Our Industries. XXIV. Andrews & Beaven, Ltd., Engineers, Christchurch.

Progress, Volume III, Issue 7, 1 May 1908, Page 222

Our Industries. XXIV. Andrews & Beaven, Ltd., Engineers, Christchurch.

The firm of Andrews and Beaven, Ltd., is wellknown over a wide field. The reason lies in its speciality, which is the production of the best chaffcutting and seed cleaning machinery in the world. These are the inventions of the firm itself. They strike the key notes of the firm's success, which are originality and enterprise. The firm came into existence in 1878, both partners having considerable experience in the manufacture of agricultural machinery previously. The firm early saw the necessity of fixing on some one machine to devote all their attention

to and make it the greatest possible success. Mr. Andrews, two years before, had patented the first known screw press self- bagging chaff cutter, and had made a few machines winch, it was seen, filled a want experienced by all farmers, for such a labour-saving machine as the selfbagging chaff cutter proved itself to be. The firm decided to make this their speciality, and for 12 years devoted all their attention to improving both the mechanism of the machine and its adaptibihty to the requirements of farmers. The cutting of chaff, however, soon became a business of itself, and with the improved machines it was found by most farmers that they could get their chaff cut cheaper by the travelling selibagging chaft cutters made by Andrews and Bea\en, and operated by e:\perienced men, than they could do the work themselves.

Contractors' Chaffcutters. The sales of contractors' machines therefore advanced rapidly, and the firm s machines soon became known all over New Zealand, and a welcome sight to the farmer as it approached his farm along the country road. Before the advent of the self -bagging chaff cutter it was a common thing for the ploughman to have to cut his chaff by hand after his day with the team in the field was done ; or a team had to be taken off field work to be put into the horse-gear ; and the combined efforts of two or three horses and five men resulted in, at most, three tons of chaff being cut per day. In this year of grace, 1908, one of the firm's 12 m. " Empire " chaff cutters, fitted with ring oilers, ball bearings, double baggers, operated by the same number of men, but driven by an engine, will cut easily 30 tons a day, probably shifting once or twice during the day from one stack to another. In 1878, if 60 lbs. of oat sheaf chaff was placed in a bag by the man operating a rammer, or by a man treading the chaff into a bag, it was considered good work ; the use cf the self -bagger enabled 80 lbs. to be put in a bag in one-third of the time ; and the successive improvements of the firm, by

means of increased driving power, impioved forn of screw, and grip bag-holders, now enables 120 Jbs. to be put in a bag, and these filled at the rate of 100 per hour. As much as 1 50 lbs. has been placed in an extra large bag. In consequence of the increased quantity of chaff placed m a bag, chaff became a much more commercial article than it ever was before, or that it now is in countries where screw press self-bagging machines are not used. Instead of being used wholly at the place where it was cut, chaff began to be sent about from place to place, country to

town, and port to port, as readily as any kind of grain, and a ver\ considerable export of chaff from south to north took place, as one outcome of the invention and manufacture of the self-bagging chaff cutter by Andrews and Beaven. The nnention ot the means of freezing sheep led to a greater demand for chaff m the winter, and to more chaff being cut.

For eight year=; subsequent to 1878 the firm manufactured the single-bagger chaff cutter. When other firms, following the lead of Andrews and Beaven, began to manufacture these machines, the firm invented the double-bagger and kept well ahead, and no one year has since gone past without some improvement' m detail having been made in their self-bagging chaff cutters.

Export Trade. When bringing out the double-bagger the firm commenced to export their machines to Australia, and in 1884 Mr. Beaven paid the first visit there and inaugurated a trade which has grown into large dimensions. The firm have practically a monopoly in Tasmania of the supply of self-bagging chaff cutters, they supply probably one-half of those used in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia, and their machines have been sent to Scotland, South Africa, and Tndia.

Farmers' Machines. The larger number of the machines made by the firm are for contractors, but farmers are provided with very efficient and very useful machines, fitted with an elevator for placing the chaff direct into bags, which sells freely to farmers who have horse or water power available, and the advent of the oil engine on the farm appears to be somewhat increasing the sale of small machines. Andrews and Beaven have alwaj's been exceedingly careful (1) that all wearing parts sent out should be fitted to gauges before they leave the works, so that they are bound to fit when they arrive at the machine , (2) all wearing parts for users of chaff cutters are got away by the next steamer or train after receipt cf order. A special staff and store is kept for wearing parts, the firm always feeling that this is a branch of the business that requires careful attention.

Corn Crushers. Corn crushers are made in considerable quantities by the firm. When first commencing to manufacture these, they invented an improved form of feed, which was self-regulating and entirely stopped the feed of grain to the rolls when these revolved too slowly to perform their work properly. The rolls are always made of equal diameter, so that they receive the grain more readily and crush it more uniformly than rolls of tinequal diameter would do. The firm fit a large number of crushers for contractors' use. These are made portable and fitted with hopper and elevator, so that they can be taken -with the chaff cutter, and the farmer's grain crushed without leaving the farm, and one man can look after the machine whilst crushing 120

bushels per hour. Kibblers for crushing beans, peas, and maize are fitted to the crushers when required, and thus the whole of the grain required by horses can be thus treated by the one machine.

