Opening of the Rope Works

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3700, 16 August 1906, Page 3

Opening of the Rope Works

' FOXTON’S NEW 3 X DUS i RY. i ■ THU PUijrjc iyvßWrtainel j BY TII i•; COMiM AY. I The opening of Aw rye work:: maAw an cy'.A A ike hiyrvy of ;Y view. w . ' bra 'V. ■ j k 1 yH-rc <”■ ■ v w.wwnw cl > '.mmfe A; h ww h annually and Aw eU.'::■;r w many RnAHes ir one :nww. Awww v bomw me at ;• pwvdww ww wwa have rorno up evwwAww: w A!w machinery has be-u v ; w:n:y; order during the pwd \v■ a any everything; appears to he gYng in almost perfect order. Already numbers of visitors Rom dbyrenl; parts of the colony have vailed the works and iww.: been much impressed with the extensive plant. The day is perfect ibr the ofacial opening- and a large number of people from the town and districthave assembled to see the meeiiiiicry set in motion by the member for the district, Mr Stevens, and to partake of afternoon tea generously provided by the company. Some six months ago a few of those deeply interested in the (laxmilling industry at Foxton., hearing that a company interested in a large flaxmilling property had made overtures to Win. Ross and Son, of the Napier Rope Works, to join them with a view of moving their plant from Napier., and hearing that negotiations had fallen through, the Foxton people approached Messrs Ross and Son with the same object in view. After both parties had made thorough investigations, negotiations were finally concluded, and no time was lost in securing an excellent site of six acres, being convenient to station and wharf and also handy to the workers. The buildings were soon in course of erection, having a floor space of fortythousand square feet. Stores were erected for keeping finished goods and raw material separate from the main building In order to lessen the risks in case of lire. The factory or main building is occupied by the preparing machines. spinning frames, and rope making machines. This building is 200 feet long by r i ft feet wide, and being all.open one can see all that is going on at a glance. On entering the building is to be seen a number of fee a of fax, some of which we hfeny yd F.wm-gh the m:v’bines. A bn Awn on is a qua'duly m Y. mm cccvy w.nhwly *,vc dcd, am! : ' A w w A v . a v !d----served what sw.ms be■ maunAfecd a, beam ol mY'-ss Fn-, l- ".t ov a clover in-mccfmn v.w and d das passed through a certain process which made it iinpf.-v.bic to Astingnish it from first-class fibre. This preparation and mnnuiactnre of tow has been to a large extent the success of Messrs .Ross cud Sou’s business —a very laggc qua.u- i tity of rope and lashings being | made from wlmt at erne t’me was considered a waste product. I Messrs Ross and Son, some lour ’ years ago, had machines constructed to their own drawings to I deal with this particular class of | fibre with most successful results, i Other manufacturers have endca- | voured to work New Zealand tow I in the way that is now being dune at the Foxton works, but without success. Last season the Government of New South Wales purchased from Messrs Ross and Son 150 tons of this rope. The firm has opened a factory in Sydney for the purpose of better-competing ir. that market, and the advantages a firm like Messrs Ross and Sons is to a place like Foxton —the recognised" centre of our great flax industry—are enormous. We will not attempt to give a description of the many machines contained in the building in this article. Suffice it to say that all kinds of ropes, lashings, and binder twine will be manufactured. The company are about ready to start the manufacture of shop and seaming; twines, and have just landed a machine that can make up to nine inch rope if required. The old ! method of requiring a rope-waik | half a mile long R entirely super- | seded by a machine which lays i and coils-up the rope automatically and perfectly. Adjoining the main building is the engineers workshop with all necessar} 1 - tools, lathe, drilling machines, etc., and adjoining is the engine rooms containing two enormous gas engines working a gas suction producer plant. This plant consume:-, a. httle over gewt of coke per eight hows, and is ol So horse newer. There isnocom-pari-on as rog-’- 1 : Y wmnhy a suction .V'V vR ,v- i: a A" 1 engine. Ivies ng on, on;- rcy vsentative ivy wv ; - I iA: oh ‘ vv -n, and adjoining it a store room; then the girl’s dining room, another store room where , ad duplicates are s' valval, and at the further end is situated the polishing room for shop twines. Outside

and apart from the main 'building is a blacksmith’s and carpenter’s shop, secretary's office, and other necessa rv ontouikluigs. M 'ha umndam M Mm.ls employed ( Vi;u be ju. inoiuaimr many ' ;pP ■>.: :Pm a:’ amt o'i wages alone paid annually will run into over ,£500.0. The output of the works will be about uo tees oCfinished goods per ; month.