VI. ROSLYN WORSTED AND WOOLLEN MILLS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2085, 8 February 1894, Page 35

VI. ROSLYN WORSTED AND WOOLLEN MILLS.

The Roslyn Woollen Factory, although one of the largest enterprises of the kind in the colony, differs from all the others in the fact that it is owned, not by a joint stock company, but by a private partnership. The establishment of these mills was really the outcome of a demand, experienced by Messra Ross and Glendining in the course of their business as warehousemen, for Colonial manufactures. The firm had acted as agents for the sale of flannels and other woollen manufactures produced at the old Kaikorai Woollen Factory, and these goods met With such favour from the retail dealers and the public that Messrs Ross and Glendining, realising that under more advantageous conditions snd with machinery of the most improved type they could greatly increase their returns by themselves entering upon the manufacture of the articles, secured a suitable site — a piece of land, comprising 16 acres, situated in the suburban borough of Roslyn in such a position that it is within easy distance from Dunedin and yet conveniently near the trunk lino of railway — for the erection of a factory. The initial step having been taken, the firm lost no time in completing arrangements for starting the manufacture of woollen goods, for a few months later a complete plant of tho latest designs and patterns, purchased at Home by Mr Ross, the senior partner, was landed in the colony and waa set up in the substantial buildings which had in the meantime been erected, under Mr Glendining's direction, to receive it. Everything having been got in readiness, the Roslyn Woollen Mills started work in 1879, and bo fully were the expectations of the proprietors realised by the favourable reception of their goods throughout the colony that at frequent intervals additions had to be made to the buildings and plant. In 1885, at length, they were emboldened by the success by which their woollen manufactures had been attended, and by the great preference shown in the colony for superior pure wool cloths, to inaugurate an entirely new industry — the manufacture of worsted goods. An extension of the factory buildings was necessary in order that the very complicated machinery required for the industry might be accommodated, and accordingly, in 1885, tho Roslyn Worsted Mills were built. It was necessary also that a staff of skilled workmen, possessing special experience, should be procured, and wheu a complete set of machinery and plant had been imported the working of Ib was entrusted to competent persons sent out from the old country by Mr Ross. Thus much about the genesis of tho industry. It will be seen that Messrs Ross and Glendining were the pioneers of the manufacture of worsted goods in the colony. Nob only that — theirs were the first worsted mills established south of the equator, and are still the only worsted mills in New Zealand. In other respects Messrs Ross and Glendining have been ■in the forefront of industrial advancement, for they were the first firm in the colony to practically apply electricity to industrial purposes, the first to establish private telephonic communication, and the first to employ the electric light— the Pilson- Joel system of lighting being originally adopted by them, and being afterwards replaced by a system of Swan-Edison incandescent lamps. The products of the woollen mills are all-wool tweeds, dress tweeds, uniform cloths, Crimean shirtings, tennis cloths, plaidings, white and coloured flannels, blanketß, shawls, travelling rugs, and wheeling yarns ; and the manufactures of the worsted factory embrace worsted coatings and trouserings, worsted and silk mixed tweeds, dress and costume cloths, serges, and 3-ply, 4-ply, and 5- ply fingering yarns. Messrs Ross and Glendining do even more, however, than manufacture the goods in their mills. A more complete process of manufacture is followed by them than can be pointed to anywhere else, for, in the first place, they themselves grow their raw material in the shape of wool on the backs of their own sheep, on pastoral runs leased by themselves in Central Otago. Nor do their operations end when the finished article has passed through the hands of all the mill operatives. Messrs Ross and Glendining go right through to the end, and in their town factory the products of the mill, in the form of cloth or fingering, are converted into clothing or hosiery, as the case may be. The main. building covers an area of more than an acre of ground, and is surrounded by over a score of subsidiary buildings separated from it by roadways a/>d by the Kaikorai stream, which passes through the property. The water utilised for manufacturing purposes is not, however, drawn from that stream, the source from which ifc is obtained being four reservoirs of a capacity of several million gallons, drawn from a creek on the higher ground. In the process of manufacture several different kinds of wool— crossbred and merinoare employed. The wool is in its greasy abate when it is received into the mills, where it is first of all taken to the scouring room and there passed through a " teaser," which removes the rougher impurities. That haviDg been done, it is delivered to a " multiple scourer, 1 ' in which it is automatically carried through a long series of tanks and thoroughly rinsed in each, and is then caught between a pair of equetaiug rollers which bo reduce it that by means of a revolving fan it is blown off in five, fluffy flakes. The fleeces are then removed to the drying room, where they are laid upon largo wire-covered frames. The under parts of the frames are boxed in and form chambers, the only outward opening of which is a circular aperture in the outer wall. Here is a 50in Blackman air propeller, which, revolving swiftly, draws the cool, dry air of the room, admitted freely at the ridge of the roof, through the wool on the wire into the chamber below and expels it from bbc building. A constant circulation of dry air through the wool is thus maintained, and this process is so efficacious that half an hour will, it is eaid, suffice to dry the wettest wool. Even in wet weather no difficulty is experienced, as provision for drying the air has been made by the introduction of steam pipes. After the wool has passed through this stage, the bulk of it finds its way to tho dye-house, in which are built iron, copper, and wooden vats of all sizes, and in an adjoining room are the dye-stuffs. The indigo vat, with itsc£pecial engine and apparatus, has a room to itself. The production of indigo-dyed goods is recognised as one of the most important branches of the dyeing department, and the appliances for the purpose in this room have been perfected according to the latest and most improved methcd3 for securing the fastest indigo dyes in woollens and worsteds. Tho next process, that of "teasiug," is carried on in two rooms, one beiDg set apart for white goods and the other for the coloured, and in both is found first-class machinery for opening out the wool and <">>'ic>r: ifc A largo room, covering more than kzl- .. < ■ ■' of floor space, contains the carding, spacing, twisting, and

