THE COACH FACTORIES.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXXI, Issue 5679, 25 November 1875, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE COACH FACTORIES.

It is now Home +ime sinco any lengthy notice was given in our columns of this most lloumh ing branch of local industry. Sinco it w is lust described the trade has largely expanded, .md the principal coaoh makers have been enabled to make thoio additions to their plant and materiiil. wliioh, coupled with improved experience, enable thorn to produce a class of vcMc1«b fully equal in quality to any of thono imported, and in many cases superior to them. It is to be regicttud, however, that tho New Zealand timber ii not more extensively used for coach-making. Many of the woods of tins piovincc aro admirably adapted for tho puipose The kauii in unsurpassed for tho bodies of vehicles, its flexibility when subjoctocl to the UHiml steaming prooew being very loimukable. The pohutakawa, ti-treo, and many other woods, nre useful for portions of wheels. Tho dilliculty, however, is to get propoily selected ami Boasoncd timber of tho kind required. The biiHlimcn do not givo that attention to the matter which its importance demands. Though a few of thorn have sent in mu ill samples of suitable imber, the nupply has soon fallen off, or tho litei supplies have been found so inferior in quality as to bo unfit for use. It would uppe u tli.it tho bushmen prefor tho ready trado of th > roughor classes of timber, and do not cunsul'i the limited demand for timber for coach building worthy of much attention. It is giati fying to learn that, in unite of tho highei puces of labour and material* for tho building of vehicles in this country, the makers uro able to pioducc them at such a, prico at to successfully compete with English made goods. Koine of tho vehicles recently turned out have been generally admired for their lightness, bc.iuty of finish.and apparent durability. On N.itinday lant a representative of this journal inspected the several places whore this business in earned on, going fiist to the factory of Missus Cousins and Atkin, Makki:i I'r, vci;. — This business was establtslied bevei.il ycats ago, and it has continued to expand, until it has become one of the best provided arid best conducted establishments of tho kind in the Australasian colonies. The workshops cover n considomble tuea of ground. The timber shed, wlieie i» stored a large quantity of timber of all kinds, adjoins tho market. This is a spacious building, capable of sheltering many hundred thousand feet of timbei. A cousidei. title quantity of kauii is used in this f.ictoiy foi milking panelH of vehicles, ti-tiee being employed for spoken to tho wheels, and. pohutiv-

