Hawke’s Bay Constructs 1962
[Advertisement]
ABOVE: New Nurses’ Home, Hospital Hill, Napier.
FOR OVER A THIRD OF A CENTURY WE HAVE BEEN CONTRACTING THROUGHOUT THE BAY AND THE MANY WORKS COMPLETED STAND AS MONUMENTS TO OUR WORKMANSHIP.
Consult us for your Building and Joinery requirements
W. M. ANGUS LTD.
Builders and Contractors
OFFICE…
AUSTIN STREET – ONEKAWA
Phone 39-069.
JOINERY FACTORY…
OWEN STREET – Phone 5879
P.O. Box 277 – NAPIER.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 1
CONTENTS ….
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS – 1962
Published by Breckell & Nicholls Ltd., P.O. Box 5031, Auckland.
Edited by Fred C. Symes
Assistant: Judy Renshaw
Printed by the National Printing Co. Ltd., Anzac Avenue, Auckland.
Registered at the G.P.O. Wellington for transmission through the post as a newspaper.
Supplement to the April issue of Contracting and Construction.
THE HAWKES BAY
Twin cities are on the march 9
HASTINGS SECTION
Hastings – fruit bowl of New Zealand 16
New railway station 23
Modern church architecture 25
Hastings Memorial Hospital 29
A city rebuilt 33
Growth of an industry 34
Aerial mapping pioneers 37
Major expansion programme 43
Thriving meat industry 49
Market garden wealth 55
Index to Hastings advertisers 63
NAPIER SECTION
Capital of prosperous province 64
Major development at port 70
Expanding wine industry 80
Road communication improvement 86
Napier Airport improvements 88
Rebuilding of Napier railway station 90
More than a century in timber 93
Makers of better “mousetrap” 99
Huge woolstore built 101
The versatility of wire 102
Paint manufacturing 109
Index to Napier advertisers 110
Page 2
[Advertisement]
A complete success
the
DUNCAN (ALL STEEL) HOSPITAL BED
This bed incorporates the very latest in manufacturing designs. Every thought has been given to ensure utmost comfort of patients.
Its mobility is a special feature and a pleasing factor to nursing staff.
AVAILABLE FOR
IMMEDIATE DELIVERY SINGLY OR IN QUANTITY TO
HOSPITAL BOARDS HOMES FOR AGED
INSTITUTIONS PRIVATE HOMES
Efficiency in Institutional Management depends on the equipment which is made available
THE BED PEOPLE of HAWKE’S BAY
The dun-can-rest
Pocket SPRING MATTRESS
INNERSPRUNG MATTRESSES
KING ARTHUR
DUNCAN-EZE
DUNCAN STANDARD FOLDING BED
Accept no substitute – Look for the Brand
“MADE BY DUNCAN’S”
DUNCAN U-BAR STEEL MATTRESSES
We also manufacture and distribute
DIVAN BEDS SWIVEL AND TILT CHAIR UNITS
RIMU BED ENDS UPHOLSTERY SPRINGS
WIRE WOVE MATTRESSES CHAIRS (All Types)
U-BAR MATTRESS SUPPORTS OFFICE DESKS
IRON BED RAILS AND BRACKETS MODERN FURNITURE
“FOR SERVICE, SATISFACTION AND DURABILITY YOU’LL FIND NONE BETTER THAN PRODUCTS FROM THE
DUNCAN FURNITURE MANUFACTURING Co. Ltd.
P.O. Box 143 HASTINGS
“All Duncan Quality Products are obtainable through leading Furniture Stores Everywhere”
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 3
[Advertisement]
For highest quality
Commercial and Residential
Building work
apply to
J. W. LINNELL
BUILDING CONTRACTOR
813A Caroline Road + Phone 86-699 + Hastings
Fine workmanship is apparent in their recent jobs…
Offices for Firth Concrete
Workshop for H. W. Louie Ltd.
Classroom Block for Girls’ High School
Warehouse for Skellerup Sales Ltd.
Intermezzo Coffee Lounge
Nic Nac Coffee Bar
Y.M.C.A. Sports Stadium (under construction)
Page 4
[Advertisement]
MOVING ON
The top picture shows the premises occupied by Hortop & Son Limited from 1935-1961.
Early last year the firm shifted into their new building (pictured below).
Hortop & Son Limited are stockists of Glass, Dowels, Putty, Plywoods, Hinges, Glue. Also large stocks of Foreign and Colonial Timbers are kept on hand.
For all your builder’s requirements such as Doors, Sashes, Frames, Shop Fronts, Counters,Showcases, etc. contact
HORTOP & SON LTD.
JOINERY MANUFACTURERS
CAROLINE ROAD
HASTINGS –
TELEPHONE 2895
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 5
[Advertisement]
J. C. MACKERSEY LTD.
BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS
Hastings and District War Memorial Library.
SOME OF THE LARGER COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS UNDERTAKEN ARE: –
Waiapu House, Havelock North, Old Peoples’ Home
St. John Ambulance Hall
Hastings and District War Memorial Library (above)
Pre-stressed Concrete Reservoir for Havelock North Borough Council
3-Storey Office Block for H.B. Electric Power Board
At present under construction…Nelson Park Grandstand for Hastings City Council
REPAIRS and RENOVATIONS – SHOP and OFFICE FITTINGS
COMMERCIAL BUILDING – HOUSING CONSTRUCTION
– JOINERY MANUFACTURING –
Workshop: KAIAPO RD., HASTINGS.
Telephone 88-152.
Postal Address: P. O. Box 320.
J. C. MACKERSEY LTD.
Private Address:
Cnr. Kaiapo and Maraekakaho Roads.
Telephone 88-152.
Page 6
[Advertisement]
TOMOANA…
ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL INDUSTRIAL PLANTS IN THE COUNTRY
MODEST BEGINNING
The Tomoana Works were started in a very modest way by Messrs W. Nelson and J. N. Williams in the year 1880 for the manufacture of the Extract of Meat in connection with the “boiling down” of sheep. In the following year, Meat Preserving was added to the industry. From this modest beginning in 1880 the Tomoana Works have developed into one of the largest industrial plants in New Zealand. At the peak of the season upwards of 1,200 hands are employed. In 1882 the ship “Dunedin” arrived in London with the first shipment of frozen meat from the Dominion. The heavy demand for frozen meat from this country necessitated the building of new freezing works in the Dominion. Thus in 1883 Mr William Nelson founded the present company and erected the first works near Hastings, of Hawkes Bays, and introduced the necessary freezing machinery.
