NEW TIMBER MILL

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 June 1933, Page 5

NEW TIMBER MILL

ELECTRICAL FACILITIES. Showing commendable enteiprise and courage in these dark days for the timber industry, Mr Joseph Donaldson, for the Red Jack s Sawmi’lina Coy., of which he is a principal* has erected a new mill by the side of the main road near Ngahere, about thirteen miles from Greymouth. The mill is all electrically driven, and is the third of this type in the Grey Electric Power Board’s district. The others are the white pine mill of the Red Jack’s Coy., about a mile and a-half further up the road, and another mill at Baxter’s Siding. The electrical installation was completed yesterday, and the new mill will commence cutting this afternoon. A trial run found everything working quite satisfactorily. Built on small compact lines, the mill, which will cut red pine, will employ about fifteen hands, and is expected to handle one thousand superficial feet of timber an hour. With the exception of the electrical equipment, the whole mill has been

erected by Mr Donaldson. It has been built on driven piles—one of the few such mills on the Coast, and an innovation which should prove a boon, is a race of water running under the breaking-down bench to carry the sawdust away. As in the case of the company’s white pine mill all the units of the mill are run by separate motors, and any one can be used without using power on the whole of the machinery unnecessarily. The Baxter s Siding electric mill is run by one big motor, with the result that a good deal of power is wasted if only one or two of the units are being used. The mill, though similar to the white pine one, is much superior, for all the motors and electrical equipment are the lat-

est type available. Mr Donaldson, who has been engaged in sawmilling on the West Coast for the past thirty years, told a “Star” reporter yesterday that he had an idea the timber industry was looking up. There had recently been enquiries regarding orders and supplies from prospective buyers, and though few had as yet materialised, they were healthy signs. There had been a time when the timber could not be given away, but present indications were that there would

SOON BE A REVIVAL. How soon, however, he .could not say. Mi* Donaldson said he sincerely hoped that the mill would be working regularly, but considering the present state of the industry, “one cannot see far ahead, and perhaps it’s just as well,” he added. Questioned regarding the relative merits of electricity and steam in connection with the operation of sawmills, he said that the fact that he had now had his second mill equipped with electricity was sufficient indication of his views. He had found, in his experience, that electricity was cheaper and more satisfactory, and he had not had any very serious trouble; In the days of steam, when something went wrong with the boiler, they had to wait some two or three days at times fox’ a fitter before the mill could be got going again, but any trouble he had had with the motors had been fixed in a very short time by the electricians. With the old boilex* there was also considerable delay at times, while waiting fox* steam, but with electricity it was merely a mattex* of turning a switch, and the power was there. He had been warned of the dangers and the expense by many before he first installed electric motors, “but,” he concluded, “you couldn’t drag me back to steam with a winch, now!”

Tlie breaking-down saw is driven by a 70 h.p. electric motor of the latest slow speed type, direct coupled to the saw, and mounted on ball-bearings. The breast-bench is driven by a. 40 h.p. motox* also direct coupled, while both motors are protected by the latest pillar-type controllers. The logs are hauled into the mill by a winch driven by a 25 h.p. motox* with a reversing tramwajv controller, for heavy duty service. Smaller motors will later be installed to drive, the docking saw and the slab conveyor. A particular feature of the installation is that the breaking-down sawyer has always within reach an emergency button, by means of which he can stop the whole plant immediately should any emergency arise.

All the motors and electrical equipment are British, and the installation, which has occupied about a week has been carried out by Messrs Kent and Johnston who also electrified the two othex* mills mentioned. The Powei* Board Inspector, Mi* E. Frizzell, inspected the installation yesterday, and found everything in order, and ready to commence operations.