UNIVERSAL SUPPLY AND WERTHEIM DEPOT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11714, 23 April 1900, Page 4 (Supplement)

UNIVERSAL SUPPLY AND WERTHEIM DEPOT

R LOCHHEAD, Propriet-0p... 'Of the manufactories which occupy a prominent pkcc in the Dunedin industrial world, the Universal .Supply and Wept-heim Depot, o£ which Mr 11. Lcchhead is the proprietor, is among tliose interest-in" to the historian of Otago progress. From a small beginning this concern has grown to considerable proportions, embracing in the scope^ of its operations the greater portion of New Zealand, and having branches m Christchurch, Invercargill, Oamaiu, and x'imaru. The business was established in 1819, ana in the year 1895 the manufacturing department ;was removed, to the present premises in Morning-ton,'since when it Ins-grown, with that rapidity which indicates that there is a great denurad for tlie articles made by Mr Lochhead, and that toe workmanship and material are superior, -the manufacturing lines undertaken by Mr lochhead mclv.de copper, iron, and woodwork, and among the articles for which heis most famous are'perambulators, washin" : machines, mangles, and ail descriptions of household machinery and domestic conveniences. As a maker of copper boilers""ha has also justly obtained celebrity, holding several gold medals obtained at various exhibitions for these articls; The factory is"a iX Vn°; St? rey brick building measuring about 120 ft by. Boft, thus affording a large/floor space. Wifru a complete and ■'up-to-date plant Mr Lochhead here manufactures children^ go-carte, perambulators, copper boilers, mangles, knife cleanerSj etc,: the whole of which, including bent shafts, steel' spnngs, -wire-metal, bamboo, and cane pram and go-cart bodies, are manufactured entirely by the staff'of workmen on the premises. The go-carts ha-ve become ': ex-tremely-popular, and Mr Lochhead, to nieeo the enormous demands, has turned, out aa many as 1000 in a single season' of iix months. Invalid chairs and cars of. all descriptions are also made on fche,preiiu>es.V In the child's carriage, which is the perambulator, pains and ingenuity have' been exercised to attain a perfect type; and in this effort Mr Lochhead has been rewarded', ihe taste of the plainest and the most fastidious is studied in turn, and there is no end to the variety of design won which the elegant carriages of the little ones are built. Some of the most luxurious are fitted witu upholstery calculated ,to please the ease-loving. American leather and Utrecht velvet are varied in the upholstery with colours matching the woodwork, which is decorated with scroll-work and- beautiful designs. Coaches, landaus, and carriages o£ all descriptions furnish the models upon which these indiq)ensable articles of household furniture are constructed. The perambulators nave polished brass hand-rails, reversible hoods and brass joints, double springs and bicycle wheels, with' brass' caps, so that the inventive .progress in many lines of manufacture has ueea calieu in to aid in the construction. A speciality- which, does the enterprise of Mr Lochhead great credit, and places him before other Australasian, makers in. the same line, is the manufacture of the crimped wire bodies for the' perambulators by special and expensive maclunery on the premises.- " Lochhead's mangles"' are household words throughout New Zealand, and have marked : an important advance in the economy of' domestic labour. Sycamore imported from ' America is used for the construction. of the rollers, which are made on the premises, going through the grading processes' by which they are fitted with, the driving gear, until they emerge from the lathe finally turned and polished for the market; An advantage which these local mangles have over the imported ones lies in ■ the fact that they possess a larger roller, which can be re-turned at the factory after the wear and tear of long service. Among other wood- and iron work manufacture's turned out by Mr Lochhead. arethe knife cleaners and washing machines, each of whien has special qualities which make it superior to the imported article. ' The amusement of children is also catered for in the construction of rocking-horses, which by skilful application of machinery and materials (imported and local) are turned out"' from start to finish on the premises. The rocking-horse manufactured by Mr Lochhead is a highly-finished article, having strength, grace, and realism as the qualities of its excellence^ It is astonishing to note the variety of avenues into which Mr Lochhead has directed his industry, arid were not the fame of Lochhead's copper boilers so wide the reader would doubtless express surprise at the announcement thr v these also are made on the premises. From this brief sketch of the leading features' of Mr Lochhead's manufacturing business it will readily.be seen that the industry is one that should attract interested attention, and should command by its own merit ready patronage. It would be truer, perhaps, to say that the extensive" patronage which lias already been accorded it throughout New Zealand has been drawn by the superior quality of the articles. In conjunction with the manufacturing, Mr Lochhead has throughout the South Island, as already noted, warehouses which serve as depots for the distribution of the lines manufactured. In Dunedin there are two of these—one, which is known in the terminology of the firm as " the warehouse," situated at t'ho corner of Hope and Walker streets, and another, known as " the depot," situated in Princes street, near: the. City Hotel. The former is the wholesale warehouse, occupying a two-storey building measuring 40ft by 68ft, and being heavUy slacked with manufactured goods. Trie retail shop and office has a- handsome frontage to Princes street, measuring 30ft by- a depth of 70ft. Herein is a spacious and elegant show-room, where the finished articles are exhibited and sold. Mr Lochhead is the agent for the Wertheim sewing machines, in which line a large trade is transacted. A resident of New Zealand for 50 years, ho now employs over 70 persons. Prior to founding the Universal Supply Depot, Mr Lochhead was engaged in the- ironmongery, crockery, and furniture trade. He is a native of Paisley, Seotl-.uul. and, removing to England when quite young, was engaged in the- service of Messrs Thomas Simpson and Co. (Limited), this famous furniture people of Halifax. A successful and enterprising business man, Mr Lochhead has not had time to enter public affairs, but 'lie is none the less regarded as among the most representative citizens of Dunedin. ■■_.;.