MANAIA FLOUR MILLS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IV, Issue 403, 25 January 1883, Page 2

MANAIA FLOUR MILLS.

The above flour mills being now completed and in full working order, • the public generally aud the growers of graiu within the district more especially, may be interested in obtaining information as to the nature of the building and machinery provided for the carrying on of this important local industry. The building erected by Mr. McVicar is a lofty fourstoreyed structure, having a 23 feet stud and measuring 35 feet long by 20 feet wide. It stands close to the main road in the southern suburb of Manaia, and has a capital water supply from the Waiokura creek in a race about a quarter of a mile long, through Mr. Goldiug's farm. The building is very substantially built, nearly 40,000 feet of timber having been used in its structure, and contains storage room for about 15,000 sacks of flour. Mr. McVicar has acted as his own architect and engineer, and the careful way in which economy of space and convenience of working has been studied shew that his 23 years of New Zealand experience has not been wasted. Exclusive of his own labour, the outlay has been about j>l4oo, the races and dam having cost about i'loo. Mr. Cameron, of Manaia has made all the forgings and bolts required on the apot, and Mr. Rippengale has acted as carpenter, and both have given satisfaction. All the shafting, castings, &c., were excellently made by Messrs. Masfield and Co., of Auckland. The machinery is driven' by a powerful 15-ft overshot wheel with 5-fc buckets, having fully 15-horse power. A ring of segments on the water-wheel transmit' the power to a lay-shaft and counter- wheels, which drive the -grindstones, elevators, smutting machine, silk-dressers, hoisfc, &o. From the time the wheat is taken in at the door of the second 'floor, to the time it leaves the premises in the form of flour, pollard, ant] brau, there is absolutely no handling required : the machinery is so constructed and arranged as to dispense with manual labor entirely. -The wheat is taken in on the second floor, at the level of the back of an ordinary cart, and is tipped into a shoot leading into the bins below, which are divided so as to provide for several sorts of wheat, and are capable of holding fully 800 .bushels. From these bins it is taken along by a horizontal Archimedean screw by which the several sorts of wheat are thoroughly mixed, and are also transferred to the grain elevators. The elevators take it through smutting machines, screens, and fans, which machine is a new patent from the firm of A. R. Dell and Sons, London. After being thoroughly cleaned it is taken on by the elevators to the stones, which are a pair of 3ft. best French burr, from the same firm as the smutting machine. The grist passes from the stones to another set of elevators, and is .carried by them to the silk-dressing machine, which is 15ft.

in length and 3ft. in diameter, and which was built entirely on the place, being first put together by Messrs. Clark and Honour, of New Plymouth, who contracted for the silk-dresser and the waterwheel. The meal when leaving the dresser is divided into fine flour, fine sharps, pollard, and bran, and is delivered by shoots on the second floor nearly 3ft! from the ground level, so as to be convenient for loading. Thus it will be noticed that there is no handling of the wheat from the time that it first enters the building, all lifting being done by machinery. For the convenience of farmers a special shoot has been:' made for seed wheat, which allows all wheat to be passed through the smutting machine, burnisher, and fans, so as to be thoroughly bright and clean, and fit for market as seed. Another pair of burr stones have been ordered, and if at, any time further space is required! the mill is so planned that the size can be doubled without any alteration in the machinery, the power now at work being ample for a much larger output. The mill is calculated to turn out one ton of best silk-dressed flour per ordinary working day of eight hours. If more than this is needed the proprietor is quite prepared to add to the building at once. The season has been such an excellent one for wheat that flour of first-class quality is almost sure to 'be produced, thus giving the new mill a good chance "to get its' name up." The settlers on the Plains are all heartily anxious that the enterprise of the proprietor may be handsomely rewarded.