Bricks By Barge From N.I.

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31289, 8 February 1967, Page 1

Bricks By Barge From N.I.

An Auckland brick manufacturer plans to ship thousands of bricks from Onehunga to Lyttelton by barge and sell them on the Christchurch market. The bricks, initiaUy of three kinds, will be dearer than the local product.

Mr K. Fulljames, bricks sales manager of the Amalgamated Brick and Pipe Company Ltd., of Auckland, said in a telephone interview yesterday that the first load of 21.000 bricks would arrive at Lyttelton about Tuesday of next week. *

The initial trial shipment he said, would go to three houses in a high-class area of Christchurch. It was expected to lead to regular ship, ments by barge. Mr Fulljames said that his firm made bricks of 25 varieties in colour and shape. Some to come to Christchurch would be of different colours but the same size—Bin by 2 5-Bin. These were smaller than Christchurch bricks. It had been found that the bigger bricks were inclined to look too large in the spaces between the big windows now popular. The third bricks offered possibilities in the use of varieties of mortar. “The move to send our i bricks to Christchurch has

been welcomed by Christchurch architects and contractors as an opporttinity to give variety in the prestige class of home,” Mr Fulljames said. His company, he said, would not be competing with Christchun '■* manufacturers, who made a very good brick. It was offering that little bit of difference that some persons wanted and were happy to pay for. For transport the bricks would be held by metal bands in lots or packages of 75. The prongs of fork-lift trucks wi-uld slip into two slots in the packages. One fork-lift truck could lift three or four packages of bricks at a time. The company also sold

special trolleys at cost to bricklayers and truck companies. The trolleys also had two prongs attached for moving a package of bricks. Mr Fulljames said he understood that a tug would tow the barge from Onehunga to Lyttelton in about three days. A fork-lift truck would pick up from the barge at Lyttelton four packages of bricks at a time and transfer them to the tray of a truck. The truck driver would use a pronged trolley to stack his load and unload it. A new shipping company, the United Shipping Company, he said, would run the tug and barge.