Our Industries: No. 9. A. & T. BURT, Ltd.

Progress, Volume II, Issue I, 1 November 1906, Page 8

Our Industries: No. 9. A. &T. BURT, Ltd.

The iron-working and kindred trades of New Zealand are closely allied with the trend of events which has brought our colony into the front rank of Britain's oversea possessions. Prominently placed amongst the enterprising firms which have lent individual weight to our progress is the business of Messrs. A. & T. Burt, Ltd., whose head office is at Dunedin, and the following account of this large establishment cannot fail to be of interest to our readers. Mr. A. Burt and his late brother started business in 1862 as plumbers and gasfitters, m the Octagon, Dunedin. Their shop then was only 18' xl 2 , and as Dunedin grew larger, so in proportion grew Messrs. Burt Brothers' business After enlarging their small shop several times, until it became a matter of impossibility to properly transact the increasing business, the old firm decided to buy another section in 1866 and build a foundry thereon. The site chosen was in Princes street, where the office of the Evening Star now stands. From this time, up to 1871, many new industries •were added to the business and at the end of the latter year the pioneers' name for good work had spread not only in Otago, but to all parts of New Zealand — even as far north as Auckland. In 1 87 1 several important contracts were taken by the firm, and they again found it necessary to enlarge their premises. They managed to secure a piece of the late Mr. George Matthews's garden at the rear of their own foundry, and on this site large additions were made to the workshops, and the firm took its place amongst the leading iron and brass workers of the Australasian colonies. Whilst Messrs. Burt were occupying the premises in Princes street and Moray place, they were entrusted with several important contracts, notably the whole of the plant for the New Zealand Distillery, as well as machinery for several large meat-pre-serving works.

In 1875 the business had so increased that it was again necessary to look out for fresh quarters. This time a site was found between Cumberland and Castle streets, half an acre was secured, and in a very short time the whole of this ground was covered with the foundry and workshops. For a little while longer the old premises in Princes street were used as a warehouse, but in 1877 they were found to be too small for the necessary requirements ; so a three-story brick warehouse, covering a quarter of an acre of ground, was built at the corner of Stuart and Cumberland streets.

Close by, in less than twenty-three years, one of the largest of the Australasian foundries has sprung up from a little wooden shop. Of course, all these additions and improvements were not made for show, and the work has had to keep pace with the size of the buildings. From time to time the various branches of the business have increased in dimensions, and as soon as any important labour-saving machinery appeared on the market, it was at once adopted. The business, at one period carried on by the Otago Foundry Co., in Cumberland street, has been acquired by Messrs. Burt, who also occupy the premises formerly used by the Dunedin Engineering Co , Castle street. Additional ground was in due course purchased opposite the works, where the plumbing and coppersmith business is now carried on exclusively, so that, altogether, the works and warehouse premises now occupy five acres in Dunedin. In 1897 the firm was registered as a limited liability company, and nominally a private company, which has since carried on the business under the title of A. & T. Burt, Limited, and it further enlarged its sphere of operations by opening extensive branches in Wellington, Chnstchurch, and Invercargill. In 1903 still further addition was made to the Company's business by the purchase of the foundry and warehouse of Dunn, Smith & Co., situated 111 Custom street, Auckland. This portion of the business is carried on under the management of Mr. Alexander Burt, junr., and the Company undertakes ship repairs and manufacturing work on a similar, though smaller, scale than the present works m Dunedin. At the Dunedin works Messrs. Burt carry on some sixteen different branches of the metal manufacturing trades, and turn out about 75% of the goods stocked at their Dunedin warehouse and other branches. The main entrance is from Stuart street, and the visitor at once enters the selling-department. Here most of the shelf goods are kept, and an efficient staff looks after the requirements of clients. Along the Cumberland street side is the main office accommodation. The three flats are connected with a hydraulic lift, which was manufactured and erected by the workshop staff. On the second flat mostly gas fittings and rubber goods are stored in bulk. Half of tins

