NEW MILK STATION

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 112, 16 November 1928, Page 11

NEW MILK STATION

REPORT TO COUNCIL SITE, PLANT, FINANCE CHANGE-OVER IN 1930 An important report regarding plans for tho now milk station to bo erected on tho Alma lane-Tory street site, and to be opened in all probability in the winter of 1930, was laid before tho City Council, during the committee, stages, last > evening by Councillor AY. H. Bennett, chairman of the Milk Committee. It will be noted that by far tho greater part of the specialised plant to be installed, 85 per cent., will be of British manufacture, departures being made only in cases where units embodying the particular features required are not obtainable from British nianufac- . turers. At the same time, there has been no question of sacrificing efficiency to follow out the policy of preference to British goods, as tho report of the General Manager of the Department, Mr. R. B.'Heri'on, after his trip abroad, was that plant of English and Scot- . tish manufacture was of tho very highest quality. A big part of the plant, 'e.g., piping, cooling coils, various tanks :and vats, etc., is to be manufactured 'in New Zealand, tenders to be called lai«r on. "At no timo since the inauguration of our milk scheme has such an important and far-reaching report been presented for your consideration," said Councillor Bennett. "Our-initial operations were always considered, a. preliminary try-out in municipal milk control, and we have now reached that stage when the success of our endeavours is undoubted. We havo also readied tho point when our buildings, plant, and equipment, ac- ' quired and installed under very adverse, circumstances, are proving totally inadequate to cope with the growing demands of the business, to say nothing of the comparatively high cost of our operations, owing to. an unsuitable ■site and.out-df-date plant. These facts have been well known and realised all through the years of our experimental stage. - MOST SUITABLE SITE. "Some years back I, as chairman of the Milk Committee, spent some six months'of my spare time searching the city for a suitable site for establishing a new factory. Such a site,- possessing all the requirements, learnt from experience, was not easy to find with its necessary ingress and egress, and large area required. . Eventually the site in Tory street was selected by me as possessing all tho. features required, and the council duly authorised its purchase. "As time went on, it was found that ,the area decided upon would be inadequate for all our purposes, and it was then decided to increase the area to include the erection of stables so as to obviate tho time and expense entailed by the men travelling to and fro through the crowded thoroughfares of the city leading their horses to and from the existing stables at the corporation yards. . "Ao-ain, later it was found inadvisable to design tho lay-out of the factory so that the distributing part of our business could be carried out on our own site, so it was then decided to again extend our site by acquiring the whole of tho property fronting Alma lane, thus securing a monopoly.of the right, to use this way. These additions naturally added considerably to the cost of the site, which now comprises an area of about one and three-quarters of an acre, at a cost ot £33,000 (approximately). BUILDINGS AND COST. "Our selected consulting engineers iii London prepared plans for tho layout of the proposed factory, and the plans submitted havo been of great service to tho architectural branch or the City Engineer's. Department, which has now completed sketch plans ot tlic various buildings, and has also given us all the necessary information as to possible costs. The plans provide tor: An administrative block, occupying (with light area) approximately 97 x . 49ft of space. factory and refrigerating block • with engine, 'boilers, and coal bunker, •space 195 ft x 97ft. ' A yard, 50ft x 97ft, diving tho factory block from the workshops. '. A motor garage and workshops block, which occupies about 14Ult x 54ft of the site. The cart shed block (including stables),, measuring approximately 194 ft x 79ft. . This leaves some vacant land bordor--smr on Alma lane which must become very valuable to us as tho years go on. MOSTLY BRITISH PLANT. "The wisdom of sending our General Manager abroad to seek first hand knowledge' of the various plants aftering, the efficiency and cost ot same, >,-,« been fully warranted by results. To had no idey a when he left Wellhigton that on investigation he would find such rapid progress in the manufacture of milk-treating plants in England, so rapid that, profiting by American research over many years, they are now able to outstrip their competitors both in quality and price, with the result ■that 85 per cent, of the General Manager's recommendations are tor Lritisii goods. Wherever possible, competitive prices were obtained, direct from the ■manufacturers concerned, -and where there was available only one make ot machine of the typo required for our purpose the best first hand price was obtained from the makers. ' "Since the General Manager's return, there have been many conferences with our experts (Messrs. Steele, Patterson, Peacock, and Cole), and a good tlcal of correspondence has taken place with our consulting engineers in Lonclon. After spending much timo with our '.. officers, 1 am satisfied that their combined efforts will give us .buildings - and plant second to none, due regard to general efficiency and economy being tho leading features. THE FINANCIAL PROSPECTS. "A report from tho Special Connnit'tec of the council's officers on the financial side of the proposal appears to present no insuperable difficulties, and it is satisfactory to know, after going very carefully into the prospective saving" in overhead charges, that it is expected, on a conservative basis, that tho savings will amount to 10 per cent. of £60,000, made up in tho - increased economy and efficiency of the new plant to be installed. This estimato has been made after very careful investigation by the General Manager and the departmental officers concerned, and consists of savings in consumption of coal, water, and electric power, the lessening of the labour required in the work of the factory, and distribution of supplies. Tho cost of upkeep of the old buildings and plant has been very high and the saving, under this head will be very extensive. The reduction of bottle losses with the new and improved plant will also bo a special feature in the savings to be effected. "In conclusion, we must not forgot, that we arc providing for double our present output to cover a growth of business ior at least the next SO y_eais ;

and although only installing plant actually at present required, we are providing space for future extensions. In some cases, part of our existing plant is to act as a stand-by in case of need. Should it eventuate "in tho future for tho trade in raw milk to fall into ,our hands, then the factory is so designed that same can bo suitably dealt with. "We have formulated a list of dates for the completion of the plans and specifications, for the calling of tenders, also the completion of tho factory so that we can change over at the boginning of tho winter periad of 1930."