DESIGNED TO HANDLE 400 SHEEP
The works were originally designed to handle 400 sheep a day – capable of being increased to 800, plus 10 cattle per day. Now the works have a killing capacity of 16,000 sheep and lambs, and 500 cattle per day, with provision of all the necessary modern plant for handling chilled beef, packaged meat, and all other edible products.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 7
[Advertisement]
TOMOANA FREEZING WORKS
PIONEERS
Tomoana was a pioneer in the development of the numerous byproducts of the industry, and the “Tomoana” brand of all stock foods and fertilizers is well known throughout New Zealand. Tomoana also operates a very successful commission “wool scouring business, the plant being amongst the most modern in New Zealand.
NELSON’S (N.Z.) LIMITED
‘PHONE: HASTINGS
85-069
TOMOANA
HAWKE’S BAY
P.O. Box 379, HASTINGS
Page 8
[Advertisement]
Leopard’s gone a long way in Hawke’s Bay
From humble beginnings, as long ago as 1883, Leopard Brewery is, today, one of the thriving Hawkes Bay industries that can view with pride, its expansion and the growing demand for its products over an increasingly wide area.
Leopard have introduced new ideas into New Zealand’s beer drinking air-conditioning in their hotels, and they were first to introduce canned beer.
The installation of new plant, concentration on expanding markets and successful efforts to improve the methods, and quality of production, have all played a part in the Leopard story.
Industry and application have been rewarded. Leopard now own four hotels in the North Island, including the 5-star plus Royal Oak Hotel in Wellington. They have built and are managing the contemporary, spacious Mayfair Hotel in Hastings & another new silhouette on the rapidly expanding Hawke’s Bay skyline. New buildings expanding industries growing population all these point to and underline Hawkes Bay’s
present prosperity and the potential of the prosperity to come.
Leopard are proud to have such a a long-standing association with Hawkes a Bay proud to be in the progress & centre of New Zealand.
Modern bar at the Mayfair Hotel
The automatic control panel of the brewhouse – one of the most modern in the Southern Hemisphere.
A section of the ultra-modern fermentation cellar.
LEOPARD BREWERY LTD.
HASTINGS
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 9
Twin Cities are on the MARCH!
Napier and Hastings are taking prominent part in the prosperity of N.Z.
POPULATION ESTIMATES
There is no doubt that the potential of the area is great. Projected population estimates put Napier at 36,000 and Hastings at 27,000 in 1981. Not very spectacular. But those figures are based on the assumption that boundaries will not change. Therefore the estimates for the urban areas more correctly show the possible increase. In 1981 it is estimated that the Napier urban area will have 55,000 people and that there will be 45,000 in the Hastings urban area. Added to this will be the 51,000 in Hawkes Bay county.
THE HAWKES BAY, bounded on the east by the Pacific, on the north by the Wairoa River and on the west and south by mountain ranges, is a compact and wealthy region which is gaining more and more prominence in the economic structure of New Zealand. Population wise it is one of the fastest growing areas in the country – though this increase is almost entirely confined to the twin cities of Napier and Hastings – and its productivity, both primary and secondary is growing rapidly.
THE MAJOR influence on the growth of Napier and Hastings has been the fertility of the Heretaunga Plains. This remarkable fertility has had most effect on Hastings while Napier has, to a great extent, had to rely on the port for its growth. The evolution of things has been that Hastings has become the centre of production while Napier has taken over the role of warehouse. Of course, Napier also has a large share of the area’s production within and near it boundaries.
SECONDARY industry in the region is, however, of a relatively minor nature with metal and heavy industries being almost non-existent. Napier does appear to be the logical situation for this type of development and there is an abundance of good, level land close to the city but far enough away not to be a nuisance to residents. As Napier’s port develops – and there are big plans for the next few years this secondary industry should not be long in coming. Even now at Onekawa factories are mushrooming and one firm has recently purchased a 10-acre site for expansion.
HASTINGS, on the other hand, is very closely allied to the primary industries of food processing; meat, vegetables and fruit. However, it does have the Bay’s largest industrial concern which has recently announced its entry into the bicycle and scooter manufacturing field.
FIRST and foremost Hawkes Bay is a sheep farming area. This can be broken down into two sections which, in order of extent, are wool and store sheep, and fat lamb. There are also extensive areas of dairying and cattle farming. The sheep population is about six million and the cattle number just over 500,000 including 465,000 beef cattle.
Page 10
These vast numbers of sheep and cattle are the reason for the three big freezing works in the Bay. One is at Wairoa and the other two just outside the Hastings city boundary. These last two works between them killed well in excess of two million sheep and lambs this season and also accounted for 75,000 head of cattle for the chiller beef trade.
The fruit industry is quite a vast undertaking and has attracted to Hastings the largest food processing organizations in New Zealand. The largest, Watties Canneries Ltd., last season processed and packed for local and overseas consumption 20,000 tons of produce – more than 50 million units of 88 varieties, canned and quick frozen.
Three big quick freeze factories also handle vast amounts of vegetables freshly picked from the market gardens in the area surrounding Hastings. In fact, the introduction to the area of canning and quick freezing has probably meant more to the growth of Hastings than any other single factor.
Sheep and cattle numbers have increased steadily in the last 30 years even though the occupied land has decreased slightly. This increase is due mainly to the use of fertilizer, especially by aerial top dressing, and by mechanization. The use of more suitable grasses has also helped considerably. Now Hawkes Bay carries about 10 per cent of New Zealand’s sheep, but comprises only 5 per cent of occupied land.
Allied industries are the freezing works, abbatoirs [abattoirs], dairy factories and fertilizer works. There are three freezing works at Wairoa and at Tomoana and Whakatu near Hastings. Abbatoirs are sited at Wairoa and Tomoana. The 15 dairy factories are quite small as dairying is a minor part of the Bay’s farming industry. There are seven agricultural lime works at Hastings, Havelock North, Hatuma, Takapau, Porongahau [Porangahau] and two at Waipawa. Their combined output is nearly 100,000 tons. The new chemical fertilizer works at Awatoto produced 163,000 tons in 1960.
The vegetable growing industry has had a remarkable growth. Forty years ago there were only 150 acres under commercial vegetable cultivation. In 1939 this had expanded to 580 acres and by 1955 there were 4,000 acres. In 1961 7,000 acres were planted in peas alone and the total acreage under vegetable cultivation was 13,000. This expansion has, of course, been caused by the demand created by the establishment and growth of the canning and freezing industry in the area. By far the greatest portion of New Zealand’s export of canned and frozen vegetables goes through the port of Napier.
The acreages and yields for some
Photo caption – The busy heart of Napier’s commercial area seen from above Marine Parade. Much of the business area of the city had to be rebuilt after the tragic earthquake of 1931. Napier is the provincial capital and commercial heart of the Hawkes Bay.
– Whites Aviation picture.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 11
of these vegetables and small fruits is worth noting.
Peas: 7,000 acres – 10,000 tons – average yield per acre, 1½ tons.
