AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 1 July 1903, Page 20

AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY.

MESSRS ROSS & GLENDINING

(LIMITED).

(See illustration elsewhere. )J)-4H9. A capital example of the enterprise and industry of Otago's early settlers is to be obtained in the well and widely-known business conducted by Messrs Ross and Glendining (Limited), warehousemen and manufacturers, at their mills in the Kaikorai Valley and their factories «.nd warehouses in lDunedin and other centres. Mr John Roes and Mr Eobert Glendiaing came to the colony over 40 years ago, and in 1862 they agreed upon the partnership that has been in existence ever since, and that has. worked so prosperously, with resulting " good not only _to the principals, but to the mariy thou6ands*of persons who have passed through their hands during that period, or who aro in their employment at the present , time. A visit to the mill at the Kaikorai as we find it to-day enables qne to realise to some extent the great volume of business carried on, and at the same time gives a 'striking idea of the magnificent industrial, resources of the colony. Under the company's Control ope finds every branch of a most important industry. Part of the wool . weed at the mill is grown upon the company's Laud'er, B'.ackstone Hill, Home Hills, and Bare-wood sheep stations,- and largo quantities are bought from other New Zealand growers. This is carted to the storerooms in the Kaikorai Valley, where thera is accommodation for storing something like 5500 bales, or to the town stores, where 2000 additional bales may be kept. At the mill the wool is sorted out by experts, and passed on to the different departments to oe made into cloth, yarns, blankets, flannels, dress goods, rugs, hosiery, etc. Then a great quantity of the yarn is converted into hosiery of all descriptions, while a large proportion of the cloth is sent to their factory in Dunedin to bo made into clothing ; and thus the process is complete — the growing of the raw material in the shape of wool and the production ok the finished article for local sale or for distribution to other centres of the colony. The various •processes of manufacture at the mill neee/5eitate the employment of machinery covering a floor fpace of over 75,000 square feet, and to this enormous area the company have lately added an area of 46,000 square feet. This in itself is an indication of the tremendous growth of the company's business, the capacity of their works, and the confidence they have in the future of thia important, and far-reaching industry. The works call for the employment of some hundreds of hands, and the extension means that additional labour will be required; ail _of which points to the distribution amoii£ out people of a very considerable sum in weekly wages, aud aa there is every prospect of the work extending over many years, the benefit to the community is almost incalculable. This statement sets forth in brief the work of the company and the results of their exertions upon the community ; but a more detailed notice of the mill, the factories, and the Dunedin ware- i isouse is necessary. I

In 1679 the mill at the Kaikorai was started. Only woollen manufacture was engaged in, but some time later hosiery was turned out, and in 1885 the worsted department was added, and operations are still being extended. The manufactures of the worsted factory embrace worsted coatings and trouserings, worsted and s>lkmixed tweeds, dress and costume cloths, fjaj-ges, and three-ply. four-p!v, and five-ply fittgering yarns. The products of tho woollen mills are all-wool tweeds, dress tweeds, uniform tweeds, Crfmean thirtrngs, tennia cloths, plaidings, white and coloured flannels, blaukeca, shawls, travelling rugs, and wheeling yarn*. The process of manufacturing is as varied as it is interesting. After leaving the hands of the experts the wool is taken to the scouring room and passed through a " teaser," which removes the greater "part of the impurities; it is ne-vt df-liywcd to a " multiple scourer," in which it is thoroughly linked, afU.r which it i« caught between a pair of squeezing rollers, which so reduce it that a revolving fan is able to Ijkw it off in very fine flakes. The fleets aro then removed to the drying room, v.Krre they are laid upon large wirecovered frames. The under parts of the fiames sic covered in, and form chambers, the only outwaid opening of which is a c rcular apertmo in the outer wall. Here a 50in Klackman air prnpd'er, swiftly revohiuf*. drawe tho warm, dry air of the room Ihrnush the wool on thp who into the jha.inl>fT balow. and expeK it from the buildIng : thn» a c^'n»t,int rin n'.ition of dry air throwrh the \\(X)l 15 maintained. This process iV c oofTica< ioiv that twia-irl a half hrur» will «uffirc to drj" tho v.< ttc-t wool. The bulk of the wool then find* it= v.;\y into tl-.e rivehcuse, in which aio placid irou, copper,

