No. X.—THE CEMENT AND LIME INDUSTRY.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9020, 5 February 1895, Page 5

No. X.—THE CEMENT AND LIME INDUSTRY.

One of the local industries which has been working quietly but moat effectively .so far as progress is concerned ia the cement and lime industry. It has all bat shut out the imported article, and, as will be seen by what follows, bide fair to do so in the near future. An interview was had with Messrs T. N. Horaley and A. L. Smith, the former representing Messrs J. Wilson and Co., of Auckland, and the latter the Milburn Lime and Cement Company, Dunedin. Subaequently a short chat was had with Mr H. B. Kirk oa the subject. It was arranged that the chat with the two first gentlemen should be of a combined nature, one acting as spokesman for both. WHAT THE MANUFACTURER SAYS. " The output of the Auckland Company," said Mr Horsley, " is from 1400 to 1500 tons per annum, and that of the Milburn Company six years ago was 1000, and is now about 3000 tons per annum. Previous to either of the firms starting to manufacture cement the English manufacturer had the market entirely. The rate at which we have been enabled to displace the imported article is ehotvn by the figures I have just quoted to you as our output. When the agency here for the Auckland Company was started, the average price for English cement, which as I told you just now was the only one in the market, was 18s per cask. Wβ are now refcqiling the colonial cement at 14s per cask, aiid have forced the price of English down co pur level.: . There are ait present, I may say, no importers of cement in Canterbury. What is brought in is imported as ship's ballast. This is one of the grievances under which the- colonial manufacturers are suffering, to which I will refer later on. COMPARISON OF QUALITY, " With regard to the respective qualities of the English, Dunedin, and Auckland cements it is fortunate that an independent test was made some little time ago under the auspices of the Industrial Association. Here are the records of the tests carried out by Mr Derbidge, of the Lyttelton Harbour Board, which will give you' an idea of the respective qualities. Theeo tests' which were taken in March* 1893, are as follows—seven days test—English. 4401b to the square inch; Auckland, 432 do; Dunedin, 403 do. Twenty-eight days test—English, 5611b to the square inch ; Auckland, 574 do ; Dunedin, 572 do. From that you will see that in the extended time tests the colonial cement comes out better than the English. So far as the Milburn Company is concerned, an average tensile teeb of seventy consecutive briquettes at seven days gave over 4501b to the square inch. These were vests made from 300 tone of cement. The colonial cement has 'also been tested for twelve months with excellent results. As showing how the colomal cement is appreciated by engineers, &c, I may say that all the Road Boards use colonial cement in their works, and that in the Public Works Department nothing else is used. So much as to quality, Now as to competing with the.Eugliah as to the price. Well, we have "fender ed successfully—that is, both' the Milburn Company and onrselvee—against .the imported article both for worke for the City Council and Road Boards. This current year the tender for the supply to the City Council is hold by the Milburn Company, and last.year Wβ had it. Inbothcaaes.it was in competition with the English article.

THE OBSTACLES TO DEVELOPMENT. - "The principal obstacle to the farther and more successful development of this very important local industry is the refusal on the part of some of the local architects to use the colonial cement. They do not appear to be able to give any tangible reason why it should not be used. The only thing they can say is, 'Ob, we do not know 1 the cement and therefore will nob nse it.' sorely,;'thduglv'the particular architects may not' haVa actual experience of the cement, the independent testa which have been made by competenc persons, the fact that the numerous works executed with colonial cement are still to be seen, and that, so far as comparison with English cement ie concerned, it is quite as level in quality or mord so, ehould be quite enough for them to put it into a work in which they may be interested. Bat it is not so, and they will rather pat any brand of English cement in than use the colonial. Some of the architects do use colonial cement and, as I have said, the Public Works Department, use no other. In all these cases we have not had a single complaint as to the quality of the cement., Another architect sent a letter recently to the Industrial Association speaking strongly ie favour of the colonial cement. If the whole of the local architects ■ would nee colonial cement in their different worke, which they could do with safety after the exhaustive tests which have been made, the industry Jn the colony would be greatly stimulated, and we should be able to give employment to a larger number of men than we are now doing. Another grievance la that to which Ireferred just now. It is this:—lf the imported article were brought in as ordinary merchandise, paying freight, &c, we could compete successfully with it under the present rate of duty, and knock it oat of the market altogether. Bub now with the duty at 2s p€A.ca3k it ie brought as ballast foe tho ships, and therefore there is no freight to be paid on it. What I should suggest; is that the present duty of 2s per cask—if the present practice of bringing cement at ballast ia continued—should be increased, to 4e per cask. That is in plain Knglish doubling the present rate of .duty. I believe that the Government, in view of the stimulation of the local industry, would be favourable to this being carried out. If this were done the output oftae colonial cemaat would at once be wwkrgeiy increased, (Chafe means*/very GoatlaenM* , increase revenue . to the QQittw&it ab4 liv Union Sttttojhjjji Cam-