Asparagus: 1,500 acres – 1000 tons – average yield per acre, 2/3 ton.
Tomatoes: 1,000 acres – 12,500 tons – average yield per acre, 12½ tons.
Grapes: 500 acres – 3000 tons – average yield per acre, 6 tons.
Beans: 560 acres – 1,734 tons – average yield per acre, 3½ tons.
Potatoes: 1,700 acres – 13,600 tons – average yield per acre, 8 tons.
Sweet corn: 110 acres – 372 tons – average yield per acre, 3 tons.
Carrots: 34 acres – 408 tons – average yield per acre, 11 tons.
Berry fruits: 65 acres – 80 tons – average yield per acre 1½ tons.
Onions: 300 acres – 300 tons – average yield per acre, 1 ton.
Hawkes Bay, more particularly the area on the Heretaunga Plains, proudly calls itself the “Fruit Bowl of New Zealand”. This is no idle boast because the area, quite minute geographically, accounts for 17 per cent of the country’s apple trees, 36 per cent of the pear trees and 31 per cent of stone fruit trees. And the production from these orchards is higher than in any other area in New Zealand. The yield averages 1,000 bushels to the acre compared with an average 300-500 bushels in the South Island. Production is increasing far greater than the tree population, especially in the peach and pear orchards. Recent extensive apple tree plantings suggest that this fruit should soon show a corresponding increase.
Land development in the Bay is nowhere near as spectacular as in other New Zealand regions but, still, there are about 500,000 acres which will eventually be made productive. Aerial topdressing will help bring this about.
Another industry which means quite a lot to the economy of the area is the wine industry. The warm, dry climate around Hastings and Napier is ideal for the cultivation of European grape varieties which are particularly suited to the production of high quality wines. Latest venture in the Hawkes Bay wine industry is the plan to produce semi- sparkling wines. Consumption of New Zealand wines has greatly increased and is due in no small way to the fine product of this region. For many years Hawkes Bay has been regarded as timber deficient. This, however, will no longer be true when the major exotic plantings undertaken during the last few years reach the millable stage. And with New Zealand’s rapid growing record for exotics this day is not so many years away. There is plenty
[Continued on page 13]
Photo caption – This aerial picture shows part of the reason for the growing prosperity of Hastings, chief production centre of the Hawkes Bay. Market gardens and orchards spread around the city boundary and keep New Zealand’s biggest concentration of fruit and vegetable processing plants in action. Hastings also has two large meat freezing works.
– Whites Aviation picture.
Page 12
[Advertisements]
DESOUTTER
ELECTRIC AND PNEUMATIC PORTABLE TOOLS
DRILLS
GRINDERS
TAPPERS
SCREWGUNS
NUTRUNNERS
CORNER DRILLS
etc.
THE TOOLS THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY SERVICE AND SPARES
N.Z. AGENTS
de PELICHET, McLEOD & CO. LTD.
P.O. BOX 205 HASTINGS
BALLUSTRADING [BALUSTRADING]
FENCES
GATES
ORNAMENTAL SCREEN DOORS
TERRACE STAUNTIONS
SHOP FITTINGS
STEEL FARM GATES
STRUCTURAL STEELWORK
STEELCRAFTS (HASTINGS) LTD.
SPECIALISTS IN ALL TYPES OF WROUGHT
– IRON WORK –
POSTAL ADDRESS: 1001 SOUTHLAND ROAD
FACTORY: OMAHU ROAD (opp. Nurses’ Home)
Telephone 88-143
HASTINGS
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 13
[Continued from page 11]
of ideal forestry land available and markets are assurred [assured] within the region itself and in Manawatu, Taranaki and Wellington. Export of timber through Napier is also a distinct possibility. Timber has done wonders for the Bay of Plenty and that boom story could be repeated in Hawkes Bay when the forests mature.
In recent months fisheries experts have stated that the New Zealand fishing industry is only scratching the surface of the great harvest available from the sea. All these statements are borne out by the armadas of Japanese fishing fleets which we now know for certain are fishing around and off the coasts of New Zealand. The New Zealand fishing industry is not geared for the type of fishing the Japanese carry out, but more and more fishermen are realizing that they must change their fishing habits if they are to get their share of the harvest.
The Hawkes Bay region is ideally situated for this intensified fishing and it is well known that the local industry is keen to tackle this new type of fishing. Watties Canneries were first in the field when they sent their tuna boat to sea a few months ago. Catches have not been brilliant, but each time the boat goes out more and more is being learnt about tuna fishing on a commercial scale. Watties is set up for the canning of this fish and no doubt the other canning and freezing companies are prepared, too.
Food and beverages, as might be expected, are the major manufacturing activities in the Napier and Hastings employment districts. Napier also has one of New Zealand’s largest tobacco companies. Furniture manufacturing in Napier and Hastings is well established but metal industries are almost non-existent. The one major exception is Morrison Industries in Hastings. This firm has expanded rapidly since the war and will soon begin manufacturing bicycles and scooters.
It is hard to understand why the metal and heavy industries have not moved in to the area because there is a good labour force and the port at Napier is ideal for distribution. Both cities are also serviced by first class roads and railway. Both Napier and Hastings are trying to entice industry and both have large areas of land zoned for industry. Recent purchases of land for industrial purposes suggest that perhaps industries are at last realizing the very great advantages of establishing businesses in the area.
Photo captions –
On Napier’s beautiful and relaxing Marine Parade visitors can get all the information they need to ensure a pleasant holiday from this modern information centre.
– Russell Orr picture.
Hastings people are very proud of the recently completed additions to the Hastings Memorial Hospital. The graceful lines of this building have made it very popular with amateur photographers.
– Russell Orr pictures.
14 HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 15
[Advertisement]
A. Miller
(Director)
R. W. F. Gurnsey
(Managing Director)
A. D. Oulaghan
(Secretary)
D. F. Fuller
(Accountant)
A. R. Holder
(Quantity Surveyor)
MILLER AND GURNSEY LTD.
OUR PART IN BUILDING GREATER HASTINGS
HASTINGS AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE EXCHANGE
WAIPUKURAU SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
CLIFF PRESS PRINTING HOUSE
NATIONAL MUTUAL LIFE BUILDING
J. R. SETON AND CO. WAREHOUSE
ELECTRICITY DEPT. STORE. NAPIER
CALTEX OIL CO. OFFICE BLOCK, NAPIER
NEW HERETAUNGA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
DE LUXE CAR SALES AUTOCOURT
MONARCH MOTORS LTD., CONTRACTS Nos. 1, 2, 3
BUTLAND INDUSTRIES NEW FACTORY, 1958
BUTLAND INDUSTRIES EXTENSION, 1959
BUTLAND INDUSTRIES STORE 1960
BRIMMER AND CRABTREE JOINERY FACTORY
A. R. CHRISTIAN FACTORY
HARRIS FOOD MARKET
F. C. HORTOP LTD. JOINERY FACTORY
H. B. ELECTRIC POWER BOARD STORE
MOTOR SPECIALTIES LTD. NEW WAREHOUSE
MURRAY ROBERTS WOOL STORE
HERETAUNGA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL CLASSROOM BLOCK
FURNITURE AND WOODWARE LTD. STORE
N.Z.R. GOODS OFFICE
N.Z.R. GOODS SHED
HASTINGS HOSPITAL REFUSE DISPOSAL
AND NUMEROUS SMALLER CONTRACTS.