twsd wooden vats of all sizes, and in an adjoining room are the dye stuffs. The indigo vat, with its special engine and apparatus, has a room to itself, and the appliances have been perfected according to the latest and most improved methods for securing the fastest indigo dyes :n woollans and worsteds. The " teasing" process which follows is carrieel on in two rooms, one of which is set apart for white goods and the other for the coloured, and in both 13 found first-class machinery for opening out and oiling the wool. A large I room, covering more than half an acre of floor spce, contains the carding, spinning, twisting, and weaving machinery. The machinery comprises five sets of card- ' ing 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 machines for all the processes of cai'ding, combing, drawing, spinning, and warping. Of worsted carding engines there are four sets, from which the wool passes to the combing machine?. There are three of these, and mast intricate and ' cleverly-construoted machines they are. The essential difference between woollen and worsted fabrics commences at this stage. In the case of woo!lens, the wool is in t'l>e cardin^'process merely teased out thoroughly, and this teased or carded material is bhen spun up ; whereas in the case of worsteds the wool fibre? are carefully combed out their fulf lergbh, and laid regularly in one direction before being spun — the short wool being ee-parated from the j long, wifoh the result that in the lpi'ter case J a mucdi finer, stronger, and mnrp rctrular yarn is produced. These machines take in the carded woo! and deliver it in a roil, with the fibre all in one direction, and free 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 ifl transferred to the spinning frames, from which it is produced as yarn, in any variety of thickness. The finer yarns are indispensable to fhe manufacture of the fine worsted coatings, costume cloths, and finer dress etuffa whioh could not be made with even the finest woollen yarns. The milling, yam scouring, tentering, and other finishing processes are carried on in rooms on the ground floor of the main building. In the hosiery factory many girls are employed, making every description of knitted goods, from the finer makes of ladies' and children's hosiery to men's heavy pants and cardigans. Trade is very brisk, and every day many dozens of hosiery goods are turned out by the special spinning and knitting n>aohh)ery, all of which is up to date, pof6e«r«ing the latent and most approved appliances. An altogether new department has been added in a room for rendering goods unshrinkable — a quality that every wearer of woollen goods will appreciate and enjoy. Patent machinery is at work in this department, the company having secured its sole rights for New Zraland. The new portion of the mill is 210 ft long, with a width of 150 ft. I's two storeys will be devoted to the manufacture of worsted and hosiery. In the hosiery department there will ba 180 machines for making and finishing hosiery. Many of the machines are now on their way out from Home. sThey are of the very latest pattern, with every up-to date improvement, and some of them will be used for working the finest of coods, such as silk and silk mixture, for wlrich there is a largo demand from the North Is'and and olhrr plac-es of warmer climate than Otaso Special attention is Ixmik; pail to Viyolla #ocds, comprising all sorts of ladic-' and tjpntVmen's underwear in \ariors wights. The Yiyella i>- a patent yarn, the feature of which is that it 13 absolutely unshrinkable. The company 1 possess the =ole right to manufacture Viyella good*, in N'p W Zealand. Tim preparation of fingprinsr yartw for worsted for kr.ithncr mirnowe will nl ( >) be carried on in this building-. The foundations aie of concrete, ai.d mn=t substantial, due recjnrd ha\ing been paid to the f;-.ct that some heaw mncliuiery has to be p!a/"*d in the buildin? This portion of (he works, like the remainder of the mill, is well lighted and ventilated. Xo less than 200 cast-iron columns are used in the structure. On the lower floor these are 12ft apart, and on tl«<> upper floor, where they sunport the roof there are two rows of columns 12ft apart. Thi columns were ' manufactured by Mf"-srs A. and T Burt (Limited), Dunedin. It is the fir.-t time the company have placed a larse ord»r of the kind in the liands of a local firm Formerly, the columns were imported, but the company are as well sa-tisfWl with the manner in which the Iwal firm have completed the work as {her could harp been with the wcrk of any of the fVms at Horn". The electric lie". t « ill h" n«"d (Tiroiir-hoat. nrovii-ion h.iviu? bofTi !P<>Je for supplying 600 16 candlepower LjrL'iS.

