OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 17, 8 June 1872, Page 2

OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

No. I.—THE NGARUAWAHIA FLOUR MILL. We purpose, in a series of articles, to notice the local industries being carried on m the Waikato. We will commence with the Flour Mill of the Waikato Company. This mill is situated on the right bank of the Waikato river, opposite the township of Ngaruawahia, and close to the junction of the Waikato and Waipa rivers. It is consequently most conveniently situated to receive the wheat grown by the settlers on both rivers, and at a smail expense to deliver the flour in three different dirocti'jus, vi&., up and down the Waikato, and to the settlors in tne districts watered by the Waipa. The null itseli is an imposing three storey structure, with an extensive series of buildings in the rear, being engine ana boiler rooms, granary, blacksmith's, carpenter's, una engineer's shops, for the purpose of repairing the machinery of the mill and that of the steamers ply- • iug 011 the river. 'Ihe mill is driven by a large doublecylinder engine, and although two boilers are erected it is lound that one is more than sufficient to work the Flour Mill. We hope the day is not far distant when tlie surplus power will be applied to working either a Uax or sugar-beet mill. The machinery of the Flour Mill is constructed on the latest and most approved

principles. We were much editied by watching the simplicity of the arrangements by which wheat put into the hopper on the lower iioor is carried up by the elevators to the smuttinng hopper on tlie fcjp floor, and from thence it descends again to the lower to tlie smutting machine. This is conical shaped, and has la li .-i on the top which revolve at the rate of one thousand revolutions per minute, thus creating a current ol air upwards. The grain descends through the funnel by which the air escapes, and the smut and chatt being lighter than the grain is driven upwards, and conveyed out by means of a pipe, the grain descending by its own specmc gravity into a hopper. The same elevator which took up the wneat before smutting again exercises its functions on the cleaned wheat, and, by a slight readjustment of the machinery, carries it up to the clean wueat hooper on the top floor, irom wlienee it descends into the hopper in immediate communication with the revolving stones. The supply to the stones is regulated by a machine bearing the technical name of u shakers." Til ere are tnree pairs of stones, two of French burr and one of scoria (Auckland manufacture;. The former arc used for grinding wheat only, ana the latter for bruising oats ana maize tor horse and cattle feed. The crushed wheat descends from the stones through a shoot (it is now technically called meal) to the lower floor and falls into another elevator, is again conveyed to the top of the building, and discharged into the "coolers" These consist of two boxes lbtt. long, with an Archimedian screw in each. These screws work reverse ways ; the tirst carries the meal along the lirst cooler and deposits it in the second, and it is then screwed back to the meal hopper, coo). It then descends into a4l silk-dresser'' on the second floor. This contrivance is an octagonal frame work covered with silk, which revolves slowly; tie .inellour passes through the silk, while the bran and sluups pass out at the other end, towards which the dresser slants. Two screws then bring the fine flour to the centre of the machine, from whence it passes down a shoot into the sacks in which it will be conveyed to the baker. T-e bran and sharps pass through a wire dresser, and are separated in the same manner as the tine flour. This buildiug can only be looked upon as a credit to all who were concerned in its construction. Mr. Andrew Cunningham is the mill-wrigh'. who carried out the works, with the assistance ol Mr. Thomas. We are at the antipodes, and it may not be unnatural, under the circumstances, that the order of things should be reversed.; in Europe and the old country there was plenty of wheat when the only process of reducing it to hour was by grinding it by hand hetween two stones, whereas we iu tlie Waikato have a mill perfect in all its parts, but the wheat has had to be "brought from other places in order to test its capabilities. 'l'hele are other flour mills in the Waikato district than that noticed above. We shall take the earliest opportunity of visiting them.