“STAR” FLATS CONTRACT – HASTINGS
COMMERCIAL WORK
HOUSING
ALTERATIONS
BUILDERS and CONTRACTORS
HASTINGS
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 17
Home of the FROZEN FOOD industry
THE development of Hastings has been somewhat like the life of a rebel. Almost none of the things it was supposed to be have eventuated. First off it was intended to be a suburb of Havelock North, then expected to become a major centre. Within a short time Hastings had outstripped Havelock North and the positions had been reversed. As the town grew it was expected that Hastings would become a dormitory town of Napier. But no, Hastings just grew and grew and now is almost level pegging with Napier on a population basis.
While Napier was becoming a town of some proportion Hastings was still a rather motley collection of frame houses clustered around the swamp which today is the thriving business area. A town board was established in 1886, 22 years after the first settlement, and Hastings began to grow. The opening of the railway between Hastings and Napier was the impetus that has since marked the rather remarkable growth of Hastings.
After World War I Hastings began to increase at a faster rate than did Napier and this trend has continued right to the present day However, projected population estimates show that Hastings will eventually be overtaken by Napier unless of course, boundary change: are made to bring parts of the heavily-populated Hawkes Bay county into the city.
Hastings was given a population boost during the early ’20’s when orchard development around the then borough was substantial. This brought about residential development resulting in a significant increase in the population of the Heretaunga Plains.
During 1926-36 there was a big increase in the Hastings urban area despite there being a severe depression in the country for several of those 10 years. The increase for the Hastings urban population was 25.6 per cent against 13.1 per cent for the Napier urban area.
During this period, of course, was the earthquake of 1931. Napier, as a port town, was feeling the depression more than Hastings because of the drastic falling-off in trade and when the earthquake shoaled up the harbour Napier lost a lot more of its business. Meanwhile, Hastings was experiencing rapid growth despite these disasters. And it must be remembered that though the earthquake is referred to as the Napier earthquake, Hastings was just as hard hit. Many buildings were wrecked and damaged and 93 people killed.
The period 1936-45 again saw Hastings growing at a more rapid rate than Napier, but the expansion had slowed somewhat. For the first time Havelock North – of which Hastings was originally destined to be a suburb – increased at a faster rate than Hastings. It became clear in this decade that Napier had completely recovered from the earthquake and depressions of the 30’s. By 1945 the urban areas of the two cities were almost identical with Napier having the slight edge of eight people with a population of 20,334.
This trend has been a continuing
[Continued on page 19]
Photo caption – The growth of Hastings during the last few years has been quite astounding and new suburbs have been growing round the fringes of the city. This growth has called for new schools and below is a recently opened intermediate school.
– Russell Orr picture.
Page 18
[Advertisement]
HAWKE’S BAY DISTRIBUTORS
OF
SINGER
GAZELLE and VOGUE
SALOONS OR STATION WAGONS
BACKED BY COMPLETE MOTORING SERVICE AND SPARE PARTS ORGANISATIONS.
AGENTS FOR
JAGUAR and DAIMLER
ROSS, DYSART & McLEAN Ltd
LICENSED MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERS
200 KARAMU RD. STH. HASTINGS Tel.: Day 87-029; Night 87-494
LET US ARRANGE QUICKER DELIVERY OF A NEW MODEL UNDER THE NO REMITTANCE SCHEME
THE GENERAL HAULAGE CO. LTD.
Suppliers of READY MIX CONCRETE for Hastings and surrounding district.
HASTINGS
Est. 1928
Illustration shows one of the Units delivering material to a Bridge Job.
We also supply –
SHINGLE
ALL GRADES
SAND
CHIPS
FOR SEALING
SPOIL
FOR FILLING
Works: Pakowhai Bridge.
P.O. Box 287.
Telephone 83-515.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 19
Buildings under construction
[Continued from page 17]
feature of the two cities with Hastings always showing a larger percentage increase.
There can be no doubt that the market garden and orchard industries have helped Hastings expand. This and the establishment of huge processing plants for the produce of these industries. As well as this Hastings is the main centre for the slaughter of sheep and cattle and also the site of New Zealand’s second largest stockyards. As production of fruit, vegetables and live stock increases so the processing plants are expanding their premises so that the future of Hastings is assured on this score alone.
But Hastings is more than a place to grow and process food. Already it has a fairly well established industrial side to it. Largest of the industrial concerns is Morrison Industries who have recently expanded into a very large factory addition. And there is plenty of land for factory expansion or, better still, the establishment of new industries in this young city. The lively city council, like that of Napier, is offering many inducements to foreign capital to start businesses in Hastings. Because of the seasonal nature of the food processing industry Hastings certainly needs other industry to take up the large labour force which is available in the off season.
Another industry that Hastings is pushing hard is tourism. This is mainly in the capable hands of Greater Hastings whose public relations officer, Mr Ken Sparks, is possibly the most efficient any city or town in New Zealand has. With his annual Blossom Festival each spring he has tempted as many as 80,000 people to the city for the festivities. And these people come from all over the North Island and the South Island, too. The Easter highland games are another great attraction in Hastings and draw almost as many people as the Blossom Festival.
It is certainly no idle boast that Hastings is, in the words of Ken Sparks, “a grand place to live, to work, to start industry, or to just relax”.
Photo captions –
Another addition to the fine cultural and institutional buildings in Hastings is seen during construction in the picture above.
– Russell Orr pictures.
The largest fruit receiving depot in New Zealand The Apple and Pear Marketing Board’s building has an area of 60,000 sq. ft., there being cool storage space for 250,009 cases of fruit. During the 1961 season 850,000 cases of apples and 245,000 cases of pears were handled of which 480,000 were exported.
– Russell Orr picture.
Page 20
[Advertisement]
H. H. Campbell & Sons Ltd.
TIMBER
HARDWARE
GLASS
OIL and COLOUR MERCHANTS
DIRECT IMPORTERS
A corner view of H. H. Campbell & Sons Ltd’s hardware department.
H. H. Campbell & Sons Ltd. was established in 1893 by H. H. Campbell, and was converted to a partnership in 1919, as H. H. Campbell & Sons.
