INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

Press, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4684, 6 August 1880, Page 3

INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

A meeting of the committee was held last evening in the new premises of Messrs. Draper, Charters and Co. Present—Messrs. E. Allan (chairman), Draper, J. (T. Smith, Charters (hon. Eec), Bird, Hull, Moor, England, Toomer, Banks, Hulbert, Howland, Ki*k, Jenkins. The secretary brought up the balance eheefc of receipts-and expenditure, duly audited by *Mr Neil Blaok. The balance at the disposal of the committee was stated as being £484 Hβ 3d. The receipts had been £916 153 lid, and disbursements £432 43 Bd, leaving the balance above. Mr Jeakins moved —"That the damaged timber at the Drill Shed ground be Bold by auction." ■."■■ Mr Howland seconded the motion, which was agreed to. It was resolved that the balauoe sheet as submitted be received and adopted. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr N. Black for his kindness in auditing the accounts. Mr Banks apologised for the absence of Messrs Jameson and Scott. Mr Banks moved—"That the Industrial Exhibition committee be now dissolved." Mr Bird seconded the motion. Mr Jenkins said before the motion was put he desired to make a few remarks on the subject of the woods brought up by Mr Howland at last meeting. Mr Moor produced some dressed manuka spokes from wood whioh Had 5 been'six years in the ground. He oontended that manuka was one of the most useful and valuable woods for coaoh-building work they had. He also showed a piece of hickory which had been lying in the came way, but he was unable to use it as the wood was more likely to decay. The manuka was a very fine wood. He showed a small tenon saw-frame of rata which had been in use for twenty years. He did not wish to run down the hickory, but all he showed was that the New Zealand wood would stand exposure better than hickory. Mr Howland said he had made enquiry, but found that there was not sufficiently large manuka trees in the colony to supply the demand for spokes. The largest tree he could hear of was about eight inohes through. Aβ to hickory, damp was fatal to it, more especially sals water, which would perish it, so that it would not do for shipbuilding. The manuka broke short off, which the hickory would not do. The colonial woods, so far as his experience went, were too short grained for use in vehicles for quick action. He pointed out that a email pieoe of hickory, whioh he now produced, was not short in the grain. ' Mr Moor said that he wanted only to show !. that they had timbers equal to imported, whioh were now neglected. ■ * V Mr Jenkins said that, as regarded the size of manuka, he had taken a contract to pave the floor of the Government buildings with wood blocks, which he had done in manuka, some of them being from twelve to eighteen inches through. As regarded the kowbai, he produced some spokes and also pieces fractured to show,the length of fibre. A piece of kowhai ten inches in .diameter was also exhibited, beat into a perfect circle, whioh retained its curvature.

Mr Howland pointed out that each piece broke short off. Mr Jenkins said, if the committee would examine the wood they would see that its fibres were laminated. Mr England said it was his opinion that the kowhai could be used with advantage in work like coach building. ' Mr Howland said he should be very willing to use kowhai for coaohbuilding if he felt that it would turn out good work. Mr Moor said that he had made a pair of wheels five years ago of manuka which were standing first class in a spring cart used every day. Manuka was like a piece of whalebone, and he might say that Mr Wagstaff had put manuka spokee in the wheels of a tilbury, and six years ago he (Mr Moor) painted the tilbury, when the spokes were as good as ever. Mr Jenkins called attention to the value of puriri, as a timber for coachbuilding purposes. Mr Moor said that Mr Wood had tried all the best of American and English timber for oogs of a wheel in Meesra Montgomery and Oo.'s yard,' and found that they would not stand, whilst the colonial timber stood for years. Mr England pointed out that the wood in Mr Howland's yard bad been felled at the right season of the year, and properly prepared, whilst the colonial timber now before the committee was not cut in eeaeon, and had been taken from pieces of wood for firewood. He trusted to see Mr Howland using colonial timber in his carriages. Mr Howland said that he had had an anvil block of kowhai, which had gone to pieces after some year or so. Messrs England and Moor pointed out that this might have been, felled in cummer which would account for this.

Mr Bird said that the association might have a series of trials with respect to the breaking strain of the various woods. Mr Howland said he would undertake to forward a piece of either manuka or kowhai to the " Hub," a coachbuilding paper in New York, and ask them to test the woods against the hickory. ■ Mr Jenkins offered to eelect the wood for Mr Howland.

The Chairman said that he thought the weight of evidencs was against Mr Holland. Mr Banks' resolution for dissolving the committee was then put and carried, and the proceedings tem-inated.