MR. C. E. DANIELL'S BUSINESS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 740, 12 February 1910, Page 13

MR. C. E. DANIELL'S BUSINESS.

In this issue a photograph ib reproduced of .one of . the. biggest■■ and. most complete .timber yards in . the.-North'lsland. ;Somo idea of, its sjisie may be gauged from the following figures:—Yard.area withm new, 3i i acres j aroa-under: roof, j aero; stock of . .tuhber in logs, .425,000 feet.; stock -in sawn timber, 1,671,000 feet; stock of mouldings :in sheds, 333,000 feet. There are therefore stocked -in.these huge yards nearly two and a half million feet ot timber, from logs to the finished article; . The yards ' comprise saw. and planing mills, joinery .works and dry .timber- stores, and

from theee ar» supplied all over the couni try timber, doors, windows, mantelpieces, cheese cases, butted boxes, corrugated iron Mmtot,-;,. moulding, :-v fencing;,: posts;drain f pipes, drain tiles, drain fattmgs, lime; felt, aid. glass. - Mr. rDanioli:- ; also .runs a: big ironmongery, store jn- Qneen 'Street,) and heVmiiy'ibe described r gonerally-as :a' uni-' versal provider. A man once bought a property-' in- tho-,backblocks: of 'tho-;Wai-1 rarapa. . Ho decided to < spend a lot of money ..in improving,the-place; which had no rcsidenoe, no-fences, no bridges. >He was referred .to Q. E.-' Darnell;; Masterton; who fitted him - out ..withi a fino 'residence with -all modorn conveniences, and supplied i him ,-with -iron and woodwork for lus bridges (indeed bnilt, tho biggest, for him), and -an.'-f«ncag-'mantuLi.'-/.Tlie'{oregoißg i is- an, example .of. the wide range : of Mr, I C. E. Darnell's - vory fine business. ;,It is interesting to: trace tho career- of one of, Masterton s. most, prominentbusinessmenHe\was- born an - Malvern, TVorcestershiro, England, aTid: arrivcd in Wellington "in the'-.'-'Scottish Prmce"' )in ' January, 3880, and .'iminedia'teiy ; 'Bettled''in; "It was a timo of . depression ,both in Britain and .theVcoloniea. ( In -New Zoaland. rabbits .were'running all'over "clio country. Tho frozen meat 'industry hail liot yet been, started, and things generally- were very bad in the Wairarapa. ' Half the

shops in Masterton wore empty, : In fact, business' was almost non-existent in the' district; The railway-was,being mado between YPoodsdo. and Masterton, and Mr. Daniellwas promised employment on some of the bridges.. Materials, however, were slow in arriving,, and after waiting ,n week, this present business merchant took work clearing scrub, , and various, odd jobs, all of which he tackled in his ; usual energetic style. , Thirteen months ! later,' -he secured his first building' contract, and from ■ then till now the business had made. a steady growth. Tho turnover was very modest

m ; 1800; but- with the requirements forbuilding.;and. ironmongery, .a very bold step, was taken in 1896 with the<erection of . a two - story -brick warehouse- 40 feet by- 100 feet. Pit® years later another bnok building: 30 feet, by 100 feet was added to the . place and. vigorously used. During this time also tho ■ timber ' and joinery business- developed rapidly. - Ad-, dition. after addition was made until the. S remises, carried two acres in-area. -Mr. lamell then hod a set-back in the shape of a fire which- destroyed' the whole place, 'including over £1000 worth of ! stqok : and- machinery.- The present ; new Bite was obtained later near the-railway line, and fitted . with . all . the machinery for running a very big business. When

a Domdhon representative visited these mills a few days ago, the place was all bustle. Machines,, forty in number, 1 were :. : whiiTing,' all > over.the ; place, and : timber was, of) preparation. On .'.one '/si'dp .1 couldVbe" r seen. stocks; of;';, thousands i, ofr 'ibutter-boxes. 1 These;: articles .wero'beingHnailod'.- together; an ' hour.: Then again' could' bo seen all )6orls-.-;of );jbihery;);:maohihes, x which. enabled' tho ' mahuficturer ' to supply the. inqnirar with a'-'doorimado'to aracr, just as. a- grocerr.would supply :a. pound of tea..'." Of:- tho .'many','eOTaordlnary machihta isceE.jonb of tho most 'extraordinary .was, an - automatic.saw-grmding. rpaohine, which-ground :and set a thousand teeth in twdyo minutes. ; Suction fans, • which;. sharaip'.;,to fthe .fire-boij; are iverywhere,). thus "adding : '.comfort:.to, the staff and security for; the; property.' :In' the.'.whole, 'place therd is - evidence of foresiKhfc .and . Bkill in labour-saving "as regards ; but - all the : time' ,tending.')toi : 'greater .', 'employhient " "The central , ; bnsines3.- of: : these '• sawmill ; yards is the building constmctioil and supply Of materials for. building purposes. Plans and'.' specifications 1 .'are f prepared when necessary by the. staff '.and' the work': is carried ,out : a3 promptly as. possible.. .All' sorts of water stbr'ago'and supply ■schemes' have been carried out in.the'Tast twenty

years by. this progressive firm, on May 7 the . most up-to-date estates in the Wai- • rarapa, while the many palatial residences -and cosy homes in various. portions of the valley, testify to the skill with ,which the firm has carried out its orders. Mr. A. H. Danioll now has special chargo of this' branch of the business, while the .ironmongery portion at tho central office, Queen Street, is under tho control of Mr. If. W.-Temple, who for .over _ twenty years has been one of Mr. ,Daniell's most able lieutoaants..