John Mill and Co.’s New Store.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2951, 24 November 1900, Page 4

John Mill and Co.’s New Store.

The latest addition to Messrs John Mill and Co.’s large block of stores opposite the Atlas Mill and on the sea frontage is expected to be finished to-day, and the whole range of wool and grain stores will then be among the finest in the colony for those particular purposes. The original store is 180 feet long Tiy 60 feet wide, the second store 350 feet by 100 feet, and the latest and last addition 200 feet long by 100 feet wide. The walls are 18 feet in the clear, and the roof is on the lean-to principle with the fall to the north, so as to allow of the whole of the southern ends to be filled in with glass. The roof is carried on girders, which drop on to strong upright posts, which break the view of what otherwise would be an immense floor. The building itself rests on sleepers, and the floor timbers springing therefrom are strongly braced together. Thus a floor of great strength and rigidity, is procured. ' Wood and iron are the principal materials used in the buliding, and every care has been taken to make it exceedingly strong. The perfect lighting and colouring (the roof and timbers are whitewashed and the columns painted with white lead) of the interior make it a thoroughly up-to-date wool store. Samplers will not experience the slightest difficulty next week when they visit it to see the wool. The new store will show for sale 2500 bales of wool, and will take in 60,000 sacks of grain, their whole storage capacity in the whole of the buildings being 180,000 to 200,000 sacks of grain. Messrs Mill and Co. believe in employing their own men and carpenters by the day when they have a job of this kind on hand, and their confidence in this way of doing work has never been lost. Their foreman here, Mr Wilson, superintended the work, and his men have put up the store in seven weeks, during ten days of which they were idle owing to broken weather. When they were on the job, they certainly lost no time. The whole of the work is thoroughly well done, find a decided credit to Mr Wilson and to

Mr James Craigie and his employees who did the painting, glazing, and plumbing. Mr T. D. Young, Messrs Mill and Go’s. .Timaru manager, who showed our representative round yesterday afternoon, remarked that he wo ild be pleased to welcome any farmers or wool-growers who desire to take a stroll over the finest and biggest block of buildings of the description named in New Zealand. And it will be a pretty long stroll, too, for in going round the new block only, nearly a quarter of mile is covered. In addition to the perfect lighting the visitor will also note that ventilation and drainage arc as perfect as possible, and that all precautions against damage by fire are taken. There are two resident employees on the premises, an engineer and storeman, and they have comfortable five-roomed cottages. On looking over the old premises we noted that a new engine has just been imported, a portable one, so that it can be taken to any part of the premises. The stores also are'connected all round by platforms with the railway, and have hoisting winches at convenient points, so that ■ all grain and wool is smartly handled with a minimum of labour. Truly, the stores are admirably appointed, and a block that Messrs Mill and Co. are justly proud of.