PROPOSED NEW INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 83, 4 May 1909, Page 3

PROPOSED NEW INDUSTRY.

• UTILISING TOKO LIME AND LOCAL SAND. '■ There was an attendance of fully sixty I citizens, including several builders' archii tects and meicha-.ils, at tile meeting i .held last evening in the Town .Hall ior ' the purpose of hearing a proposal from Mr. J. li. Tod(T, of iiivvreargill, to Hunt a company to undertake the manufacture of sand-lime bricks, or, as they are uior e usually called, sand brick*. ' Hifi Worship the Mayor, Mr. G. Tiseh, presided, and expressed himself as well pleased with the attendance. People of this district, h e said, invited industries, especially since they had been assured, of the necessary funds for the development of the harbor at Moturoa. He called upon Mr. Todd to lay the details of his scheme before the meeting. Mr. Todd said that the proposal was to iorin a local company to engage in the manufacture of bricks, using the ordinary grey sand which was so plentiful around New Plymouth, and lime from the Toko lime-kilns, the latter being used in a proportion of 10 per cent. The mixture would be steamed and submitted to heavy pressure, and in 24 hours after leaving the kiln could be used in building*;. Sand bricks had been made in Invereargill for about three years, and last year they had sold 2,000,000 bricks for use in and around the town. The bricks had been .used in three-storeyed and four-storey Buildings, in th e new gaol, in the Railway Department's cottages, in freezing works, and other places for erecting boilers', and in all kinds of work. When the company first started, he interviewed an architect to endeavor to have the sand bricks used in the new nurses' home and fever ward at tb,, Invereargill hospital, but the architect stipulated for a writte'.i guarantee that in the event .of the bricks proving lew satisfactory than the clay bricks of local manufacture the company would have to make good the deficiency. That guarantee was speedily forthcoming, the bricks went in. and there had been no complaint. On the contrary, the architect had since become thoroughly satisfied with the hardening and binding quality_of the bricks, for under his supervision a. cut had been made in the wall. That gave him ample opportunity of judging the hardness oi the brick. In the Taranaki district clay was scarce, and bricks were most costly than in Invereargill, so h e had decided to -experiment with local materials to find whether the company could operate here. He had experimented with Mack sand and Toko lime, and found the results very satisfactory, as the gcntlement present could see from the samples about the room. If a company were formed he would guarantee to erect the buildings and erect the plant, and put the factory in running order to produce I bricks equal to those samples. The machinery would be all of the latest pattern. He and those associated with him in the business were prepared to put £IOOO into the local venture, and £SOOO would need to be subscribed. The machinery itself cost £3OOO, f.b.b., Bluff, and it consisted of all the plant required. The plant could turn out from 45.000 to 50,000 bricks weekly with a staff oi eight men, but the output could be re- ■ gulated, of course, and the me n reduced if necessary. For the purposes or" his proposal he had estimated the output at 42,000 a week. Wages, reckoning 10s a day for engine-driver and 10s a day %r a night fireman, would be £2O 10s weekly at the outside, and would probably be less. Mixed Taupiri and West- , port slack coal would cost 22s a ton and the weekly requirement would cost , £l3 4s. Toko lime was quoted at 33s ' a ton at New Plymouth, but that was sure to be reduced, fo r at present the lime kilns were worked on somewhat primitive lines, which a good demand : would soon cause to be replaced by a " better system. At any rate, 12 tons a week at that price would cost £2O. Fire and accident insurance could be : reckoned at 18s a week, depreciation £3 '. a week, and management and office exof £B3 12s. The 42,000 bricks at £1 T'* ?" at , the would cost ±o3. He reckoned they would be able to deliver bricks on the job.any where in .\ew Plymouth or the neighborhood at aOs per 1000, and it was worth while , to note the architects' statement that ' by the even sizes and clean edges of the bricks a saving of ss. per 1000 was effected in the laying. At the price quoted there seemed to be an npenin" ior the industry here. H,, stated that he had seen sand bricks 40 years old, and proved what was said about them that they hardened with a»e. Mr. Todd's remarks "concluded amidst applause. 11,, offered to answer anv i questions concerning the system, factory, or plant.

lii answer to a question. Mr. Jas. Sanderson stated that loeal bricks cost from £3 os to £3 12* per thousand. To Mr. Watkins. Mr. Todd said he had not reckoned the cost of royalty on sand, but there should be very little dillieuTfy in "getting it, as' there was any amount about.

To Mr. Jones: The bricks on view were made from Toko lime and the sand from behind the baths.

To Mr. Watkins: lie would not recommend making tiles or drain pipes with these materials.

To Mr. H. Joll: The sand must be fresh water sand, or sand from the sea which had lain.on the hills, subject to ram and weather, for some time. To the chairman: He had inspected sand at the breakwater and at Fi'tzroy. Both were suitable. Moturoa would he the better site for the factory. To Mr. Sandford: The sand-brick was fully a pound heavier than the ordinary pressed brick, and iar less porous. Mr. Hickman Russell'asked: You say we have little clay here suitable fo'r bricks: are you sure there is a sufficient amount of suitable sand?— Mr. Todd: les; when you have finished building from the sand here vour eitv will bo bigger than London and "New York. (Laughter), .

To Mr. Wilson: He believed there were materials in this district suitable for making roof tiles, and he thought th e company could enter that line of business. But he had no,t gone info that matter fully. As for fancy bricks clay should be used for th~em.'

To Mr. Sanderson: The plant would turn out arched bricks.

To Mr. Joll: The* were not firebricks, but were a building brick suitable for chimneys and ordinary building pur-

Mr. Enroth said it was problematical whether there would be a market for 42,000 bricks a week.

To Mr. K. Webster: 3t Invereargill the plant had been running at lull pressure until recently, when there came a lull in the building trade. In answer to the Mayor, Mi. Todd said that not many colored bricks were required to put an attractive front on a building. In one building where 30,1100 sand-bricks were used, only 0000 red j clay bricks were required for the front elevation. He would not recommend coloring the sand brick, as the coloring j matter was 100 expensive. In' answer to further queries, he said the bricks had withstood enormous pressure, far more than they would ever have to bear in use. The Invereargill company was paying Us way, but very little more than that for bricks were sold at from 28s to" 35s a thousand. They were getting 35s for their output I now 1 . There they had to cart and lighter their line sand for some ten or twelve miles.

Upon the motion of Mes'srs "S. W. Shaw and Sandford, a committee was set up to conduct investigations and report to a further meeting, the 'following gentlemen being appointed:—Messrs

.las. Sanderson. D. Berrv. V.. Snowball. Fred Bellringer. C. Ahier. J. T. Maimix. G. Russell, and K. Web.-ler (secretary). Mr. Rell, one of tho.-e Interested In the Toko lime IM'l. assured the meeting

that there was an unlimited supply available.

Voles of thanks to Mr. Todd and to Hie Mayor concluded the meeting.