local Industries.

Otago Witness, Issue 1585, 8 April 1882, Page 21

local Industries.

MR P. SINGER'S OIL FACTORY. A new and most important industry in the shape of an oil factory is about to bo. established in Dunedin by Mr I?. Singer, a gentleman' of over 30 years' experience in tho European oil trade, who arrived in Dunedin about a ,year ago specially for, the purpose o starting the industry, encouraged no doubt by

the offer <by the Government of a bonus of,

£500 for the I ' production' of the' first 10,000 j gallons of oil of good marketable quality ; -also I a bonus.of £100 for ,the production of the first • 50 tons of oil-cake from linseed grown in the i Colony. On his arrival in Dunedin Mr Singer ! immediately took 1 steps to .induce the farmers 1 of the neighbouring, 'agricultural .districts to undertake the cultivation pt linseed, for which he offered to guarantee a good, market. A number of gentlemen immediately placed themselves in, communication with him,, with- the .result that , they resolved on placing a -few acres under the ' crop as. a ,test, iMr Singer is not aware of the, exact area of laud thus set aside, but .he understands that it includes several hundred acres in both Otago and Canterbury. He has already received about 25 tons of linseed grown in the vicinity of Mataura, and expects to-day to receive a consignment of over 20 tons from the South Canterbury districts. So far as he has yet seen the seed, he considers it of first-class quality ; and although the quantity forthcoming this season is likely to be comparatively small, he is confident, from the interviews he has had with several settlers in the Taieri and other districts, that the area under crop next year will be very extensive, a3 the farmers find it much more remunerative than the ordinary cereal crops, especially wheri the market for them is in anything like a depressed condition. Mr Singer has secured part of the, brick building in Moray place at; the south end of King street, and has fitted up the greater part of the machinery necessary! for beginning work. , This machinery is on, an entirely new principle, planned by .Mr Singer himself, as the, result -of his long , experience, and, the manufacture ,of a large portion of it was distributed among the Dunedin foundries. There are two pairs or rollers for crushing the seed, and it is thoroughly ground by Bevel stones 7 feet in height and .18 inches across; Boiling is performed in four steam heaters: There are four hydraulic pumps, each capable of .maintaining throughout the enormous pressure of 60001b to the square inch. The presses comprise two double hydraulic, ones ,of a pressure corresponding with that of the, pumps. The cylinders for compressing the > cake' are four in number, and. the motive pbwer will be derived from -a ,10 -horse, nominal engine, by Marshall , and ' Sons, whicfr is being imported for the, purpose. In 'raising 1 the oil from the. , presses to the" oilboiler a double pump ,is employed,. jThe oil. boiler is a tubular one, 14 feet in. length by 5 feet, in diameter, and contains about 50 tubes. „ The i whole of the, heating for bqiling purposes, is done by « steam, ,Mr Smgerjalso wishes to encourage the cultivation' of rape for the production of colza oil, the manufacture of which he will /undertake in addition to that of linseed and . salad oils and oil-cake. .- The industry ,is one- which may itake a Uttle time ■tq develop, but it has all the prospects of success, and the, promoter has> introduced machinery, on the .most approved prin : ciples, i with a view to producing a first j clasß article. Operations will be begun in the course of a few, days, in order i that Mn Singer -may have samples of his, production in readiness' for the phristchurch Exhibition, but, it will probably be three weeks yet before everything is in full working order., ; i

BAILBY3 BCTRNSIDE DYEWORKS

A new industry has recently been started at Burnside by Mr J. Bailey, late of Woolston, near Christchurch, and who was notable as an exhibitor of dyed rugs at the Industrial Exhibition recently held here. The 'encouragement received afc that exhibition induced Mr Bailey to remove his plant to| the vicinity of Dunedin, and now that he has established works at Bumside, the demand for the rugs is such that the • require ments ' of the city warehouses alone ;fully meet the supply; Tho rugs are almost exclusively made from sheepskins of- different varieties obtained from 1 the abattoirs.' There 'are a number of frames over whloh the skins are first of all stretched out in oydev that the grease attached to them may, be, removed/ ana that they may be thoroughly oleansed, They are then converted into leather by covering with a solution of alum and salt, and after the wool has been thoroughly scoured they are placed in the dyeing vats in such a position that the wool may be immersed in the boiling hot liquor without allowing of tho skin being in any way injured by it. Tho skins aro finally dried by hot air or in a stove and conveyed to the finishing - room, where they aro cut and made up into rugs. Much taste is displayed, in the dyeing and arrangement of colours, those in general favour being white, black, amber, crimson, and grey. A large number of highly creditable oxliibits have been prepared for the Christchurch Exhibition, and these include bedroom find toilet sots of rugs and nials in various attractive) arrangements of colours, a new idea in connection with thorn being the introduction of intior borders of a colour different from that displayed in tho canfcro and outer border, and presenting a very uu'ieful appearance. The preparation of tiio wool, and the successful manner in which the dye has been applied soa.s to produce a brilliant gloss, are the special features of the industry, which promises to rapidly develop into an important one.