Every wheel in the new building is driven by new machinery. First to claim attention is a horizontal compound condensing steam engine, with positive Corliss gear, made by Messrs E. R. and F. Turner (Limited), Ipswich, England. The fly-wheel (9ft 6iu in diameter), which has seven grooves for ljin rope 3, connects with the main driving wheel on the firefc floor. la addition to this driving wheel there is another grooved wheel, 4ft 6in in diameter, which transmits the power to a shaft 3iin in diameter, running the whole length of the building. In connection with the engine the following figures will prove interesting: — I Economical horse-power, 145 ; maximum I horse-power, 200; diameter, high pressure cylinder, llin; diameter, lower pressure cylinder, 19in ; stroke of engine, 28in ; work- | ing pressure of steam, 120. The engine has a shaft governor for regulating the speed. The weight of the engine is 13£ tons. 1 A Hornsby water-tube boiler has be-en placed in position. It bos 80 tubes, each 17ft long. The " Sentinel" feed-waiter filter in connection with tho boiler serves a useful purpose — namely, to filter t.be oil from the feed-water that goes into the boilers, otherwise if the ail entered with the Water it would damage the boilers. One cf Green's economkers for utilising the waste heat from the boilers has also been, installed. Fiom what has been said regarding the engine and its adjunots anyone,may judge that the company has secured the best that can be obtained for its requirements, and Mr James Strachan, the engineer, not only thoroughly understands every branch of it. but takes the greatest pride in the machinery under hia charge. If a new part is wanted for anything, it is made at the workshon on the premi s?'.5 ?'. A friotion crane for delivering and taking in goods is another useful appliance. It is on the second floor, and, in addition to lifts, it runs into the building with its load. A prominent feature o»f the new premise 1 ! is the high chimney, which is 10ft square at the base, and rises to a height of 130 ft. In the older building there is also a compound" condensing engine at work, sitpplyine power to machines of various kinds, and electrical apparatus provides for 450 Lights. On a-eeou-nt of the great increase in fche output of recent years it lias been found necessary to remove some of the machines into new quarters, where there is more scope for the employees to work, and to make other arrangements for the better carrying on of the various branches of manufacture. Mention must a!e>o be made cf the reservoirs. These are four in number, with a capacJiv of several million erallon3, the water being derived from a stream close by. The water necessary for manulacturiug' purposes is drawn from dhese reservoirs. The company possesses 40 acres of ground in the Kaikorai Valley, 15 seres of which are taken up by the mill premises and the reservoirs.

As already stated it was iv 1862 that M* ssrs Rons and Glendining laid the foundations cf the cencorn which is now noted throughout the colony for its extent of 01 er-ihons and its great variety of detail In the woollen manufacturing trade. At first a retail busimss was conducted at the coiner of Princes and Manse streets, where premises are now occupied by Messrs Brown, Ewing, and Go. This was continued until 1866, when the firm removed to Stafford street and went into the wholesale trade. Ten years ago half of the present handsome Mock of buikhnars in Hit,'h street was erected, and in 1902 the unrr>hou.»c was doubled m sizo, the new part being devoted solely to tho display of the company's own manufactures. The cxtcnr-ive pile of buildn gs forms a conspicuous and massive structure. It is very substantially built, wh'ch n ay be taken a.'- a fymbol of the solid business conducted. The frontage to High street is 133 ft, and the depth 100 ft. The offices of the company are in tins building, and on the four floors which comprise the warehouse there is just sufficient room for the company's onormous stock of loeally-manu-facturod and imported goodg. The despatcliing room is on the basement floor It is at all times a soene of the greatest attivity, the company'-s output to all parts of the colony being large and steady — a certain induction of the appreciation of the l^ublic of the goods supplied.

