OUR MANUFACTORIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 102, 11 March 1864, Page 3

OUR MANUFACTORIES.

THK XEWTOX BKIL'K AN'l) TII,K YARDS OF Mil.

GEOKGK BOYD. Dn. Von Hoehstettcr, in the course of his examinations into the geological peculiarities of this part of New Zealand, discovered in several of the clays, more especially among those in tho Drury district, the descriptions from which the finer kinds of china and even porcelain might be manufactured, At present we have neither the experience nor the skilled labor to engage in works of this description, presuming even that the assertions of the learned authority we quote were practically correct; nevertheless, there is a wide field for enterprise in the manufacture of useful domestic articles of pottery, and we are glad to see that the matter has been taken practically in hand. We were much gratified by a visit to the Newton Brick and Tile Works, and somewhat surprised to see the arrangements already made and in course of completion for carrying on this kind of work on an extensive scale. Mr. Boyd has already turned out some very pretty specimens of garden vases, water jugs, seed dishes, &.c, and has on hand at the present time nearly £200 worth of these, and the ordinary flower pots and saucers, of all sizes, from fifteen inches to three inches in diameter.

Tlie "works" arc situated about a mile from town on the eastern side, of the, Newton road, on a strong clay bank of some ten acres in extent; indeed, the clay was found too tenacious, and very many kilns of briek were spoiled in the burning boforo the reason was discovered; a mixture of fine scoria ask from Mount Eden, and of loam, at once corrected this defect. Both bricks and draining pipes are made here by machinery, the motive power being that of horses. The same machine, by the alteration of the dies, can be made to turn out either bricks, tiles, rooting tiles, drain pipes of any diameter, from lifteen inches to one inch, bfockw for barrel drains, hollow bricks, the same as used in the model cottages designed by the late Prmce Consort, square flat flooring brick?, cornices, Ac. The action of the machine is very simple. The clay, having been properly tempered and worked to a fitting consistency in i the pug mill near, is placed upon a table alongside the machine, winch consists of two large iron boxes, each about 18 inches deep, &i inches wide, and 31$ inches long; the inner end of either box is movable, and works towards either extreme end, forcing the clay through the dies which are fastened on to and form, these two extreme ends. . ~ ' The machine, when we saw it, was working off draining pipes, and as the iron plate traveried from left, to right the clay was all forced out of the right end of tho machine in three continuous lengths of piping; these passed along on ft framework tabic, level with the vents, composed pf siuei! rcilrr* en iavh ciib - is diameter, sad

before they reached the end of the table, they were cut iu regular lengths with wires, and the three end pipes removed by hand on a large three-pronged fork ; this box being emptied, the action of the machine is then reversed, and the pressor travels back through the other box which, has been meantime filled with clay. At this end there was a slight difference in the arrangement of the tabic on which the pipes were received; the rollers on the first mentioned table each revolved independently on the other, and the pipes remained perfectly round as they left the die. Here, however, a fine cloth is* passed round every four of these rollers, and the eflect is that a flat edge, called a sole;' is given to the piping. Pipes are generally preferred having a sole, as in soft soil it prevents them from settling below the bottom of the drain, and they can be laid end to end with greater nicety, and are not so likely to become disarranged in filling in the drain as when made round. By taking out the ends of the boxes of the ■•machine, and substituting other ends in which are dies of a different shape, the diameter of the pipes can be increased or diminished, or bricks, or cornices, or blocks for barrel drains, can be made. The principle is the same in either case.

The barrel blocks are used for building culverts Vitb, and possess many advantages over bricks for that use. They are equally strong. and far lighter, and the drain can be built entirely without mortar or cement. We noticed

a large* stock of these blocks upon the premises, of different sizes, for building larger orsnialler sized culverts. The drain pipes manufactured by Air. Bovtl van' from fifteen inches to one inch in diameter, mid arc also made with a flange at the end similar to that upon the end of the iron gas pipes now lying about our streets.

A "large quantity of bricks and pipes are made at this" factory ;" there could not have been fewer than from seventy to eighty thousand pipes of from S inches to 11 inches in diameter, and a few of only 1 inch, made to order, while at his vard in Victoria-street Mr. Boyd has also another smaller stock of pipes, iire bricks, and hexagonal flooring tiles: these latter, also made by the machine, ;.re consequently true, and make a very neat and easily laid floor. The kiln in which these articles are burned is a very large one, and, unlike those used in other similar factories, built entirely of brick, in the form of a large arch, the extreme height being about 11 feet, and will hold M.Ci'X) bricks, or

■K>,ixx> 2-ineh pipes. The ground at the two ends of the kiln is at a different level, so that the upper half may be filled or taken out with greater ease, there being a door at each end.

There is not much being (lone at present in thi' pottery business, the kiln for burning; the liner quality of goods not being ns yet finished; nor are the necessary requirements for glazing the 'ware arranged. The workmen are at present employed in making the larger kind of drain pipes, with the broad ilange. While present we saw specimens of milk pans, ginger beer bottles, flower pots, basins, water jugs, jars of various sizes. ea\. turned oil'. The potter lias before him a table, in the centre of which a round Hat block, the. size of a small dinner plate, is let in, and this block is made to revolve at great speed by hand power : a lump of clay is taken tip by the potter from the table, and slapped down sharply ou the block : lie then immerses his hands in water and seizes hold of the clay as it revolves, having the palm of either hand 911 either side of the clay, and his thumbs turned inward to the centre of the elav; holding it thus against the strong rotatory power, he is enabled to guide the clay into any form by the slightest movement of the hand. In making a, ginger beer bottle, the small dab of clay appeared to follow ihe rising of the hands, and assume a full sized hollow form until it reached rather more than the full height of the bottle ; the slightest depression then formed the neck, and a mere turn of the wrist then formed the ' upper thickness of the neck—the whole being done in less time than it takes to describe it. " Mr. Boyd expects to have a large call for the more commonly used articles of domestic cookery, and, as many of these require considerable space in packing, and are liable to much breakage when imported, there is even' probability that the undertaking will be a successful one. We have no doubt that in the matter of tlower pots alone, that it is simply owing to its not being generally known that there is such a variety on hand, that so many are as yet unsold. The coarse' goods appear to be well burned, and possess, whether from the clay or heat in burning, a very much better appearance than those imported. Wc trust that it only requires to be known that an enterprising citizen is striving to devclope one of the latent resources of this Province, to ensure for him the cordial assistance of the public,' and that, all things being equal, a preference may be given, both here and in other Provinces j of New Zealand, to the nse of the colonial!}' ! manufactured article over any other. '