In 1919 the business occupied the corner of Karamu Road and Albert Street only. … NOW it occupies the block bounded by Karamu Read, Albert Street, Warren Street, and Victoria Street.
The business comprises Timber yard, and Planing mill, Joinery factory, heavy Hardware warehouse, builders’ Hardware department, paint, class [glass] and wallpaper department and Ship Chandlery department. The company is also a direct importer of all builders’ heavy and light Hardware and wallpapers, etc.
An outside view of the premises of H. H. Campbell & Sons Ltd.
602 KARAMU ROAD NTH,
HASTINGS, HB.
P.O. BOX 389.
PHONE 85-024
NIGHT 82-624
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 21
[Advertisement]
No matter how large or small, our vehicles will
undertake any job…
Earthmoving
Excavation
Cranage
Drainage
Metal Supplies
Heavy Haulage
Our earthmoving MACHINERY, CRANES, METAL TRUCKS and EXCAVATORS have been first on the job in most of the major construction works in Hastings. In recent years these have included.
HASTINGS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
HAWKES BAY ELECTRIC POWER BOARD BUILDING
KARAMU HIGH SCHOOL
HASTINGS RAILWAY YARDS
EXTENSIVE DRAINAGE WORKS – including both Cartage and Laying of Concrete Pipes from 6 in. to 6 ft. in diameter.
Contact –
JOHN FRASER & SONS, CONTRACTORS, LTD.
Omahu Road Hastings ‘Phone 89-196
Page 22
[Advertisement]
Travellers…
Here is a hotel with comfort
friendliness
attractive decor
service
This was purchased by the Buchanan family in 1953 and has been transformed from an old ’boozer’ to the leading establishment, by careful thought and planning and thanks to the local support we have a programme out for the future additions
STORTFORD LODGE HOTEL
Hastings Phone 89-039
The modern Novalite roof gives a soft, soothing light.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 23
NEW STATION FOR CITY THAT GREW AROUND THE RAILWAY
HASTINGS, like a number of other cities and towns, developed from its earliest days around its railway station. As in the case of those other centres, the city’s growth resulted in the cramping of station expansion, with attendant delays to the flow of road traffic by shunting activities across the busy streets.
When the city of Hastings became due for increased and improved railway facilities, it therefore became necessary to remove the entire station facilities to a less restricted area from a quarter to half a mile away from their existing site. This entailed the purchase of additional land and the construction of a new marshalling yard, a new station building, and office block, and a goods shed on the new site. The main railway line also had to be rebuilt some 25 yd. east of the existing line to allow adequate room for the new yard. This constituted one of the largest railway construction projects ever put into operation in Hawkes Bay.
By May, 1959, platelaying was in progress on the new line between St. Aubyn and Frederick Streets, so that ultimately shunting could be eliminated across St. Aubyn and Heretaunga Streets. Work was also in progress on the new marshalling yard, situated almost half a mile north of the existing station. This yard comprises several long sidings and a crossing loop capable of accommodating a train more than 600 yd. long without encroaching on Frederick Street (which crosses the yard’s northern approach). The new yard was completed and brought into operation in May, 1960.
In the following February a start was made on the new station platform, with a crane swinging the first of 21 10 ft. long, 243-ton concrete blocks into position to form the front of the 210-ft. platform. A contract was let in October, 1961, to the Hastings firm of Miller and Gurnsey Ltd. for the construction of a new goods shed and an administrative and goods office block. The office block was to be partly two – storeyed, with a floor space of 2,000 sq. ft. The adjoining 200 ft. by 40 ft. goods shed would have 18,000 sq. ft. of floor space and would have a steel portal frame sheathed with corrugated asbestos and concrete blocks.
Work was begun almost immediately on the laying of foundations for these buildings, 33 piles being sunk to a depth of 20 ft. on the site of the new goods shed.
In the same month tenders were called for the construction of the new station building on a site about a quarter of a mile north of the existing station. The building is to have floor space of 2,700 sq. ft. and will comprise timber framing, steel columns and verandah supports, roofing of corrugated asbestos, and concrete block veneer walls. The verandah area is to approximate 1,100 sq. ft.
The new station will measure approximately 101 ft. by 264 ft., with a 210 ft. platform. It will incorporate a stationmaster’s office, a combined waiting room and booking office with a modern-type open counter, a luggage room opening on to the waiting room, toilet rooms, and rooms for communications and other station equipment. In keeping with modern New Zealand railway station design, extensive use is to be made of glass to achieve a well-lit interior.
A contract for the construction of the new building was let in November last to S. E. Morgan and Sons Ltd., of Hastings. Construction work on the building is at present proceeding and the station is expected to be completed about the middle of 1962. More compact than the old-fashioned wooden building which it will replace, the neat and attractive new station, with its modern facilities, should serve the expanding city of Hastings well for many years to come.
Page 24
Hastings uses block system for numbering streets
VISITORS to Hastings sometimes find the house numbering system somewhat confusing, because of the fact that the lowest numbered house in any street is 100. The numbering is on the American block system, and Hastings is reputed to be the only city in New Zealand which adopts this system. Actually, it is a very simple one, and for directional purposes very easy to follow – provided the compass direction of the number sought is known.
The whole system is based on the four points of the compass, with the railway line as the division between east and west and Heretaunga Street as the division between north and south. The first block north, south, east or west of these division points, carries the number 100. The second is numbered 200, the third 300, and so on, so that all houses in the first block are numbered from 100 and those in the second block from 200. In some cases, where the blocks are unusually long, an imaginary line is fixed to divide the block for numbering purposes.
By means of this block system, which can only be applied where cities and towns are flat and laid out in blocks, it is easy to direct a person to find any house again provided it is known whether the house is north, south, east or west.
For instance, in the event of a person wishing to find, say 305 Queen Street west, the first direction is that the street runs west from the railway line the dividing point. The fact that the house is in the 300 numbering, indicates that it is in the third block west of the railway line. The usual odd and even numbering is used, with odd numbers on the right hand side and even numbers on the left, so that 305 Queen Street west would be the third house on the right-hand side of the third block west from the railway line.
Postal officials especially consider it has a great advantage over the usual numbering system.
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P.O. Box 643 HASTINGS 406 Karamu Road
Telephone 85 405
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 25
MODERN OUTLOOK OF HASTINGS AREA IS REFLECTED IN THIS NEW CHURCH
Throughout New Zealand new church architecture is among the most modern and while retaining many of the traditional features of church construction church design is much more dramatic than what had become the orthodox design of the first 50 years of this century. Among the most striking small church recently built is this Catholic church at Havelock. While it looks unmistakeably like a church it has none of the orthodox lines with which church buildings have become associated. The architect was the brilliant Maori, John Scott, of Haumoana, Hastings.
