TEMUKA LINSEED FACTORY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1477, 9 March 1886, Page 2

TEMUKA LINSEED FACTORY.

The Temuka Linseed, Oil, Cake and Fibre Manufacturing Company's works are the scene of much activity at present. The Cornish boiler, which came recently from Christchurch to the Company, has been placed in position, and men are busy occupied in fixing it up. It is regarded, by such as understand such things, aB an excellent one. It is one of the boilers that was shown at the late exhibition, and bears marks of havbeen very carefully finished. It has three GalUway tubes, which will effect great economy in fuel. A horizontal engine 18-horse power Ccan work up to 30-horse power) with 14-inch cylinder, and 83-inch stroke, is also baing placed in position. It was built by Mr A. Morton, Dumfermline, Scotland, and the engineer from Christchurch, who is putting it together, asserts that it is one of the best finished engines he has ever handled. A house will be built to cover both in under the same roof, the chimney of which will be about 45 feet bisrh. Mr A. Frew is also busy at his contract for building the rope walk. This will consist of a shed 666 feet long by 17 feet wide. It is evident now from the preparations that are being made that the Directors are at last confident of the success of the industry. We gave not long ago a sketch of the history of the enterprise, and pointed out the many discouraging incidents the Directors had to contend with. We also described the machinery, and therefore it is not necessary to go into such details now. It may, however, be said that hitherto the Directors were only, as it were, feeling their way ; working with great caution, so as to assure themselves that it would pay. This timidity has, however, worn off. The experiments made so far have proved very successful, and the Directora are now sanguine of doins; great things yet with the industry. It is extremely encouraging also to kn-<w that they have on the ground at present as much flax fibre as will keep their machinery going for nearly 12 months. They have this year received 852 tons of flax, and that will keep them going till next year. They employ at the present ten men and four boys, but when the machinery is in full swing the number of hands necessary to do the work will be six men and twenty bnys, The flax as ic arrives on the ground is .being threshed out with an ordinary threshing machine, and the yield of seed is turning out excellent, Tb,ere is n good market in Dunedin for seed at 5s 6d per bushel. Mr Monaghan, the Manager, has effected great improvements in everything ho haa handled since he came there. In our previous article on the subject we pointed oiu how he succeeded in making the American machine, which was condemned as useless, work well. He has also made out of spare pinions, spindles, and other odds and ends borrowed from the plant received from Home, a new machine for putting more twist in twine, and it works excellently. Jnstead of gojng to the expense of making concrete tanks, he has dag a pit about six feet deep into the ground, and thfo answers the purpose for retting as well as the concrete tanks. Mr Monaghan says the flax retted in this pit is far softer and better than that which has been retted in' the concrete (tanks, while, the expense is no.t near so much. The concrete tanks will probably be turned into storerooms, and all the 'flax retted in the ' pits sunk into the ground. The scutching of this season's fjax. has already and it

iB turning out very well, On the whole the prospects of the Company are looking much brighter. They have sent Home a lettpr making enquiries for more machinery, and if prices are satinfactory they in (en J to order by cablegram, so as to expedite matters. They have already orders for more twine than they can possibly tnauufacture, and there is now very little room to doubt the ultimate success of the factory.