The Manufacture of Ammunition,

Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 68, 17 September 1887, Page 2

The Manufacture of Ammunition,

I By Telegraph,! {Our Own Correspondent.) Wanqandi, This Day. In a letter received by Mr. Ballanco.Capt. Whitnoy, manufacturer of ammunition at Auckland, who is now in England, says : — I have the honour to inform you that having visited all the principal cartridge factories in America, with a view of improving our colonial manufacture, I have come to the conclusion that we cannot do better than adopt tho machinery now in use at the Royal Gun Factories, Woolwich Arsenal. These maohines are all manufactured by Greenwood and Butley, of Leeds, for Government, and you will be glod to hear that they have entered into partnership with us, and are under contract to supply all the machinery we may require from time to timo'. ' A large number' of machines are : already in band, and 1 are to 1 be de- j liyered before the end of the year. My son informed me that no loss than seven kinds of i Sniders in all, taking the various sized car- j tridges, aro found to be in use in New Zealand, and, under these circumstances, I am advised' b^y experts in cartridge manufacture that a solid .dra'wp brass ,o'ajie, with boxer j base, will b, c most suitable,' and I have provided machines for that pnrppse. It is the intention of the firm to open a branch factory in Victoria jf onr terms are agreed to, which seems most likely to be the case. Will you permit me to advise a few months' delay before ordering any fresh rifles. The Lee whjch I sent out for trial is the favoured acti/aja, bul thp b. uHet and oartridge are still undecided. The JJot.chkf&s is the panic action. All agree it will be a small borp, and the Ruben bullet, which is coated with some kind, ftf metal to. prevent fouling in rapid firing. (Oonpef M| against '' Convention " njokej, very bard to JWrk, and_ aluminium is on trial, but I thjnlf stpef wfll parry the day, its only drawback being thp possibility of rust. Sir Henry Halford, the President of the Small Arms Committee, appointed by the Government to report on the rifles, &c, now under consideration for adoption into the Brjtjsb Beryipe, jnfqrmed me that you might take it fop granted pat £he partridge of the future will Re 30 8 or qO'f , no larger, and, oonsequpntjj, tbaf; ejoyon wijl only be the weight of five of tfie present cartridges in uge, and the bulk pyon smaller in proportion. The manufacture will be a little more expensive, but the results are so extraordinary beyond anything in use that that is a minor consideration. I hoped to have been back in New Zealand before this, but cannot bo home now until Christmas.