– Russell Orr picture.
Page 26
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ODLIN’S – the
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SUPPLIES
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WE CARRY A COMPLETE RANGE OF TIMBER and HARDWARE SUPPLIES
THE C. & A. ODLIN TIMBER & HARDWARE CO. LTD.
HERETAUNGA ST. WEST
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HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 27
[Advertisement]
Build in Steel –
for
Strength
and
Durability
The photograph illustrates the Steel Fabrication of the additions to the Steward Stand at Hastings being erected for the Hawkes Bay Jockey Club.
Today in building construction the emphasis is on strength with the minimum of weight and this can only be achieved through fabricated steel…Our skilled staff over the past few years have been entrusted with many major contracts … these are located throughout the “Bay” and include a wide coverage of construction work.
SOME OF THE MAJOR CONTRACTS COMPLETED INCLUDE: –
Extension of Cable-Price Lid. (Steel Division) Steel Store, Napier.
Hastings Memorial Hospital, new block, four storey building, Hastings.
Little Sisters of the Poor, Hastings.
Wairoa Centennial Library, Wairoa.
Wattie Canneries Ltd., additions.
WE SPECIALIZE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF: –
Front and rear hydraulic Forklifts, fit all tractors.
Tanks of all descriptions.
Rotary Screen, Blood Cookers for Freezing Works.
Universal Beams done by Submerged Arc Process.
Combination Sheep and Cattle Crates.
WELDERS & ENGINEERS (HASTINGS) LTD.
GENERAL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
409 N. King St. – HASTINGS – Phone 83-303
HASTINGS
MEMORIAL
HOSPITAL
A comment on an earlier page that the design if the Hastings Memorial Hospital made it popular photographers is fully supported by these pictures in which full play has been made of design, light and shade to produce graceful and interesting pattern pictures. In both, straight lines and curves harmonize beautifully.
– Russell Orr picture.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 31
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Page 32
[Advertisements]
Our motto…
SALES & SERVICE
Bennett & Redfern Ltd.
DOMESTIC COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL
REFRIGERATION ENGINEERS
Agents for: PRESTCOLD and McALPINE
24-HOUR SERVICE FOR ALL TYPES OF REFRIGERATION …
PHONE 88-932 AFTER HOURS SERVICE PHONE 84-419.
804 W. Heretaunga Street HASTINGS P.O. Box 791.
BARCLAY MOTORS LTD.
(MEMBER OF THE WRIGHT, STEPHENSON GROUP)
Licensed Motor Vehicle Dealers
BUSINESS BUILT ON SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
NAPIER
HASTINGS
WAIPUKURAU
VOLKSWAGEN SALES AND SERVICE
MASSEY – FERGUSON TRACTORS AND IMPLEMENTS
WRIGHTSON IRRIGATION
HOMELITE CHAIN SAWS
SUNBEAM SHEARING PLANTS
BEAN ORCHARD SPRAYERS
HAYTER TRACTOR MOWERS
HONDA POWER CYCLES
MARIN [MARINE] OUTBOARDS
PLYLITE BOATS
USED CARS AND TRUCKS
MORRISON MOWERS AND MULTIHOE CULTIVATORS
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 33
1931 EARTHQUAKE TOOK A TERRIBLE TOLL OF HASTINGS –
New city a tribute to faith of inhabitants.
IN THE gay atmosphere which prevailed during the recent Hastings highland games, the well-stocked shops and splendidly displayed windows, the fine buildings, and modern homes and motor vehicles, visitors to Hastings probably saw nothing to recall that just over 30 years ago, the business area of Hastings was in a heap of ruins as a result of the disastrous earthquake on 3rd February, 1931. Like its sister city, Napier, Hastings has risen from debris, and today it is in a truly flourishing condition.
It was the vision, courage and determination which were displayed in that period immediately following the disaster, that have been largely responsible for the progress which has enabled city status to be reached.
In the six months from 3rd February, 1931, temporary building permits for no fewer than 192 business premises were issued, these permits providing for temporary shops which were to be replaced within one to two years. In addition 704 permits were issued for repairs to other shops and houses, and it is worthy of note that most of the promises to have the temporary places replaced by permanent structures were redeemed within the specified period.
The greatest of the immediate post-quake undertakings was the reconstruction of the stage of the Municipal Theatre. This was undertaken at a cost of £11,000 and was completed within 12 months.
The one feature concerning the future in which it is generally agreed that little vision was shown when the reconstruction programme got under way, was that of the failure to widen Heretaunga Street. At the time of the earthquake it was realized that as a main thoroughfare of Hastings, Heretaunga Street, was too narrow. When it was found that so many business places were destroyed, there was a half-hearted move towards a rebuilding plan which would make Heretaunga Street at least 10 to 14 ft. wider. In fact, one or two new buildings were actually sited on the set-back building line, but universal support was absent.
It is interesting to recall that in the main area of the town, only one building came through the earthquake without damage. This was the Hawkes Bay Farmers’ building in Market Street. The Public Trust building and the Salvation Army Citadel in Warren Street also stood up to the battering but both were cracked in places. Apart from the wooden hotels, the Pacific, Carlton Club and Albert (all of which have since been modernized), the only pre-quake building still standing in Heretaunga Street is the National Bank at the corner of Karamu Road and Heretaunga Street; but it was scarred by fire and had to be considerably strengthened.
Visitors to Hastings for the first time usually remark on two things – the fact that most buildings are of only one storey and the high chimneys which one sees in other towns and cities are conspicuous by their absence. The reason, of course, is not hard to find. So many of the tall chimneys came down and did so much damage in the earthquake, that all re-building plans provided for small chimneys, which are less liable to topple over and which, if they did fall, would not do so much damage.
The one-storey building was an immediate reaction to the earthquake. With the passage of time, however, the earthquake becomes more and more a memory a memory of something which, in spite of the loss of life and limb it brought with it, had its compensations. In the re-building the past was linked with the future, for provision was made to withstand shocks of great magnitude, and today, Hastings can rank with Napier as the safest city in New Zealand.
34 HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 35
Growth of an industry
IN 27 YEARS THE NAME OF WATTIES HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH THE BEST IN FOOD
THE STORY of the foundation and growth of J. Wattie Canneries Limited is a romance of the industrial development of New Zealand. With the country just emerging from a world-wide depression in 1934, the firm of Watties was first established in a small wooden building, where it stands today on its original site. The initial capital of £1,250 was subscribed by 28 members. In the first season there were 25 on the pay roll.
The dramatic development in the short space of 27 years from the small beginnings is evident when viewing the present flourishing industry with its two large factories. The Hastings factory, warehouses and head office has more than nine acres under roof, while the Gisborne factory has six acres under roof.
