THE TEMUKA LINSEED, OIL, CAKE AND FIBRE COMPANY, Limited.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1413, 3 November 1885, Page 3

THE TEMUKA LINSEED, OIL, CAKE AND FIBRE COMPANY, Limited.

Anticipating that information relative to the progress made in the Linseed Factory would prove interesting to our readers, we paid a visit to it last Saturday, and was kindly shown over the place by the Manager, Mr Monaghan. Before giving a detailed description of the machinery, however, we deem it advisable to give a snort resume of its history. The first meeting to start the Company was held in the Wallingford Hotel on the 24th of August, 1882, when it was decided to invite Mr Pearce, a rope-makar of Christchurch, to attend a subsequent meeting to give information relative to the industry. On the 7th of September, 1882, one of the largest meetings ever held in Temuka took place in the Volunteer Hall. At this meeting Mr Pearce attended, and a Provisional Commute* was formed to arrange for the appointment of Provisional Directors. On the 14th of September, 1882, a meeting was held at which a Provisional Directory was formed, and the Company was floated as soon as possible afterwards. At all these preliminary meeting ail calculations were based on making twine : such a tiling as dressing flax for exportation was never thought of. No sooner were Perminent Directors elected than they changed their ideas on the subject, and set about dressing flax fit for exportation. For this p ; - pose they purchased and erected a scutching plant, at considerable expense, and after giving it a year’s trial found t would not pay. They then decided to import spinning machinery, and this decision as been given effect to, ns onr readers are already aware. Had the Directors adopted this plan in the first instance a great deal of money would have been saved, and the Company would have been in a flourishing condition by tin's time. But it is not right to blame them : they did their best, they followed the lead of North Canterbury Companies, but have behaved better at last. Alt the North Canterbury Companies ar# now defunct, but through a fortunate accident this Company is alive, and likely to flourish. 'Hie Directors had pratty well made up their mindd to wind up the Company, when a letter from Mr John Hayhurst informed them that he had purchased a spinning plant on their behalf. After consulting together they resolved to take this plant, but the difficulty was how to pay for it. There was only one way, and that was adopted, viz., the Directors had to give their personal guarantee to the Bank for a sum necessary to pay for the plant and carry on the work. Thera is no doubt but that the thanks of the district are due to the Directors for the plucky way in which they grappled with the difficulty ; and when the industry becomes an important one, as it is bound to, we have no doubt but that it will be accorded to them. They can be easily pardoned for the mistake made ; everything was new to them, and they were misled. As it ia, however, all the scutching machinery erected to dress the flax in the first place has been taken down, and is now thrown outside absolutely useless. It is certainly a pity that so muchmoney’s worth should be now useless, but it is one of tbe inevitable consequences cf starting new things that mistakes are made. The process through which the flax goes now does not require scutching. Instead of being converted into fine fibre it ia converted into tow, preparatory to spinning, and this saves about six men’s labor. THE MACHINERY. The process of retting and drying has so frequently been described already that it is not necessary to again to so. After it has been thus prepared it is taken into the shed and put through the first machine. This is an ingenious combination of the English crushing and the American scutching machines. It may bo said that Mr Duvis, the late manager, condemned (he American as , useless, Mr Monaghan, however, has contrived to make use of it. He has made some alterations in it, and attached it to the English crushing machine, with the result that both combined do capital work. The flax is at first put through five pairs of fluted rollers. It then passes on to the American scutcher, which cleans off a good deal of the rough surface, and after this process is repeated it is taken on to the tow-breaker. This machine is part of the spinning plant. Its principal part is a large cylinder studded with large spikes, which revolves as rapidly as ia desired. The flax ia placed on a moving table, made out of what appears to be hoop iron, and moves like the apron of a reaper and binder. This convoys it to a pair of fluted rollers, between which it passes to the cylinder above described, and goes out at the other end broken up into rough tow. There is attached to this machine a dust fan for taking the dust away. The tow is then taken to the new shed recently erected in the northeastern corner of the paddock, which resembles the first-made shed. The first machine it goes through hero ia called the tow-breaker or fiuishing-card. It is a formidable-looking contrivance not easily described. Its chief part is a large cylinder, 4ft in diameter and 2ft wide, add this ia surrounded by smaller cylinders, six of which are called strippers and five workers. These cylinders are covered with spikes or pins, at the rate of eight or ten to the square inch, and when wording all of them keep continually revolving. The main cylinder ia driven by a belt on two 24in pulleys, the workers by pinion wheels, and the strippers by a belt from an 18in pulley on the cylinder shaft. The tow is placed on a moving apron, off which it passes between two rollers to the mam cylinder, and is taken round with it. In passing round it is subjected to the action of the strippers and workers, which are revolving round the large cylinder in different directions; then it passes on to another pair of cylinders, with pins like the others, called doffers, and a doffer blade performing 800 revolutions per minute. It then passes out between iron rollers and is called “sliver.” It is then is a sheet 4in wide, and about the substance of paper, and though it has no twist in it it keeps together, and appears to have no end. It then gees through a rotarj hackle, where it can be drawn to any degree of thinness, and falls into a tin cm specially made for the purpose. From this it is taken to the first drawing frame, where it passes through several gills or hackles which clean it, and goes out at the other side between iron and wooden rollers, where it ia drawn. It is then taken on to the second drawing frame, where it goes through a similar process. The second frame is similar

to the first. o"ly much finer. It is then taken to the roring or spinning frame. The first part of this is much like the first and second drawing freme. Attached to this is the spinning gear, which ie the most intricate piece of machinery we have ever seen. There are in this 60 spindles, lint the number of wheels and other things that are to he seen there cannot be realised. It is useless to try to describe them ; no one could do it in a manner that would be comprehensible to the general public. Suffice it to say that here the flax is twisted and converted inte yarn. After haying been spun into yarn the next process is to convert it into twine. Near by is a four-head twine spinner, each head having three small and one large hook. On a moving car is the counterpart of this machine, having exactly the same number of hooks. This car is placed on a railway which runs frern one end of the paddock to the other, and is carried along it by means of an endless rope. This can twist 62 lengths of twine or report of three threads each. The twine is then put through a siaing and polishing machine, is then taken to two little machines that make it up into balls, and then it is fit for the market. The machinery appears to be well made and finished, and came out in good condition. Taken altogether it is extremely complicated, and it goes without saying that it reflects great credit on Mr Monaghan to be able to pul it together. There can be no better guarantee of his fitness for the position he occupies than that ho has succeeded in erecting the machinery, and we think the Directors may congratulate themselves upon having done the right thing at last, and on hav ing got the right naan to do it. The machinery has not all been erected yet, but a few more days will do it, and it is expected that at the ©utside the factory will be spinning in a fortnight’s time.