth of the firm's business in all part 3of the Dominion. In the matter of dividends these preferential, shares have the first call on the profits up to 6 per cent per annum, and ! then the remaining 7u,000 rank equally for a C per cent dividend, and thereafter in paying any larger dividend that may be warranted by the profits, all shares rank equally. The best evidence of the faith of ■the vendors in the company is the fact that the 50,000 shares allotted to the vendors were not preferential, they being well content to rank as ordinary shareholders in respect to the dividends..

The new company starts with a thoroughly up-to-date plant. A valuation of the buildings and pottery plant of E. 0. Clark at Hobsonville and Customsstreet made by Messrs. W. E. Hutchison (contractor) and G. Hunter (contractor and practical kiln-builder) fixes the amount at £27,732, after allowing fully for depreciation. The importance of an ample supply of clay for the works needs no labouring, and that this is available is shown by a report of Mr. G. Lang-Meaaon, M. Inst. 0.E., of Wellington, in which the quantity is set down at 1,000,000 cubic yards." This, at 3d per cubic yard, gives an asset -worth £12,500, making a total of £io,haZ. A feature about the pipe industry is that the raw material is not For instance,, clay at 3d per cubic yard works out at less than J per cent of the selling value of the goods when manufactured. The land on which the works are situated at Hobsonville is 10 acres in extent, and, according to a report by Mr. G. LangMeason, M. Inst. C.E., of Wellington, '.'it is a stoneware clay deposit of great depth, underlying a very shallow layer of soil about eight or ten inches' in thickness." The business was started in 1564 as previously stated, and although continuously carried on ever since, the clay removed has only been from four acres to a depth of 12 feet, making a total quantity of cubio yards! Mr Lanjj-Meason Jad two bores jut down

on the part of the property from which no clay has been excavated, and a third on the partially-worked ground. The two former were put down 50 feet, and the third one 40 feet. The clay brought tip was the same as that used at the. works, and there was no sign of bottom in any of the bores. He therefore calculates the clay available Tor manufacture at over 1,000,000 cubic yards, or more than 13 times the amount used since the works started 44 years ago. On these calculations it will be seen that the supply of clay is practically ell that could i>e required for a very lengthy period, even with a rapidly growing trade, and as all over the Dominion there is a growing desire u> do proper drainage, it is safe to assume that the bade must continue to grow. The conclusion of Mr. Lang-Meason's report is worth quoting in extenso to show what he thinks of the Hobsonville industry: "There are about a million cubic yards of clay on the property available for manufacture. The works are roomy, in good order and condition, and up-to-date, and will be better when the new building is completed and the new engine boilers -installed. The goods can be 1. L from the kilns into vessels alongside the works and transported thence to Auckland by water. The quality of the stoneware is excellent, and has made a name in the market, and the cost of manufacture is cheap. The present output is large, and will be much increased by the improvements now in hand."

'Trogress" is the motto of this enterprising firm, and the aim of the R. 0. Clark family has ever been the production of the best possible article at a price which will pay both the maker and the user. Besides making the pipes for al] classes of drainage works, this firm produces the new hydraulic pipes for water supply, which have stood a pressure of 4001bs to the square inch. With the spread of electrical works has developed a demand for R. O. Clark's patent conduit pipes, and largo quantities of these have been supplied in connection with the installation in this city. Another article introduced by this firm is building blocks, or squares. These were invented by the late Mr. R. O. Clark, who built his first house with them. Being hollow, these blocks are much cooler than bricks, and are also claimed to be more durable. They are made in two-feet lengths, and nine inches square, fitted with a groove both top and bottom. The result of this is that the blocks are more easily fitted together, arid require little cement to hold them. The works have now grown until they cover three acres of ground, and afford employment for from 40 to 60 men. There are eight kilns used in the manufacture of pipes alone, and the output ranges from four-to five miles of pipes per week. A visitor to Hobsonville on landing at the wharf sees an immense array of pipes and sizes. Some are stacked ready for delivery, while others are drying to fit them for being placed in the kilns. The sheds, which cover over three acres of ground, are fitted .with swinging roofs, which are easily shifted by means of a windlass, \ the object being to ensure a free current of .air being directed over the pipes, whichever way the wind is blowing, for the-purpose of more effectually drying the pipes after they have come from the moulding machine. Provision is also made for closing the roofs tightly when the wet weather is on, so as to rejider the sheds watertight. From these abeds the pipes, when dried, are taken to the kilns, each of which have a holding capacity of about 3000 feet of piping. All are occupied, for, while the finished article is being removed from a.kiln that has cooled off, others- are burning, and still others are being filled with the dried pipes, preparatory to starting the fires going. The pug-mill, in which the clay is prepared for making the pipes, is a machine invented and patented by the late Mr. R. .0. Clark, and is claimed to be the only one which does both mixing and moulding at the same, time successfully. The soil on which the works are located carries quantities of easily-work-ed clay especially suitable for pipemaking, the result being the production of an article for which- first awards and gold medals have frequently been obtained, in particular at the Auckland Exhibition of 1896-7 and the recent one at dhristehurch. The business, started as far back as 1864 by the first Mr. R. 6. Clark (who was the first European settler in Hobsonvilie), has now grown until from the far North down to the Bluff the name of the- manufactures of this firm has become a household word, as well as a guarantee of first-clas3 workmanship, for pipes used for drainage or hydraulic purposes. ' R. O. Clark, Ltd., was incorporated May 20, and Mr. R. 0. Clark, the third of the generation of that name, who has personally managed the business for the last ten years, is managing director, and has the reputation of being one of the first experts in clay in New Zealand, and,' in addition, is also a thoroughly practical pipe-maker, having been brought up t6 the business and having the advantage of the experience gained by his father and grandfather, the latter being the hardy pioneer who, while making pipes to drain his farm, was at the same time laying the foundation of a flourishing local industry.

Any person desiring further information may obtain it on applying to the company's offices, 2nd floor, Endean's Buildings, Queen-street.