Both factories combined have an output of 68 million units or approximately 26,000 tons. During the processing season, Watties employ over 1,200 men and women and in addition a further 650 supply fruit and vegetables under contract to the factory.
The first operation of the company was the pulping of fruit for jam makers, but it was not long before a programme was commenced of widening the scope and range of products handled and utilizing to the full the great variety of fruit and vegetables grown in the fertile Heretaunga Plains. This policy has been pursued through the years until the present impressive array of not less than 88 varieties of canned, bottled and frozen foods on the market.
Technical superiority
The spectacular success of Watties can be traced in part to emphasis on up-to-date efficient methods and mechanization both in field and factory, which has been maintained a very high level. All the new overseas developments in food processing are studied and where practicable, adapted to New Zealand conditions and installed. In the field Watties employs the largest fleet mechanical harvesters in this hemisphere. These mechanical robots attend to most of the harvesting thereby eliminating to a very great degree the slow and inefficient hand picking methods of yesteryear.
Mobile pea harvesters move into fields of peas picking up vines shelling the peas as they go, and delivering the podded peas in bins at a rate of 7-8 tons in a working day for each harvester. Giant mobile bean harvesters are each capable of doing the work of 200 hand pickers.
Mobile sweet corn harvesters speed up operations and reduce the huge labour force previously required for manual work to a bare minimum. Another important factor is that employing mechanical means, harvesting continues right through the night at the height of the season. This was impossible with manual harvesting.
In the factory plant, the same high degree of mechanization is evident with machines doing much of the work done manually a few years ago.
All cans used at Watties are manufactured at the Hastings factory by their own plant, and this venture could well be considered as an industry within an industry. Recently a new plant was installed to manufacture beer cannisters for a large brewery company. Beer cannister making is a highly technical and very exacting procedure, and very few such machines are in existence.
Besides canning, bottling, and freezing foods, Watties are major growers of fruit and vegetables for their factories. At present, 350 acres are planted with asparagus, Wattie’s orchards, the largest in the Dominion, cover approximately 235 acres and contain upwards of 18,000 trees of all kinds, mainly peaches and pears.
Baby foods and junior foods offer a varied choice of varieties and Wattie’s Felix and Fido pet foods are also well known throughout the Dominion.
Scientific research
Fully qualified staff of agricultural field officers and food technologists have a programme of scientific research into soil and crop improvement, spray materials, new varieties of fruit and vegetables, and better seeds. While in the laboratory, new recipes and new products are constantly being tested.
The success of Watties can be put down to the policy of producing and maintaining a wholesome, home cooked flavour, and appearance. All the resources of the company are growing from year to year and a vigilant 24-hour watch is maintained on all aspects of quality control and hygiene by the large laboratory staff.
The great part of Wattie’s output goes to satisfy home demands. Nevertheless overseas markets are growing from year to year and a tremendous potential exists for expansion in this direction.
New ventures
The latest experimental venture undertaken by Watties, is investigation into tuna fishing with a view to opening up a new New Zealand enterprise. Early results are very promising and the company’s vessel, “Olwyn”, operating from Gisborne under an American with many years of experience in the tuna industry, is fully occupied testing fishing grounds on the East Coast of New Zealand. Early indications are that there is every reason for optimism and that before long, tuna will be canned in this country by Watties.
Photo caption – The giant food processing plant and headquarters of Watties Canneries Ltd. which has done so much for the wealth of Hastings and the surrounding district.
– Whites Aviation picture.
Page 36
[Advertisement]
It’s SOUND BUSINESS to
consult the SPECIALISTS
when PLANNING for the FUTURE
For years AGNEW REFRIGERATION LTD. has enjoyed the privilege of supplying the requirements of Architects, Builders and Contractors. Through the completeness of our staff from Design to Service and because we are in the privileged position of being suppliers of Nationally recognized equipment, you can have every confidence in dealing with AGNEWS.
AIR CONDITIONING Air Conditioning, a relatively new venture in New Zealand, is rapidly gaining popularity. Most major buildings are designed today with either the inclusion of Air Conditioning or the necessary requirements so that it can be installed later. Air Conditioning for the home is now possible and easily installed by means of packaged type conditioners.
AGNEW REFRIGERATION LTD. have installed some important Air Conditioning installations and will be pleased to discuss features of design and installation with you.
ROOM CONDITIONERS
COMMERCIAL INSTALLATIONS
OFFICE INSTALLATIONS
COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION
for 24 years AGNEW REFRIGERATION LTD. have enjoyed the confidence of business firms in the supplies of Commercial Refrigeration. Our Company was founded to promote the sale of Commercial Refrigeration and has prospered over the years because of our ability to advise, design, install and service from the simplest to the most complicated installations.
Why not consult our engineers who will be only to happy to advise you on all matters of design construction and supply of Commercial Refrigeration.
COOL STORES
FREEZING CHAMBERS
SHOP REFRIGERATION
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Builders, are you recognised for the completeness of the Homes you build? Are they fitted out with Recognised Home Appliances?
Builders who equipped the Homes they are building with Appliances from Agnew Refrigeration Ltd. have a distinct advantage, because you have the privilege of choosing your requirements from a wide range of popular and competitively priced Appliances.
In purchasing your customers Appliances through Agnews, your responsibilities are few as we deliver and service. Most important as a Recognised Builder, Plumber or Electrician you are entitled to a Contractors’ Discount.
KELVINATOR Refrigerators
BENDIX Home Laundries
WHITEWAY Washing Machines
WHITEWAY Clothes Driers
WHITEWAY Dish Washers
SHACKLOCK Electric Stoves
WATER CONTROL BY PUMPING
Water plays a big part in the Economy and productivity of our land. In no small way AGNEW REFRIGERATION LTD. has contributed to this prosperity by specialising in WATER CONTROL.
Every installation is carefully designed and correctly installed to give the maximum efficiency and your Clients can be assured of First Class after sale service.
HOME PUMPING SYSTEMS
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AGNEW’S
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NAPIER – HASTINGS – PALMERSTON NORTH – LEVIN
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 37
New Zealand Leader ….
Hastings firm pioneers of aerial mapping in this country
IN THE industrial progress of Hawkes Bay and, in fact, New Zealand, Hastings can claim a unique distinction. It is the head-quarters of the N.Z. Aerial Mapping Co, an organization which has played an important part in “plotting” not only Hawkes Bay but also most of New Zealand. For this reason, the industry is playing an important part in the economy of the country as a whole.
Pioneered by Mr Piet van Asch, the industry of exploring possibilities from the air became a commercial undertaking in 1936 when Mr van Asch started operations with a monospan aircraft which had a ceiling of 12,000 ft. So quickly did the business grow, however, that it was not long before Mr van Asch had to import a Beechcraft machine with a ceiling of 20,000 ft.
