WELLINGTON MEAT EXPORT CO.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11521, 25 April 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON MEAT EXPORT CO.

KAKARIKI FREEZING WORKS. KILLING OPERATIONS STARTED. Although there was no official opening of the Freezing Worts at Katariki, owing to the season being so far advanced, the opening of the works should be marked as one of exceptional magnitude in the annals of this district. The directors of the Wellington Meat Export Go. deemed it advisable to make a start at Kakariki this season on account of the storage accommodation at Ngahurangi being severely taxed, and within a fortnight of the works being taken"over from the contractors the machinery was sat in motion, and yesterday morning thirteen butchers lined, the boards to start killing operations. Several visitors were present, and Mr W. G. Foster, managing director, sent the first sheep in the works to its doom, and soon afterwards the staff settled down to their various occupations. At present sheep only are being slaughtered, and thirteen boards out of twenty-eight killing boards are- occupied. In addition to the above there are boards, and it is expected that cattle will be slaughtered in a day or two. The expeditious manner in which the carcases are handled and hung in the cooling store, and also the quick exit of the skins and the offal to their separate departments is a revelation. Every particle of the carcase is used and there is absolutelj' no waste at all. DESCRIPIION OP THE WORKS. The works, which are the latest to be erected in New,,Zealand, are thoroughly modern aiid up to-date as regards design, construction and equipment, and we think the following description will prove of interest. In some respects the Kakariki Freezing Works differ from any similar establishment yet erected in this country. Extensive use has been made of reinforced concrete as a building material. The works are ecxeptionally compact, and although the various buildings required for the different departments are separate and distinct, the whole is well and conveniently arranged for carrying on, with a minimum of labour, the operations of slaughtering, freezing, storing, fellmongery, tal low making, and the manufacture of fertilisers, etc. GENERAL LAY OUT.

The site, which is au ideal oue for the purpose, is situated ou the east bank of the Rangitikei River. Railway communication with the provided by sidings which connect with the Main Trunk Line at Kakariki station. Stock arriving by road have easy access to the sheep and cattle yards provided for their reception. The works are divided into two main blocks of buildings, The insulated building, containing freezing rooms, cold stores, and also the engine room and boiler Louse, are situated ou one side, and the buildings containing slaughter houses, fellmongery, tallow and manure departments are situated on the other side. These two main blocks are 62 feet apart, and are bridged 30 feet above ground level by the cooling room, which gives communication from the slaughter houses to the freezing rooms situated on top of the insulated building. Three tracks of railway run beneath this high level bridge. Loading platforms communicate with the meat stores on oue side, and with the fellmongery, tallow and fertiliser departments on the other side. The pumping station for supplying the large quantity of water required for works of this nature, is situated some 150 yards from the works, and on a much lower level. Abundant and excellent water is obtained from the underground flow from the Rangitikei River. This water is forced under pressure to all the various departments and to all positions about the works where water is required. Ou other parts of the site are situated offices tor the use of the Company, sleeping quarters for men, cook house, and cottages for the accommodation of the engineers and the managers of the various departments.

The works, as a whole, situated as they are ou such a commanding site, form a striking feature of the landscape Travellers by the Main Trunk appoachiug fom the diectiou of Martou seldom fail to notice this imposing block of buildings. They can hefseen from the train for some miles before reaching the railway bridge across the Rangitikei river. As the small station°at Kakariki is reached a closer view of the works is obtained. One cannot help being struck by the substantial and permanent look of the various buildings. The tall chimney stack at once catches-the eye and also the letters W, M.E. These letters, each of which is six feet long, are executed in white glazed bricks and stand out boldly against the red brick work of the chimney. Surely a good advertisement for this well-known Freezing Company. BUILDINGS AND MACHINERY. A good way to obtain *a general idea of the design and arrangement of the works is to follow the course of the stock from the time it arrives in the receiving yards until it finally leaves the works as frozen beef or mutton, or in the form of tallow, wool, pelts, fertiliser, etc. In this way it is easier to grasp the reason fur the construction and arrangement of the various build ings and one can better appreciate the provision made for labour saving appliances and the thought that has been given to all details making for efficient and economical working. From the receiving yards, both sheep and cattle travel up inclined runways to their respective slaughter houses situated 30 leet above the ground. These buildings are constructed entirely of reinforced concrete and are exceptionally light, airy, and well ventilated. The sheep slaughter house is capable of dealing with about 2000 sheep per day and the cattle slaughterhouse can put through from 80 to 100 head of cattle in the same period. All offal, skins, hides, blood, etc., is sent from the slaughter house floor by-means of chutes to the offal sorting floor immediately below. The dressed carcases are conveyed by means of overhead rails