Grinding Mills. For many years Andrews and Beaven have been agents for the " Rapid " grinding mills, which are more generally useful and more economical to operate than the stone grinding mills, and a large number of them have been sold to millers, grain merchants, and farmers. Dairy factories have taken a considerable number, as it has been found convenient for farmers to bring in their seconds, grain, etc., with the milk and take the ground meal away with them the next day with the skim milk.

Manure Mixers. In 1890 the firm were asked by Messrs. Wright, Stephenson and Company, of Dunedin, to design and manufacture for them a machine for accurately and expeditiously mixing the various kinds of artificial manures required to make a complete plant tood. Messrs. Wright, Stephenson and Company have gone into considerable expense in employing experts to find out the required constituents to give the best results in various kinds of soil, and required a machine which could be guaranteed to exactly deliver and mix the required quantities. The success of the first machine was such that other machines have been made for both Messrs. Wright, Stephenson and other firms. About 15 years ago, Andrews and Beaven, feeling that they had brought the self-bagging chaff cutter to a high pitch of perfection, turned their attention to the manufacture of

Seed Cleaning Machinery in the first place to those required by farmers ; recognising' that the American-made machines were selling fairly freely in New Zealand, they deter mined to make a machine more strongly-constructed and more adapted to cleaning grass seed than the imported article. From these they went on to the manufacture of those required by merchants, and at the present time they have the pleasure of having supplied all the largest merchants and seed growers from Auckland to the Bluff with the firm's machines of various kinds to suit varied requirements Threequarters of all the lucerne seed grown in New South ,-iWales passes through the two machines supplied bV Andrews and Beaven to a Sydney house ; and in Queensland, Victoria, and Tasmania, Andrews and Beaven are recognised as being the firm who know most about the cleaning of seeds, and their machinery is largely used. The largest seed plants are capable of cleaning seed having a mixture of 35 per cent, of six or eight different kinds of weed seeds, and of extracting practically the whole of these weed seeds with the smallest mixture of good seed. The combination may consist of from five to ten separate machines so combined logether with elevators and conveyers that, at the one passing through and under the charge of one man only, the whole of the weed seeds can be placed in six or eight different bags, and the perfectly clean seed can be placed in sacks without any recleaning of separations having to be subsequently done, the whole of the^separations and the good seed being placed inMheir respective bags at the one "operation.

The seed cleaning machines made comprise the following : Aspirators, Huskers, Polishers, Rhaes, Goose Grass Extractors, Hair Grass Separators

Hummellers, Dust Collectors, Elevators and Conveyors, Seed Baggers. The firm's machines are used for cleaning rye grass, cocksfoot, fescues, dogstail, foxtail, clovers, lucerne, canary, millett, turnip, carrot, onion, and all kinds of grain ; and the firm are open to supply machinery for cleaning any kind of gram or seed of which a sample is sent them The firm keep very large stocks of perforated zinc of all sizes, and woven wire of different sized and shaped mesh, including many special sizes woven for their special use to suit New Zealand weed seeds.

Glover Shelters. The firm A\ent to a very great expense in brineing out a clover sheller, which should combine in the one machine a reliable thresher, sheller, and cleaner, and constructed a number of them. The clover seed in New Zealand has to be threshed in the winter, at which time the clover is very tough and hard to thresh, consequently a shelling device that will overcome this difficulty is required. This, Andrews and Heaven have provided in their patent centrifugal rubbers working inside stout woven steel wire cylinder, which allows the shelled clover and husks to fall through as quickly as they are separated, instead of being forced through a common outlet in the end of the solid cylinder as in the English machines. This finely divided separator of n'ingled clover and rubbish is in the best possible state and condition to be operated upon by the riddles and blast, and therefore the machine is more effective as a cleaner. The machine has exhaust fans to the dressing apparatus. These weigh carefully the stuff going through the machine, and the man in charge can regulate the suction of these exactly to suit the work required to be done. The machines have very efficient straw- shaking;

caving, chaff, seed and dnst riddles, polisher, rotary screen, and are on high and wide wroughtiron wheels for tiaveihrur

Farmers' Threshers. For districts where large steam plants find it difficult to go through the hilly nature of the country where tlie roads are bacl, where the quantity to be threshed is small, there is a demand for a small threshing machine capable of being driven by hor?e-power or an oil engine. Feed growers have found these machines very useful, enabling them to thresh their various seeds with a few hands, at the time that suits them best. Andrews and Beaven have made their machine available for a wide range of grain and seeds. The machine will thresh peas, all kinds of gram and grass seed, and when fitted with special shelling appliances, it will both thresh and shell clover seed. Ihe machines can be fitted as required with any of the following : straw shakers, caving, chaff and seed riddles, exhaust fans, hnmmellers, second dressers, straw elevators, travelling wheels, and shafts. A considerable number have been made for Central Otago and the back-blocks of the North Island. One is being used by the Maoris of the Wanganni river, being taken from place to place en a canoe. The firm have supplied a number of these machines adapted specially to the threshing of lucerne in New South Wales, and great savings are made by their use.