knw.i foi nnot Hut Messis. Cousins and Atkm i i>iii]il.un that they cannot got thoio .incite kind ami (|iiality of timboi supiilitd by the biiihnicn, and they sue, thotofoio, obliged I o mi |»)it most of their timber fiom Austialii, England, and Amciica. They thus send a l.uge sum of money out of tlio Colony foi m.it 01 ml wluili oujjht to be obtainable lieie. TJio mi poi t duty on tho raw material is sulh . untly high to protect the lot il tunbei ti.ule, if our buslunen would .'luk'.nour to supply tho wants of the tiailo Vnothei iulvoisociicuinstanco with whu.li the <•« uliin ikots h >vc to contend in the itupoi t ition of manufactured vehicles and co.uhw.ue, which is admitted to tho colony nt thosnne i ite of duty .is the mw mateiial. In tho bhed I undoi notice, Messrs. Cousins nnd Atkm lOLcntlv tinned out fifty l.iilway wagons Mukod close at hand is a large quantity of polmt.ik.iwa logH, which uic left to season as material fov wheel n.ives The timber from tho shed is bi ought by me ins of a tramway to tho factoiy, whoio it is cut into tho required forms by means of a ei oss-cut saw, band-saw, and chculai saw, which are diivcu hy steam power, the engine being of 12 horso-powor. Thero is also a. nioi hung machine. Adjoining this nrork-ioom is a sti.uu chest, where the timber is steamed pieMoiis to being bont for panels nnd othei [i.u ts of vehicles, the New Zealand kuuii being found \ery flexible, and highly suitable toi this puiposo. Thcio is also a planing aud vnmi inn machine. Contiguous to this in tho wheel factoiy, which contains all tho nn (bineiy and material uccessmy foi tinning out the parts of wheels Then- is heio » spoko-turning latho, whiih can l)e adjusted to any pattern, and a H'liid pipoi belt which smooths tho surface of the timbci to the lcquiied degreo of fineness. Theie is also a machino which cuts round tenons on the spokes and bores holes in the felloes, n hub moiticing machine, felloe-shaping machine, a sin face pinning machine, combined with a whcol-ad justing machine The latter is used foi joining the segments of the wheel piepma toiy to putting on tho tires. The machine can bo adjusted by means of sorows with tho nicest accuiacy to any bevel. The suihIi> hies, which mo fivo in nunibei ue foiced by means of fans, dineu by machinery, this method being a con sidciahle saving in labour and time, and a «ic it linpiovcment an compaied with the old bellows [u the smith's hhop all the general iiou wmk foi vehicles is prepared, even to tho spiings, which most coachbuildeiH iu other paits of the colony .no obliged to import Irom Ameiic.v nnd K'ngland. In fiont of the smithy theic is a new patent dulling machino, by the aid of which one man can ill ill holes of inv si/,e and pattern in cold iion. This patent cvhibita nn admirable iidnpta tion of leverage power, an enormous weight having been concentrated upon the dulling apparatus by means of compound level h. Close to tho smith's shop is a Inigo stoio of iron, and in nnothei Htoie on the othei side of tho yard the miscellaneous m i tcri.ils me kept, ami the woik of in iking the necessary tiimmingB is done. Intbecniiago shed, wheic tho work of finishing is completed, we Naw a number of vehicle"), anil amongst them a very handsomo hoodod-buggy, capable of cai lying four person*. Tho buggy weighs altogether about 4cwt. It is a veiy beautiful specimen of colonial workmanship, being faith fully finished thtoughout nnd made of the best materials. About 25 hands aro constnnth employed in Messrs. Cousins anil Atkm's factoiy, and a huge number of vehicles hip turned out of their woikshopv. We then piid a \isit to the establishment of JWlt H. VtVU,, ITlTEH QUEBN-STUFIT. — This gentleinan does not build vehicles, but confines his business to trimming coaches, in which be linds constant and increasing employment >«e\t door to Mr, Bull's is tbd establishment of Mh. (JnouflE Biujcr. — Tliis gentleman em ploys nine hands constantly, and tin us out a new trap every nine or ten days, besides making di.iys, and executing extensive lcpaiis. He uses a considerable quantity of pohutakawa, kauii, ti tiee, mangiao, puiiii, nnd othei New Zealand woods, but, from the same cswisc >s io ferred to above, ho is compolled to impoi t ,\ large pioportion of his timber fiom Austialia Tho iron work he makes on the premises. Mi. ]»mce lias been three years in buHiness on tho site nt present occupied by him, and dining that period ho h.is acquired a reputation foi tho durable nnture of his work.

Mi:ss»4. Gee and Potter's, Gri - \ vinr.i 1. This establishment lias boon open for about six ycnii, dining which time it linn constantly been in active woik. In tho wheel-shop three men are regularly employed in preparing spokes, felloes, ami navci. Adjoining thin in a large blacksmith's shop, where all tho requisite ironwork is prepared. A largo quantity of New Zealand wood, English ash, and other titn bei is stored for future uie. Every available piece of spnro room is caiefully stored with material! required in tho bus'uesH. In the smithy four men are regain ly oiniiloyed, and in y the body-shop three, the total number of hands engaged in tho establishment being 17. Messrs. Gee and Totter h.n p endeavoured from the commencement to o.u i) ,i reputation for making really good articles ,it tho most leasonablo prices, and they have succeeded admirably. In spito of the high i .ites of wages and prices of material in the colony, they are ablo to turn out vehicles at a cheaper rate than those imported from England and the neighbouring colonies. One HOince of complaint amongst tho Auckland coachmakers is, that the dray-makert» of Sydney aie in tho habit of sending over an infei ior ai tide, which they are enabled to dispose of at a low price, while tho local fnctoi ies being always amenable to their customoiH for bad woik, aie compelled to make a good article at vciy httlo mojo than the price of the nnluii tod \ chicle. However, this is a mutter which will doubtless como right in time, when tho public become stiHiciently alive to the niL'iits of the two classes of goods.