to the cooling room, previously referred to, and which forms a bridge from the slaughter houses to tl:» freezing rooms. The sides of beef are first conveyed to a specially constructed beef cooler, where a large portion of the animal heat is removed by artificial refrigeration before the beef is quartered. The quarters of beef and the carcases of mutton and lamb are conveyed from the cooling room, still on overhead rails, tojthe freezing rooms situated on top of the refrigerating building. There are-, nine freeizng 'rooms, each capable of holding about 3200 carcases -of mutton, or an equivalent in quarters of beef.

The overhead rails continue directly into these rooms, and they are fitted with ammonia piping for distributing the refrigeration. After remaining a sufficient length of time to become®hard frozen the meat is passed down to the cold stores immediately below. These stores occupy two floors and are capable of holding about 80,000 carcases of mutton. The whole of this block, which is under celd air, is insulated, inside the brick walls, with pumice!protected with insulating paper. The ground floor stores communicate directly with the loading platform and the railway siding. It will be seen from the foregoing description that the sheep and cattle carry ( themselves up to the slaughter houses, whereas the labour of conveying the frozen carcases and the various bye products final destination—-the railway car—is greatly lessened by the aid of gravitation. To return to the slaughter block and follow the course of the various bye products. Immediately underneath the slaughterhouses is situated the offal room containing the necessary offal sorting tables, and the receiving vessels for Wood, etc. Underneath the offal room is |the I?ellmongery Department, which occupies the ground floor and a floor of equal size below that again. All these rooms are constructed entirely of reinforced concrete. There is not a particle of wood used in the construction. Even the tables upon wliicb the offal is sorted are made of concrete reinforced with expanded metal. The outer walls of these buildings are merely curtain walls, that is only a filling, the weignt being carried entirely by the columns and girders. .As this filling between the columns is practically all glass, the maximum amount of light and ventilation is provided. Nearly all modern factories are now constructed on |this principle, and it has been proved that plenty of light and makes for better and more efficient work and greater cleanliness. The Kakariki Freezing Works ore certainly a model in this respect and the visitor cannot help being struck by’ the exceptional attention given to lighting, ventilation, provision for clean liness in all directions, drainage and the sanitary arrangements generally. Each department has its own dressing rooms, shower baths, and lavatory arrangements conveniently arranged on each floor. On the slaughtering floor special accommodation is provided for the Government Meat Inspector, for the head butcher, weighing clerk, "etc. The tallow and manure buildings adjoin the slaughtering block. Although separate and distinct'departments they are conveniently situated for handling - the material from the offal floor to the digesters. The tallow house contains the usual digesters, refiners and tallow coolers, the coolers being so situated that the tallow can he run into the casks on the same level as the load-, iug platform. The fertiliser department adjoins the tallowjhouse and contains the presses and dryers for dealing with the refuse from the digesters. Here large accommodation is provided for the storage of the finished product. The engine room and boiler house are situated adjoining, the cold stores. The boiler house contains two sets of Babcock boilers for driving the refrigerating machinery, and for supplying steam to the various parts of the works where steam is needed.

Owing to war delays some of the machinery originally ordered haa not yet come to hand. In the engine-room, however, is installed a Haslam refrigerating plant, and space has been left for other portions of machinery yet to arrive. The refrigreating machine was originally one of Hsslam’s cold air plants, but was converted some years ago into an ammonia compression machine. As v showing .the magnitude of a refrigerating plant necessary to operate works of this capacity it may be mentioned that in connection with the whole refrigerating system thse works con tain well over 20 miles of_ammonia piping. The Kakariki Freezing Works were erected and equipped under considerable difficulties owing to the unsettled war conditions which have existed ever since the- works were commenced. Great credit is due to the Wellington Meat Export Company and to all concerned for carrying out such a thoroughly modern and up-to-date establishment in face of the many difficulties encountered in obtaining the required machinery, labour and material.

The works were designed ’by, and erected under the supervision of, Mr E. J. F.R.A.1.0., who has "had a.'wide experience of similar work in various countries. The contactors for the buildings were Messrs Mitchell and King. The machinery was erected under the supervision of Mr C. H. G. Oroll, chief engineer for the Wellington Meat Export Co., and the operation of the plant will be in the hands of Mr Hewett, the resident engineer at Kakariki.