THE CEMENT AGE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1776, 14 June 1913, Page 28

THE CEMENT AGE.

A NEW NATIONAL INDUSTRY. (Published by Arrangement.) At tho opening ceremony In connection with Uio "Victoria" bridge at Trcntlum, on May 21 (Empire, Day), Councillor Galloway, chairman of the lltitt Comity, aptly remarked "tho day of the wooden structure is a thing of the past." Commenting upon the new concrete structure, Mr. Bunny (Mayor of IVower Eutt) complimcnted the county upon having tho services of Mr. G. iining-Mcason as its engineer in this connection, than wh.irn there was no better authority in tho wholes Dominion, his concreto structuro over the Ruamahaiiga River at Martin,, borough being a feat in engineering h-c----ond only to tlie Riimitaka railway incline itself, whilst on the present occasion tha Hutt River had been spanned in' a man. ner worthy of the Roman period in Knglaud, when roads and bridges then' constructed could be seen to-day almost defying destruction.

The "Victoria" bridge, it might here bo 6tated, is of reinforced concrete, and of a total length of 21U1t., divided into six spans of '10ft. each—the roadway being 14ft. wide. Tho ©infract prico was J2SOW, towards which tlio Government paid a subsidy grant of .JCIIOU. Tho cement used in this fine bridge was obtained from tho Golden Bay Cement Works, Nelson Province, which lins been extensively; used for bridge construction work in miny other districts in both North and !Sou:ji Islands. Messrs. T. 31. Wilford and W. 11. D. liell, Parliamentary representatives for tho Hutt and Wellington, Suburbs respectively, testified to the pleasure of the residents in both places at the permanence of tho' fine structure in concrcte which had that day been the means of joining oast with west practically for ever. "Today," in tho words of Mr. F. T. Moore, chairman of the Johnsonville Town Roanl and Makara County Council, "we seo before us a structuro which is not only ' flood-proof and fire-proof, but to all external v appearances carthquake-pruof." These reassuring comments by' those' whoso business, it is to give value to the ratepayers for their money were hcarti'y applauded. Aud now a word as to the Golden Hay Cement Works, from which tho material for the "Victoria" bridge was obtained. In tho words of the contractor (Mr. 11. Shaw), tho material in thil bridgo is of such quality that in fifty years from now it will bo a better end firmer structure than it is even to-day. Tho Golden Bay Cement W ; orks aro handily situated, being practically in tho centre of the Dominion, only 35 pules from Nelson, and close at the back-door of the Empire City itself. The propjrty, a rich limestono foundation in the lit.rrow valley of Tarakohe, is over six hundred acres ill extent, from which is extracted one of the finest cemonts (lis world produces, and in such quantities as to cliallenge the necessity of the imported article, a cement needing only to bo moro widely known, to be adopted in its entirety for all manner of practical 'building uses. Tho directors and all concerned aro to bo congratulated upon their nurturing of this promising national enterprise throughout its initial bliros into its present gigantic proportions. The works gererally are fine testimony of tlio support accorded tho daily output which in tlio power-house alone necessitates thfl running of a main engine of 850 horsepower triple-expansion to give effective motive power to the crushing, drying, grinding, mixing, burning, cooling, and aerating plants in connection with this vastly important and interesting enterprise. ■ The testing of this high qualityGolden Bay Cement alono is an exact science, and it behoves engineers, contractors, and representatives of all lecal bodies to give consideration of tho fact ' that tlio cement age—the Golden Bay Cement ago in particular—awaits them in their every future permanent undertaking.

Of all feeds, dry or green, coarse or concentrated, prepared or raw, nothing is equal to nature's best curfr-pasturo grass. It is the mare's best tonic, is her best laxative, and the very best -feed to stimulate milk production and sunply a goodly quantity of this fluid in the best strength to suit tlio dclicato system of tb n young foal.