MESSRS WALTON, COULTHARD AND GRAHAMS ROLLER MILL, TE AWAMUTU.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2484, 12 June 1888, Page 2

MESSRS WALTON, COULTHARD AND GRAHAMS ROLLER MILL, TE AWAMUTU.

Thk new roller mill lately erected by Messrs Walton, Coulthard and Urobilin, at To Awamutn, is nuiv in full working order. The firm were fortunate in securing the services of an experienced roller miller, a Mr Howard, who has had experience in this class of mills in England, Ireland, and in the colonies, not only in the practical work but also in the erection and superintendence of the complicated machinery in use in thosa mills. Mr Howard was one of Mr Simon's directors. Mr Simon stauds first as the great milling engineer of. England; lie erected the North Shore mill, at Liverpool, which turns out 1120 sacks of flour an hour. The To Awa-nutumill is a three-story building, in which there are nearly 30,000 feet of timber, all of which was supplied from Messrs Coulthard and Graham's saw-mills at Te Kahu. The contract for building was let to Messrs* J. Jl. Johnson ind Holman, who did their work very satisfactorily. All tho pilus, wliiuh are of puriri, rest upon siil.s, effectually preventing any sinking of the building, which would otherwise occur from the weight of the machinery and wheat stored in ic. The machinery, which was imported from England, was made by. Luck Brothers, of Darmstadt. There are six pairs of metal rollers, through which the grain passes in the course of its manufacture into flour. None of the wheat passes through the same set or pair of rollers twice. It is first shot into a _ huge hopper on the ground floor, through which it falls into an elevator in a cellar, which carries it up to the top floor, where it passes through a series of brushes, and a smutting machine, thus thoroughly cleaning it of all dust and other impurities. It is then carried down by a spout to the ground floor, where it is put through the first pair of rollers, which is called the "first break," this breaks the grain, but does not grind it. After passing through these rollers it is taken to what is called Sealper No. 1, which separates the break-meal from the bran. After leaving Scalper No. 1 it goes to the second break, which crushes it more; it is then taken to Scalper No. 2, which again separates the middlings or break-moal; it is then passed on to tho third break, and so on, each time it leaves a roller it is purified before going into the next one. The bran in no case goes over the silks, but is extracted by the purifiers, so that it will readily be seen that no impurities whatever can become mixed with the flour. In this the roller mills possess avery decided advantage over the old system, as they are based upon a system of gradual reduction, aftur each of which it is, as stated, purified. To one who is ignorant of the process, the number of wheels, spouts, elevators, and complicated machinery, have a very bewilderiug effect, yet not a single wheel, silk, or any part of the machinery could be done without, each having its function to perform in the work of turning out the purest of flour, which modern tastes demand, and which this system supplies in such perfection that even the most fastidious can find no room for oomulaiut. ft must be borne in mind that the whole of the machinery is automatic, as the wheat from the time it is emptied out of the bags into tho hopper on the ground floor is never handled, it being carried by the elevators to every purifier, dresser, roller, etc., and finally put into the bags, the only handling being the sewing, packing and weighing of the bags, which contain the various qualities of the manufactured article. We are indebted to Mr Howard, who courteously exulainod the working power of tho various

parts of the mil), which can only give a faint idea of ■' the process, the number of technicalities made use of in describing the working being rather confusing to one utterly ignorant of the business.