NAPIER WOOL STORES

Hokitika Guardian, 21 October 1931, Page 6

NAPIER WOOL STORES

BUILDINGS REPLACED. READY FOR NEW SEASON. NAPIER, October 19. Wool-brokers operating in the Hawkes Bay district were among the first firms to undertake the replacement of destroyed buildings and the reconditioning of those which were not beyond repair. It was realised, immedateiy after the earthquake, that there was a period of Jsss than nine months in which to provide storage accommodation for the following season’s clip. The alternative was to ship to other centres Ifprobably Auckland or Wellington) all’' clips which would normally have been offered at the •Napier series of sales, but the prospective expense, together with the possibility of creating a precedent which might lead ultimately to the centralisation of wool fixtures, quickly brought a decision in favour of immediate rebuilding.

Principal among the firms concerned are Murray, Roberts, Ltd., Dalgety and Co., Ltd., Williams and Kettle, Ltd., the N.Z. Shipping Co. Ltd. and the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency, Ltd. •Each firm undertook extensive work; the total value being over £86,000. Ihe work was not hurried, nor was it delayed, and the result was that at the beginning of October, with wool gradually ’comiilgAn: M>m [Central and southern portions <}f- the. province, the buildings' wore completed and equipped to handle enormous. quantities. 1 FLOOR SPACE OF 2i- ACRES. Of the four new structures which have, been erected, the largest and most expensive Is that of Williams and Kettle, Ltd. The building is of two storeys, covering a section of 1J acres with a total floor space of just on 2-J----acres, capable of storing 50,000 bales. The cost involved is £28,719. A neighbouring building is Murray, ißoberts’s new store, a single-storeyed structure with a floor space of nearly an acre and a half. A cost of £23,000 has been involved in its construction. Tts exceptional dimensions are illustrated by the fact that the roof alone coh.tains 57 tons of glass and 47 tons Ofcorrugated iron. Methods entirely new to th's country have been followed in the construction of these two enormous stores. The framework consists of steel girders, which are covered with corrugated iron of the heaviest grade. : .In the walls and roofing of the two building there is not a rivet; or ajnail. v , ;

Electrical welding has eliminated the necessity for the tedious work of,riveting.' Beams have been Tiised together and the joints given strength which exceeds that of , the material’ itself. Perpendicular steel piles are sunk in hiavv blocks of concrete measuring 6ft, x 6ft on top, and thrust several feel into the ground. STRENGTH OF WELDING TESTED. A test recently made yiu- a Napier , foundry demonstrated the strength of weided joints, 'two girders which had ■men fused by this method were subject to a. pressure of 47 tons to the square inch by the use of a press operated by a hydraulic pump. (While the welded Ipinti remained unaffected, the steel.in the girders stretched, crumpled, and even split, ■ .

Two new wool stores have been bu.lt by the New Zealand Shipping Company. One has cost £14,096, and the other £9896. Each has been built on up-to-date lines and is equipped with modern plant capable of handling large quantities speedily. Extensive reconditioning work has been done for Dalgety and Co., Ltd. Three large stores owned by this firm were ha dly damaged bv the ’quake;

~d a sum of £BOOO has been spent on reinstatement. Improvements have been carried out at the same time, bringing the"* firm’s stores into, line with modern requirements.

Reconditioning work valued at ove £3OOO has been carried out hv the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Cn.V Ltd. The front wall of this firm’s building collapsed, and the roof was a iso extensively damaged. Large gangs of men were engaged on the repair work, and the building is aga’n in use. Although the work of erecting new stores and reconditioning) damaged buildings has been completed only a week or two. the majority are already well filled with bales to be offered at diis season’s sales.