ELECTRICITY AS AN INDUSTRIAL AID.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12851, 9 July 1907, Page 3

ELECTRICITY AS AN INDUSTRIAL AID.

THE PRESS COMPANY'S NEW BUILDINGS.

The contractor (Mr H. E. Whit«) ia making excellent progress with his contract for the erection of the extensive buildings for the Press Company in Cathedral square, the undertaking being chiefly remarkable for the use that is being made of electrical energy **a an aid to the prosecution of the operations now in hand. In all, Mr White has harnessed some 60 horse-power, derived from the City Council's destructor plant to various forms of mechanism employed by him in the work of constructing what will eventually prove to be the largest and most up-to-date printing and publishing house in Australasia. Several of the most important labour-saving devices now in operation have been specially designed by Mr George Scott (of Scott Bros.) and Mr White, end the fact that all of these have materialised 6ince January, speaks volumes for the adaptability ot colonial endeavour to meet modern industrial requirements. All of the ornamental freestone cornices, pillars, etc., are being fashioned by machinery. This also is employed in the process of "ripping" up the immense blocks of stone as they come from the quarry, a 6ft circular saw being utilised for the purpose. The subsequent dressing is carried out by means of appliances similar to woodmoulding machinery, the pattern desired being obtained by differently shaped steel knives. Another notable contrivance designed by the gentlemen named, is an electric concrete mixer which holds a.cubic yard of maveritl and thoroughly incorporates all of the ingredients in one minute. By tho hand method six men mix, on an aver age, eleven cuWc yards of concrete per day. By aid of the machine under notice, however, six men are enabled tj put through from 35 to 120 yards according to whether large or small work is being prepared for. The mixor measures the shingle and proper quantity of water automatically, the cement being tipped in directly from the casks and the sand being added by hand. After being thoroughly mixed the concrete is discharged into skips or on to wheelbarrows direct from the hoppei. The skips are picked up by an electrical crane (another ono is to be installed shortly), which was also designed by Messrs Soott and White, being the largest in use in the Australasian colonies, and having a jib 62 feet in length. This contrivance is put to a variety of uses, being also employed in hoisting the girders, timber, brick, besides setting the stone-work in position. It is geared to run at i speed varying from 300 to 1500 revolutions per minute thereby enabling any class of material to be effectively handled. Mr White's undertaking, apart from its magnitude, becomes most interesting from a technical point of view, marking as it does, the most substantial departure from time-honoureJ-rule-of-thumb methods that has yet been recorded in favour of any part of the colony, if not of Australasia.

PRINTING ELECTORAL ROLLS.

DEPUTATION TO DE. FINDLAY,

(FROM A COBRESrOJJDENT.) WELLINGTON. July 8. A deputation consisting or Messrs T. H. Davey, G. Witty, H. J. Greenslade, W. T. Jennings, and C. M. Gray, M.H.R.'s, waited on the Colonial Secretary (the Hon. Dr. Findlay) this morning to complain of the practice of having the main rolla in the principal electoral districts printed in the Government Printing Office. The complaint .a an old one, and the grounds of the objection, whicn is lodged by both nm. ter printers and workers, outside Wellington, are pretty well kga»v*B.. —j.. reply to the deputation","' Dr. Tinaltf stated that although he was not Minister-in-Charge of the Government Printing Office, as Colonial Secretary the question probably came within his jurisdiction. He waa sure it was not the desire of the Government to come into competition with any honest enterprise. Government enterprise in the past had been directed at cheoking excessive charges or something approaching rnonor-olies. If there was not some insuperable obstacle he agreed with the deputation that the main rolls should be printed by private enterprise. The interests of the public would be safeguarded by tendering for the work and any attempt to get tbe Government to accept a concerted charge would easily be detected. He would bring the matter before Cabinet.