NEW FREEZING WORKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16121, 8 January 1916, Page 5

NEW FREEZING WORKS.

PROGRESS AT HOROTIU. APPROACHING COMPLETION. UP -TO - DATE BUILDING. [feom" OUR OWN correspondent. ] NcuirAWAHiA, Thursday. Notwithstanding unforeseen drawbacks, excellent progress is being mads with the Auckland Fanners' Freezing Company's new works at Horotin. Interviewed to-day. the chairman of directory, Mr. Joseph Banish, gave some interesting particulars of the works and their capacity. "I do not think," said Mr. Barugh, " that there is another freezing works in New Zealand a s compact and up-to-date as this. Alongside every department ! space is left, and provision made, for duplication. The v o*-ks have a capacity of 3000 carcases, which may be increased to 6000 without the removal of a single brick. The company intends to kill sheep only during the first season, and hopes to make a start on January 17. It iwas anticipated that a start would have been made at an earlier date, but the war had had a retarding influence. For instance, the motor-pumps failed to arrive to time, but the company, in order not to disappoint the farmers, is installing four steam boilers to drive a pumping plant. This plant will be used only temporarily, and will be replaced in due course by the motor-pumps." The Works Described. Referring to the accommodation at the works, Mr. Barugh stated that the freezing chamber had a capacity of 80,000 carcases. By means of a special method of chilling the possibility of bone-taint had been reduced to a minimum, so much so. that of over 100.000 head of cattle killed last year he had not heard of more than ten cases of bone-taint. The company was the first in New Zealand to adopt the method. Describing the works, Mr. Barugh stated that the drier was a particularly effective one. designed to extract every particle of wool. Eight digesters, constructed to stand a steam pressure up to 401b, for the treatment of the various grades of fat, were ready for operations. After going through the purifiers the fats were run into a new kind of water-jacketed cooler vat, where they would cool in about one hour, as compared with six or eight under the ordinary system. Some idea of the plant required for these works might be gained from the fact that about 20 miles of pipes would be used. The 12in pipes leading from the pumps to the works were on a gradual upward incline, and would, therefore, harbour no troublesome airlocks. A tank of 5000 gallons capacity, placed on a stand 40ft in height, supplied water to the houses and to the top storey of the works. It would also be valuable in case of fire. Saving in Expenditure. The progress of the construction of the fellmongery, continued Mr. Barugh, had been accellerated owing to the action of the dii2ctors, who in December, 1914, had ordered and secured in good time the stout steel girder required in this department. By taking this action the shareholders were saved thousands of pounds. In every way, Mr. Barugh concluded, the shareholders' interests had been studied, and no advantage that the foresight and ingenuity of those responsible for the carry. ing out of the undertaking brought to light had been overlooked. The directors and advisers were sparing no effort to establish what he fully believed would be the most up-to-date freezing works m in the Dominion.