BUTTER FACTORY BURNED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 714, 13 July 1929, Page 1

BUTTER FACTORY BURNED

Big Fire at Ngaruawahia

DAMAGE NEARLY £30,000

(From Our Own Correspondent) HAMILTON. Today. FIRE almost totally destroyed the New Zealand Dairy Company’s butter factory at Ngaruawahia early this morn mg. The loss is estimated at between £20,000 and £30,000.

The manager’s wife was awakened by the glare of the fire and gave the alarm at 3.30 a.m. The fire started in the boiler room and spread rapidlj r through the old wooden building. The water pressurr was insufficient for the leads, but despite this, tlie brigade did good work, saving the vat room containing five vats worth £SOO each. The outside buildings and offices were also saved. The factory hands worked hard salvaging fittings and butter in store. The Ngaruawahia Factory was an historic landmark, being the oldest in the Waikato. It was erected 37 years ago, and was one of the largest of the New Zealand Dairy Company’s factories. Although it was an old wooden building it had been added to periodically and contained most up-to-date machinery.

The fire occurred at a most unfortunate time as next month the season will be in full swing. This is the third dairy factory in the Waikato in which a fire has occurred during the past three months. The first was at Manawaru, and the next at Horsham Downs. The former was the property of the New* Zealand Cooperative Dairy Company, and the latter belonged to the Horsham Downs Co-operative Dairy Company. The capacity of the Ngaruawahia Factory was 2,500 tons each season. The factory had been recently remodelled, and with the new modern machinery was expected to serve, with a few additions, for the next 20 years. As the season is nearly starting, the company has decided to carry on. and suppliers will be asked to distribute their cream to the nearest factories belonging to the big company.