Some Dunedln Industries.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 134, 12 May 1885, Page 3

Some Dunedln Industries.

MESSRS REID AND GRAY. [Correspondent Federal Australian] jn a country where the wierests embrace at once the pastoral and agricultural, and the mining, Ihe business ot Hitppiyiu^ and manufacturing mnchinery m of no littl« consequence. This applies more paticu,l aily to a new country where the I greater part of tho*e gaods required ibr farm use are imported., Tin* careful and judicious selection of the various implements ami tools, etc , which are peculiar to the tuicwssful carrying on of scientific manufactures, requires a larsje amount of discrimination as also an intimate knowledge of the wants which are required to be supplied. TlwM'e m scarcely a single branch of industry which doe* not flourish m the A ustrulinn Colonies. The industry may not at al| times he on so hi rye a *calv as m thpold country, hnt this is gen* orally made up by th<* cn Urn prise and energy of the piopriotois. Almost everytl.iii" that is undertaken by colonists piospeiH ; and we have not far to look tor the reason. Tt is lu»---canee fl»«<»rvth?n'4 that is • undertaken is done well. No time or trnnliht ;U spared, and all the ivqiiiri'niHitHottlie business demand special attention to meet ever-increasing competition. Evim* on the alert m w atchiug th« ]iro^re«M of llio tiineo, they quickly xetze evury opportunity for extending their ''Usitiess, and ivplenishini; their stock of tools, a« well as inlro-

during tho latent improvem tits. No soon«r do they hear of a new article, at hnmii than it is introduced at the earliest moment possible into their adopted country. They firat educate tl<<' tiir-te of th«ir cii-itoMM'i 1 .-!, and then supply the diMiiiind they have, created. In this way thfy krep pact* with the Ih^l im|irovi'tiiHiitK m thn moth«<rcountrr. The now chum lindit to his astonishment everything here m ji« great, abundance, mid aluio.st sis cheap i'iß he finds it m hi* own country. He m sin prised wlien he tu'eKcotMpariatively little of what he has lieen accus. tomed to m Europe ; atid it is only, i by the beautiful climate that he is reminded that he has been transplant <*d iv ! o another hemisphere. : o fiud.s tho same statoly Ittiildiotrs, tho same style of street* (UnMder.if any-, thing), tiia same kinds of sdjops, the name Industrie.*, the same commerce, and the same trade; the game inatitu tiotiH, the same friendly societies for ni'itual help, and the same social intercourse ; and oftentimes with difficulty it is that he realises, amongst those speaking his own \ ertuieular, that he h not still m the country and m the town m which hn was born. The gentlemen whoso names appear at the head of^ this article art* illustrations of what energy, perseverance, | and enterprise can do for individuals. Hud how, both directly and indirectly, they cunt ilmtrt to the commercial development of the country. Pausing through the very extensive works of Messrs lleid anl Gray, one is struck with the lar/e number of laboursaving machines; and yet, m, spile of this, no less than 160 hands, and fee (juently 200, find constant employment m the I'stablisliomnt, froui year's end to year's end, The firm of Reid and Gray haa been established m Dunedin for about 13 years, l>ut previously existed m a very flourishing condition for many years m Oam.iru, wliere they still have a branch.. Tlihv . have already this year turned out 80 rea])ui'B and binders, 150 " I tackdelivery" reapers, besides a larjjo ! number of drays and waggon?, atid are now preparing for a large output of their double-furrow ploughs. In four years they have made orer 600 of their patent disc harrows, aiid m past years have sent from tin* works as many as 350 reapers and 1200 doiiblo-iurrow ploughs m twelve months, Chatf. cutters have bi'en constructed, too, afc the i~it« of 150 per annum, and 'lie same may l»e said of liorse.gearx. The firm have threo gold medals. The first was won at the late- Melbourne Exhibition tor the double-furrow ploughs awarded to New Zoaland at the Exhibition. Thejnrois' official - 'report speaks of these ploughs m the following strain : — " In ploughs there is onu exhibit to which we wi.»h U~> draw Mpecial atteution as t.eing the bfittt, and that is the double furrow of Reid and Gray, of Dunedin, ( N Z.) In finish and construction it is far mtperier to any otlier.'" This speaks for itself. The {•econd gold medal wns won at the Taieri Agrlcult «««•;«! S«iciety'« «*h«w for a similar implement. A medal was secured at the Sydney Exhibition for Reid and Gray's double furrow and subsoil plough. A silver medal was awarded at tbe Chriatchuroh FxbiUitiou for " the best general collection of implements," and over 100 wilver tnednlK have Men won at various times for Me&srs Reid and Graves, manufactures at shows and field tria's. In taking leave of this enterprising firm I venture to ex* presß a wish that Messrs Reid and Gray may continue to maintain the pre-eminence they have so determined ly Btiujfelod for, trusting that they will alwaya be m the van of insular enterprise aud development, and that their practical motto may still remain " Advance Kew Zealand."