weaving machinery. The room is lofty, well lighted, and has a cheerful appearance; and iron columns serve the double purpose of supporting the roof and the machinery, the latter comprising five sets of carding machines, eight self-acting mules (each running 300 spindles), and from 50 to 60 looms, besides several twisting and winding frames. The worsted mills adjoining contain also, in two large room 3, machines for all the processes of carding, combing, drawing, spinning, and warping. Of worsted carding engines there are four sets, from which the wool passes to the combing machines. Of these there are two — certainly the most intricate and perfect of the many wonderful machines invented for the conversion of fibre into fabric. The essential difference between woollen and worsted fabrics consists in the preparation of the wool afe fchis stage. In the case of woollens* the wool is In the carding process merely teased out thoroughly, and this teased or catded material is then spun up, whereas in the case of worsteds the wool fibres are carefully combed out their full length and laid regularly in one direction before being spun — the short wool (tho "noils") being separated from the long (the ''tops")— with the result that in the latter case a much finer, stronger, and more regular yarn is eeciired. These machines perform automatically this difficult operation — taking in the carded wool and delivering it in a roll, like softest silk, with the fibres all in one direction and tree from the smallest knot or twist. The processes of drawing and roving are next undergone by the material to reduce it to the necessary degree of fineness, after which it is transferred to the spinning frames — containing 2228 spindles — whence ifc is produced as yarn in any variety of thickness, from the larger "counts," similar to ordinary woollen yarn?, down to an extremely fine, almost invisible, thread, tenacious as silk and more elastic. These finer yarns are indispensable to the manufacture of the fine worsted coating- 1 , costume cloths, and finer dress stuffs, which cduld not be made with even the finest woollen yarns. It is of the coarser worsted yarns also that the proper stocking and hosiery yarns known as fingerings are made, woollen yarns being too short and brittle to be serviceable.

The milling, yarn scouring, tentering, and other finishing processes are carried on in rooms on the ground floor of the main building, where also is the goods delivery warehouse ; while the upper storey is occupied by the manager's office, designing room, and patternweaving room.

On tho same floor is also located tho hosiery factory, where about 60 girls are employed making every description of knitted goods, from the finer makes of ladies' and children's hosiery to men's heavy pants aud cardigans So rapid has been the development of this important industry that entirely new methods of manufacture have superseded those in vogue but a few years ago, and now some scores of machine?, from light, handy •• knitters ' to the larger and more complicated machines, together with the latest finishing appliances, are turning out every day many dozens of hosiery goods. Still further developments are in progress, orders having gone Home for special spinning and knitting machinery, which will greatly increase the output.

The whole of the mass of machinery running in this large building is driven by an engine which is itself of special interest. It is a compound horizontal engine of 340 indicated horse-power, with cylinders of 18in and 32^in diameter respectively, and 4ft stroke. The flywheel is 16ft in diameter; and is grooved for 13 s£in ropes. The weight of the engine and connections is about 70 tons. The motive power is supplied by three boilers fitted with the latest contrivances for economising heat and steam. As previously stated, the building is lighted by electricity, with a separate and independent supply for each department, the current being derived from a Joel dynamo, supplemented by another, which is kept ready for immediate attachment in case of emergency. The reserves of manufacturing yarns of all colours and grists, ready for the looms as they may be wanted, are kept in a building at the back, in which also is a yarnreeling room. The Roslyn mills have been kept running full time, notwithstanding the general slackness of trade} and give employment to 350 hands, and the amount of money which, paid out in wages, circulates through the district, directly through their existence, is very considerable. The Roslyn Mills Savings Bank was established about three years ago with the object of encouraging thrift among the workers, and has proved very successful. It is managed by a committee of the employees, and Messrs Ross and Glendining, besides bearing all the expenses connected with it, guarantee the deposits at high rates of interest, and grant annual bonuses. The rates of interest and bonus are graduated so as to give preference and encouragement to beginners, and during the past year the interest and bonus earned by depositors ranged from 244 to 10 11 per cent, per annum. So popular has the institution become already that the deposits amount to £2035.