BRICKS FROM SAND.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 45, 6 February 1912, Page 7

BRICKS FROM SAND.

STATE WORKS AT BOTANY ARRIVAL OF MACHINERY. Sydney. Jan. 31. The bulk of the plant purchased by the Government tor making sand-lime bricks has arrived from England, and with it an expert, who i' supervi-ing iterection at Botany. The site of the brickyard is at the foot ot a t>ig sandhill, near the Botany pier. It contains millions of tons of sand. Formerly the land was held by the* Commonwealth, but has been resu med by the State. This sand was to England tor analysis, and it was round to contain !>* per cent, pure silica, and said to be the ie. y best tor the purpose The maket- of the plant stipulated that it should be put up by one of their own men. who ip’iiM eontrol it in the first instance. The machinery will be capable of turning out (the Minister for Works. Mr. Griffith-, stated yesterday) a ipiarter ot a million bricks a week. Mt. Griffiths expects, however, that once they become available the demand will be >o great that the plant will have to he extended — which can be done by duplicating the parts. Erected and ready for work the present instalment all complete V ill C(,<£'I7.(MMJ. It will start turning out bricks by about the middle of the year. “The idea.” said the Ministei. “is to run the bricks down into barges, and to float them around to Sydney Harbour. Those lor the other subuib' <an go over the Botany trains at night. The place is being laid out on t’w x>n.. principles as the Homebush works: that is to say. capable ot a certain output at first, which cun be extended as the lequirements increase. ” The sand-lime bricks will < ost about 1 -or 1 ti more than the < iay bricks pel thousand. They are more evenly constructed. because they aie moulded They stand a gt eater pressure, and a better absorption test than any burnt brick. Naturally they are a beautiful creamy white. but by mixing in a small proportion or oxide they can be made with the same appeaiance a' th<* burnt clay bricks.” Mr. Hutton, the manager of the State brick factory at Homebush, will be general manager of both the works at Homebush and the sand-lime works at Botany, with a manager under him at each place.