Cellular Cylinders. During the last two years Andrews and Beaven have installed a special plant for making cellular cylinders of all sizes and diameters and shape of cells. After many experiments they are using special shapes of cells to suit New Zealand conditions. They have supplied a number of these

cylinders to maltsters, merchants, brewers, and millers. This class of machine makes very exact separations of the seed required to be cleaned, and will do'some work that no other machine will do —such as separating tares from wheat, fog from dogstail, and the separations are wonderfully complete and exact. The firm are combining these machines with their grass seed cleaners with very good effect.

Blackstone Kerosene Engines. Three years ago, the firm took up the agency for New Zealand of the " Blackstone " kerosene engine. Its merits, and the careful shepherding that the*'firm gives to all machines they sell, has brought it v well to the front. The firm, being engineers, are able to supply customers with special adaptations of the engines, and all parts damaged in transit or by accident, or wear. This advantage customers have freely recognised, and it gives the " Blackstone " a very great advantage over many of the other oil-engines being sold in New Zealand. The " Blackstone," being an English engine, is well made and durable but, in response to the request of Andrews and Bcaven, the makers have reduced the weight of those parts not material to the proper working so that the portable engine is as handy as possible for getting about on the average New Zealand roads. The special points in the mechanism of the " Blackstone " the makers call special attention to, are the simplicity of the vapouriser, which has less parts than most oil-engines ■ the ease with which all valves and their seats can be got at ; the great control the governor has over the speed of the engine ; the care devoted to the

balance of the engine to destroy all vibration, by the use of balanced cranks and double fly-wheels. But the great point m the " Blackstone " which brought it out top at the last great oil-engine trials, — that held by the Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland, at which ten of the leading English makers competed— and which keeps its highest in the regard of the users and ahead of all competitors, is the economy in all fuel used to maintain the internal combustion. ■ In New Zealand, customers report that they have cut and pressed into bags chaff for 4d a ton, milked 85 cows twice a day using one tin of oil per week, shcrn 12,000 sheep at a cost for oil of 425, pumped water at a cost for oil of Id per 3000 gallons. The advantages of good workmanship, rareful regard of customers requirements, prompt attention /\ to keeping all parts available for customers, and the undoubted econom}' in the consumption of kerosene, has made the " Blackstone " well and favourably known in New Zealand and the firm of Andrews and Beaven are not the ones to allow it to decline. Farmers are finding that with an oil-engine on the farm all kinds of work can be done economically, such as chaff cutting, shearing, crushing, grinding, milking, pumping, and the power being a^ ailable at any time m seven minutes makes it a \ery desirable form of power to have. Andrews and Beaven are making these engines handy for sheep farmers by placing them on selfcontained sledges handy to move from homestead to wool shed, and back again. They have fitted them up as motor tractions, as portable pumping plants for irrigation, for use on cranes, for portable shearing plants. They see a great future for oil engines for these and other purposes.

Milking machines have come to stay, and the " Blackstone " is quite the popular engine for this work, the reliability with it can be started and its economy telling heavily in its favour.

Factory. The works and offices of the firm are situated opposite the Christchurch railway station, very favourably placed for quick despatch of all goods promptly. The woiks occupy the corner made by the South belt and Madras street, and the greater portion of the site is covered with high, well-lighted ;_- buildings, well adapted to the business carried on. A large amount of our space could be occupied by a list of the tools used, but it can best be summed up in the statement that it is well-known in the trade that Andrews and Beaven buy freely any new tools and appliances that suit their business, and their works are well supplied with modern tools, -w^ll placed and efficiently handled.

Staff. The staff is a good one. The greater number came into the works as boys, and graduated through the ranks of apprentices, improvers, journeymen, to leading hands. Some have been with the firm 25 years, the greater part over 10 years The firm recognise that they have a loyal staff who do their best for the firm and for the firm's customers, and that they are as anxious as their principals that nothing but a " good job " shall go out from the works. In 1906 the firm was registered as a private limited company, the whole of the shares and the debentures being held by the two partners — William Andrews and Arthur Ward Beaven. At the New Zealand International Exhibition the firm had a stand, of which the above is a photograph. The exhibit comprised the largest (the " Umpire ") and the smallest fthe " Zealandia ") chaff cutters made bv them, a No A - corn crusher, a cellular cylinder, the " Universal " seed cleaner, four " Rapid " grinding mills, a 4 b h.p. and a 17 b.h.p fixed " Blackstone " oil-engines, an 8 b.h.p portable oil engine, and a 2 b h p pumping plant, which was shown set up and in work. For their exhibit the firm received a Special Mention and gold and silver medals