flat is set aside for show-room purposes. We understand it is the firm's intention to shift this show room to the ground floor m the near future so that the great variety of up-to-date gas fittings, gas heating appliances and sanitary fittings may be seen to better advantage. On the top floor a irus£ellaneous stock is stored mostly in bulk. Passing through swing doors on the ground floor one enters the packing and bulk store at the rear of the warehouse. Here all the goods are packed and despatched to the various branches and customers. Passing across the yard the visitor comes to the new iron store recently erected. This store has a cart entrance to Cumberland street, and a travelling crane runs the whole length, and it has been designed with a view of keeping the various sizes of plates, bars, etc., m their proper places, so that prompt delivery can be given. Attached to the warehouse is an electrical department under the supervision of Mr. J. P. Nelson. The firm are the New Zealand agents for Crompton & Co., and large stocks of electrical apparatus are kept both at Dunedin and the various branches. Moving from the Dunedin warehouse into the works proper the visitor first touches the plumbing, tmsmithing and coppersmiths' departments, all in a separate building. Through the plumbing department the firm, has carried out some of the largest jobs in and around Dunedin. In fact, this department earned out in recent yeais, amongst other works, the contracts for the high-pressure water supply of Palmerston South, and Alexandria South. In the coppersmiths' and tinsmiths' departments all classes of copper and tinsmiths' work can be seen m course of construction. In the former department a speciality is made of copper washing boilers, high - pressure copper circulating tanks, and heavy copper steam pipes. Some of the largest brewery and sugar boiling plants used in the colony have been turned out of this department. Here the branches of the trades mentioned are earned on, and from thence one is conducted to the mam workshop Leaving the store and offices, where all manufactured goods are carefully checked, weighed and entered, the engineering department is next visited Heie we see, in the course of manufacture, sluicing and mining plant, dairy engines, dredging material, flax strippers, etc, etc Some little time ago this department fitted and erected three large dredges for Siberia, and they are now working in the Czar's dominions, testifying to the good workmanship put into them at Burts foundry In this department also Cros'ne's patent flax stripper is erected and sent out ready for use

under the supervision of the patentee. Passing from the engineering department one is now shown through the blacksmith's shop where the wrought iron and steel work in connection with the various manufactures is carried out. In the iron-moulding department, which is next visited, the stranger is struck with the varied work in course of manufacture , this is one of the most important departments of a manufacturing firm such as Burts'. The brass moulding is inspected in turn, and here we see in the moulds all classes of plumbing and engineer's requirements. Brass-work has always been a speciality with this enterprising firm, and even at the present time most of the necessary brass-work used in the repair of large steamers all over the colony comes from their foundry. There is positively no kind of brass and copper work that Messrs A. & T Burt cannot execute, and, added to this, their price is invariably below that of the imported article. Ever since the inception of the film the iron and brass moulding department have cast every working-day. In the brass-moulders' depaitment several girls are employed in core making Now we come to one of the largest departments in Messrs Burts business — the boiler-makers', dredge and bndge-buildmg yards Here we

find in the course of construction the steel girders for the Manuherikia Junction bridge, also dairy boilers sluicing plant etc., etc. Most of the large fluming supplied to the sluicing companies throughout New Zealand has also come from this department. Leaving the ground floor of the works r one is conducted up a cast spiral stair-case, manufactured on the premises, to the brassfounders' department. Here the rough castings are turned, polished and fitted together m readiness for despatch to the various warehouses for distribution in all parts of New Zealand. In the manufacture of steam and waterworks brasswork the firm can compete successfully with the imported article. Girls are also employed in this department fitting the lighter brass-work together. Attached to the brass shop is the electro and nickel-plating department, where all metal goods are made equal to new at a low price. The pattern-makers' shop is a very interesting department, and one sees how accurately the hands have to work. On their efforts depend the true casting and the finished article. Connected to this shop is a large three-story, fire-proof brick building, where all the patterns are stored and classified