The company poases3 branches at Invercargiil. C'hribtchurch, Wellington, Nelson, and Napier, a warehouse being situated in each of these centres for the gale not only of imported goods, but of the locally-made articles to which rpferenc» has already been, made. In all, upwards of 1000 hands are in the company's, service, the mill at the Kaikorai alone engaging between 400 aood 500.

The clothing factory is also situated in High street, just above the Princess Theatre. It ha 3 a frontaire of 66ft to High street, with a depth of 115 ft. with a cart entrance to the roar for taking away loads of finished goods. There are three floors and a base-

ment in the building, the total floor space being 30,000 square feet. Every corner is bright and clean, and the rooms are well ventilated and well lighted, while the workers, of whom there are several hundreds, appear cheerful and contented with their lot. Machines that at once attracts attention are those for cutting cloth. One piece is marked and laid on top of a thickness of perhaps 100 pieces, and an endless knife, running at high speed, makes a clean cut through the whole thickness as it is guided round the pattern by the expert. Machines that make button-holes are common nowadays, and the company have a full supply, as well a3 other up-to-date appliances for the opee-dy turning out of large orders. Something in the way of a novelty is the machine for sewing on buttons. Machines for pressing buttons into a catch have been in use for a long time, but this machine is a comparatively new invention, which does its work speedily and faultlessly. While our representative wa9 in the factory one worker sewed five buttons on a vest within a minute. In addition to the manufacture of 6uits. ihe company make waterproof olothing for ladies and gentlemen, and produce felt, fur, and straw hats, and the warehouse they erected in Stafford street in 1856 has now been enlarged, and houses a busy crowd of workers, who are experts in the hat industry. Cleverlydevised machinery for the manufacture of felt and fur hats is present in all its complexity, and it is the company's intention to further enlarge the department and throw the greatest activity into it. Mr J. C. Ross, manager, is at present at Home selecting additional machinery ana picking up the latest ideas. All the machinery is driven by electricity, the current being generated by a recently Rivalled dynamo on the premises.

In connection with the mills there is a savings bank and a benefit society. Tho former institution was established about 1891, with a view to encouraging thrift among the workers, and that end has been largely attained. The affairs of the bank are managed by a committee of the employees, but the heads of the firm bear all the' expenses connected with it, and, in addition to granting an annual bonus of £50, guarantee a 7 per cent, rate of interest npon all deposits. The object of the benefit; society is to afford relief to its members during sickness or in case of accident. Payment is arranged according to the payment received, and the benefits during sickness are distributed in proportion to tho scale of payment. These are only two of the many advantages enjoyed by employees of the company. Others of a minor, though important, nature might be mentioned, such as the comfortable dining-rooms and the well-appointed cloak-rooms and lavatories fitted up in the mill and also fn the factories.

To the well -directed efforts of the two principals in fehe concern — Mr John Ross and Mr Robert Gtendintng — is entirely due the success of this magnificent industrial establishment. 'Both gentlemen possess energy and judgment, and, in addition to building up a fine business for themselves — a business that ig a credit to the colony, — they have given their time, and their purses also, to useful objects, as well as Valuable assistance in charitable and of her works. Since the concern was floated into a company the affairs are managed by a board of directors, consisting of Mr John Rosa, Mr Robert Glendining, Mr Thomas Glendininp, and Mr G. R. Hercus. The administration of all the heads is marked by scruplous care and attention to the minutest details. Mr Thomas Glendinina is manager of the extensive warehouse in Dunedin. and Mr P. Polmer of the factory, while fcho lan;e mill at the Kaikorai is H.uDerintended by Mr R. C. Glendining. The maxims of the. firm are : "To produce only fir=t-cla?s goods," and "To produce as large a ran?e as possible," and as thesa are stric-tlv adhered to. one reason for the success achieved by the firm at once become^ apparent.