pany for carriage. We in Auckland no* pay both the Government and the Unioc Company large auras every year. The Milburn Company now pay the Railway Dβpartment from £4000 to £5000 & year, and this would be increased largely if the demand for colonial cement were to be stimulated as I suggest. - As to the question why we cannot produce cement as cheaply as the English manufacturer, I will endeavour Jo answer it as brie&V as possible. In the first place, the EngUah manufacturer only pays from 2s 6d to 3s per day foi labour, whilst in the colony we have to pay from 6s to Bs. I do not mean for one moment to advocate a reduction in wages. What I want to chow ia that if we bad the proper encouragement to the colonial industry to enable ub to compete with the English article we should be able to do so euccesafally, and etill pay the same rate oi wages. You must not forget, also, that fuel is some 60 per cent, dearer in the colony than in England, and capital ia also higher as far as the rate of interest is concerned? When to this you add what I have already referred to, viz., that the English article does not pay freight, I think you will agree that it is only right that some steps should be taken to encourage our looal industry in the direction I have indicated. WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS DOING. " I will give you now briefly an outline of what the firm I represent is doing, and leave it to Mr Smith to speak after with regard to the Milburn Company. Well, Wilson and Co., who have been carrying on the business for some nine years, started the industry in a very small way. They now employ sixty hands in the manufacture of colonial cement and hydraulic lime, and " the output is increasing every week. It is, I would like to point out, a purely native industry, as all that is used in the manufacture is produced in the colony, as well aa tne raw material itself. The output, as I have already told you, is now ( about 1500 tons per annum. In connection with the production of hydraulic lime, which ia anther branch of their business, the firm turns out large quantities every year. It ia of excellent quality, and is used in all kinds of work, such as concrete foundations and as mortar for brickwork. It is used very extensively all over the North Island. In Christohurch some of our largest; buildings have been built with it, Buoh as Sargood, Son and Eweu's, Mason, Struthers and Co.'a new buildings, the new St. Albana Wesleyan Chapel, the Nurses' Homo, Warden's bacon factory and many others. It is now almost entirely superseding the ordinary lime for building purposes." Mr Smith, in reference to the Milburn Company and what they have done, said— J "About six years ago the Milburn lime I deposits, with a small cement works, was I acquired by a Syndicate. This Syndicate subsequently formed the Milburn Lime and Cement Company, Limited, with a capital of £30,000. After some months working in the original locality, it was deoided to build modern works at Peliohet Bay. This was done, and the most modern and improved machinery was obtained and placed in the works. How effectually this works is shown by the fact that the average residue is less than 8 per cent. The Company claim that owing to the works being upon a smaller scale than the English ones, the supervision is more thorough, and greater attention is given to the proportions of the raw materials than is the case at Home. The result is a stronger aud better cement than the average English. The output has increased from twenty tons per week at the commence ment oi the Company to sixty at the present time. The Company now pay? about £4000 per annum for labour, and uses from 100 to 200 tons of fuel per month. This is all expended in encouraging colonial industries, and, therefore, we have exiled the brand gof the Company " The Maori. ,, . With a very little encouragement such aa I have suggested, there can be no doubt that this will be a very large and increasing industry, and must prove of immense advantage to the colony generally." WHAT MR KIRK SAYS. In the course of an interview with Mr B. B. Kirk on the subject of the colonial oement and lime industry, he eaid—" There can be no doubt of the equality of the colonial cement with the English. Indeed, I am not at all sure that it is not a superior article. It is one wojen. & very largely ia demand, and if some few of the obstacles are removed it will soon develop into-a - considerable and valuable industry.- . It is, strange that it does nob appear to strike anyone, more particularly the artisan class, - that it is to their interest to support the locally made article in whatever branch of industry it may be, rather than buy the imported. A very striking example of that came under' my notice the other day. One -of the employees of Messrs P. and D. Duncan, the - implement makers, came into my place the other day for some cement to do some work at his home after he bad finished at Messrs Duncan's. 'Don't give tne any colonial cement/ said he, * I don't went it; .1- want the English.' «Bufc/ I said to him, * don't you know that the colonial cement is as good as the English.' ' No,' said he, *' 1 do not.' . * Well/ I said, 'it is. Bat have you never thought that every time you buy English cement you are reducing the amount' available for the payment of labour in producing it in the colony ? Now let mc bring the matter home to you. Supposing people .' were to go to Messrs P. and B. Duncan tomorrow and say, ' We do not want any more • colonial made ploughs; We will have none , but Engjiah.' Yo£ would be but of work'- > very quickly,- with others. Now, .put the ' - same view with regard to those engaged u>, the colony in producing cement. \on will at once see that youj&re taking work' from them' when you insist, as you have done to-day, in getting nothing but English/ ' Ah/ said he, * I have never looked at it in that light/ And so it is with a number oi our people who ought to know better. They will have English, though the colonial . article is quite as good, and if used extensively and exclusively would give employ ment to a large number of hands at present outoi work.'"