MODERN GARAGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 November 1939, Page 5

MODERN GARAGE

ENTERPRISE OF SCHAEF’S LTD

Erected partly on the site where, in 1902, Mr. G. L. Schaef pioneered the motor business in Greymouth, the modern garage of Schaefs Ltd., in Herbert Street, is now open. With a floor space of half an acre, the new building is the most commodious and up-to-date of its kind on the West Coast, and a tribute to the enterprise and progress of the firm which imported the first car. to the West Coast, 37 years ago. Built by Mr. H. Airey, under the supervision of Mr. G. L. Schaef, principal of the firm, the’ new garage measures 180 feet by 132 feet, the most striking feature of its construction being the minimum of pillars to restrict the movements of cars, and the liberal use of glass, giving excellent visibility and perfect working conditions at all points. The walls are brick for a. distance of five feet from the ground, and the next, five feet is almost entirely of glass, while sklights are freely let into the roof, making the use of artificial lighting during the day entirely unnecessary even in the offices. Fifteen tons of galvanised iron were used in the construction of the huge roof, for which 40,000 feet of timber was also required. When necessary, 96 lighting points provide a blaze of electric light. One of the biggest tasks was the construction of the concrete floor, of half an acre, and no less than 40 tons of cement was needed for his work.

The Herbert Street frontage of the new building is striking, particularly at night, when brilliantly illuminated with the latest mercury vapour lights. Cream and green cement have been effectively used in the frontage, green vitrolite and tiles and chromium strips being employed for finishing, to produce a building which must attract the eyes of all who pass. The showroom, 60 by 25 feet, is situated in the front of the building, eight plate glass windows, each eight feet by 7ft Gins separating it from the service station which, with eight electrically operated petrol pumps provides for speedy and convenient service to motorists, and embodies a unique feature for West Coast garages—a women’s rest, room. The total enclosed space of the service station is 132 feet by 20 feet, giving an ample drive-in and reducing the possibility of congestion to the minimum. Installed in the service station is an automatic sprinkler firefighting system, connected with the Borough water mains and so designed as to come into instantaneous action should the temperature reach 160 degrees. The company’s executive offices are situated on the southern side of the building and are in keeping with the modernity of the remainder, being pannelled in New Zealand beech, with plastered ceilings, while the la-’ test electric book-keeping machines are installed. A novel feature is the inter-departmental electrical communication with any part of the garage, .merely by the pressing of a button.

As would be expected, the equipment of the new garage is of the latest. Two hydraulic jacks are provided, and in conjunction with them is an innovation for car greasing, high pressure grease guns, operated by air from a compressor, of a capacity of 42 cubic feet a minute, which also supplies the “free-air.” The battery charging department is completely self-enclosed, for maximum efficiency and .safety. In the repair department, each of the mechanics has his own bay, with separate steel bench, equipped with all necessary tools and instruments. The storeroom, with 1000 square feet of floor space, is another separate entity, fully’- supplied with shelves and equipment for keeping spares and accessories instantly available. Altogether the new garage is well up to the standard of the best city standards in New Zealand.