THE PETROUS TILE COMPANY

Evening Star, Issue 19708, 8 November 1927, Page 8

THE PETROUS TILE COMPANY

ANNUAL REPORT The tenth annual report of the Petrous Tilo Company, Ltd., states the company’s past years’ workings proved disappointing, lu spite of the prevailing depression, sales increased _in volume, but opposition price' cutting prevented the company from receiving proportional returns in cash. This condition applies particularly to the roofing tile business in Dunedin, where the rapidly-made clay tilo is not handicapped by long haulage as, for instance, in Wellington. In spite of severe depression in Southland, the Invercargill branch has justified its establishment and exceeded expectations in volume of business, and it may reasonably bo expected to prove profitable in the present year. The Wellington branch has been unable to make the sales necessary to enable it lo work to capacity, but has entered the current year with a record volume of tiling on order. Because.of the uninteresting returns from tiling in Dunedin the concrete products manufactured there have been developed with profit, and various new lines have been investigated. It was decided to manufacture a most promising product made from marble and cement, termed terrazzo, having all the advantages of tho former at half its cost, and power machinery advantageously bought lias been installed, Terrazzo is favorably known to all architects through its frequent description in their journals, but has not hitherto been available here. Although now products are proverbially slow in Dunedin, a ready sale in this case seems probable, and substantial areas of floering and steps arc now specified for tho larger public buildings at present under construction in Dunedin. Terrazzo is made into sink-tops, door-steps, floors, shop fronts, baking boards, etc. In view of all circumstances and to avoid hampering the present developments it is proposed that the balance should bo placed in reserve.