The two-storeyed building at the corner of Warren Street and Avenue Road, Hastings, is further evidence of the growth of this unique industry, for which there is an ever increasing need.
Photographs taken from the firm’s aircraft are used extensively by the Lands and Survey Department, the Soil Survey Department and the State Forest Department, among others. By means of the pictures it is possible to detail topography, ascertain ravages of erosion and pin-point weak spots in river control and bridge construction.
The company’s photographs can best be described as “photographic maps” plotted to the national grid and carrying all the information required. With the advent of topdressing by air, the work of aerial mapping became even more important. In fact, the application of aerial photography is so comprehensive that it is almost impossible to cover all avenues of its usefulness.
[Advertisement]
STEEL BUILDERS & E. L. WHITE LTD.
Cnr. HERETAUNGA & BERESFORD STS.,
HASTINGS
MANUFACTURERS OF THE FAMOUS
“MASTER” STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS
SHEARMASTER WOOLSHEDS
BALEMASTER HAYBARNS
SPACEMASTER IMPLEMENT SHEDS
Distributors of these popular, low-priced buildings are:-
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H.B. FARMERS CO-OP. ASSN.
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AGENTS FOR “EDBRO” TRUCK TIPPING EQUIPMENT … Full range of spares always in stock.
STEEL FRAMED TRUCK BODIES
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WELDING and GENERAL ENGINEERING Undertaken.
[Advertisement]
A proud record and a prominent place [in the] food processing industry
J. WATTIE CANNERIES
LIMITED
Aerial view of Hastings Factory and Head Office.
Size of Factory Buildings can be gauged by comparison with the two Football Fields in background.
The Hastings Factory has in excess of 9 acres under Roof and the Gisborne Factory 6 acres.
During the processing season, Watties two Factories employ upwards to 1,200 Men and Women. In addition to this, a further 450 growers supply Fruit and Vegetables by contract to the Factory.
Attractive and flavoursome dishes from Wattie’s 88 varieties.
Aerial view of Gisborne Factory.
[J] WATTIE CANNERIES
LIMITED
In the short space of a quarter of a century, Watties has emerged as the Premier Food Processing Establishment in New Zealand. Indeed, with no less than 88 varieties of canned and quick frozen foods on the market and an output of some 25,000 tons of canned and frozen foods, it is the largest establishment of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
By trying the latest overseas developments and adapting them to New Zealand conditions, Watties has a record of vision and enterprise which gives cause for pride.
First to use Mobile Pea, Bean, Beet, Carrot and Corn Harvesters, and by reducing to a minimum manpower and transportation charges.
First to employ Automatic Peach Stoners. First to can the delectable Asparagus Tips. Now greatly sought home and overseas.
First to utilize Mobile Bean Pickers which harvest 8-10 acres of Beans and do the work of 200 Pickers.
And now boldly exploring the possibilities of a Tuna Fishing and Canning in New Zealand.
Pea Harvester in action delivering shelled peas into bins on the move, at a rate of 8 tons a day per machine.
A moving stream of luscious Golden Queen peaches on their way into cans. Over 2,000 tons a season.
Watties
88
VARIETIES
WATTIE CANNERIES LTD.,
HASTINGS, GISBORNE, AUCKLAND, HAMILTON,
WELLINGTON, CHRISTCHURCH.
Page 40
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This can actually SAVE you £50 and more in planning costs. Providing spacious shower, 50 in. x 50 in. with built-in seating, the whole unit conveniently fits a bathroom 5 ft. 6 in. x 7 ft. 6 in. This can, however, be reduced to about 4 ft. 2 in. x 7 ft. 6 in. for even greater economy. Enquire carefully into the possibilities of this handsome, FULL SIZE Corner Bath before finalizing your plans.
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Auckland Provincial Representatives: –
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HASTINGS
P.O. BOX 247 – TEL 83-185
South Island Representatives: –
MESSRS SPECIALTY SALES LTD.
P.O. BOX – 471 DUNEDIN
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 41
[Advertisement]
Vidal’s
keep going on growing!
The climate in Hawke’s Bay favours growth and Vidal’s are growing all the time. As the popularity
of their white wines, table wines and Ports increases so does the service Vidal’s offer. This new Bottle Store in Hastings for instance is the most up-to-the-minute in Hawke’s Bay – you simply Drive-in for today’s top selection of wines and spirits. It’s smart, it’s modern, it’s typical of Vidal’s and typical of Hawke’s Bay.
Vidal’s
BOTTLE STORE
AVENUE ROAD EAST,
PHONE 84-720 HASTINGS
Page 42
[Advertisements]
JEPSON ENGINEERING CO.
MECHANICAL and DIESEL ENGINEERS
503 West Queen Street, Hastings Telephone 89-220 day or urgent night
OUR PRECISION workshop enables us to specialize in
DIESEL MAINTENANCE
G.M. DIESEL SALES and SERVICE for Gisborne and Hawkes Bay
Announcing the NEW ALL-PURPOSE POWER RANGE
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The popular engine for Industrial Application and Marine Use.
MAIN DISTRIBUTORS
FOR NORTH ISLAND…
CLYDE ENGINEERING LTD.
419-427 HUTT ROAD
Telephone 66-129
LOWER HUTT
PHONE 81-358
OMAHU ROAD,
R.D.5,
HASTINGS
H. B. DRIVEWAYS
ASPHALTING
METALLING
GENERAL CONTRACTORS
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 43
MAJOR INDUSTRIAL FIRM IS EXPANDING AT A RAPID PACE
Morrison Industries Ltd. moves to 180,000 sq. ft. building after small start in a shed in 1939.
AN OVERSEAS visitor, once gave his opinion of New Zealand as a land where the unearthly hush over business areas at the weekends is replaced by an almost continuous roar in suburbs from thousands of motor mowers. New Zealanders are finding these efficient little machines have climbed out of the luxury class. Now they have taken their place with radios, refrigerators and washing machines as standard domestic equipment.
Hastings is the home of the Morrison motor mower, the biggest manufacturer and assembly plant of its kind in the Dominion. It’s one the city’s major industries, although a young one for it was formed shortly before the outbreak the last war.
It has moved from shed to engineering shop to major factory until it last a dream for many of the staff has come true; a complete new factory is being built on the most up-to-date lines.
This fine new building is partly finished already and the total final size will be an area for production of 560 ft. by 320 ft. The first half of construction will cover 90,000 sq. ft. and the final area one of 180,000 sq. ft., the total area to be developed is 62 acres. In this new building, many new processes and plants will be used for the first time throughout New Zealand. In the paint shop, an automatic wash and dry-off spray paint booth, and an automatic oven, will be in operation. Air flow through the spray booth is 62,000 cu. ft. per minute and it is possible to do spray painting in evening dress without getting any paint on the clothing. The plant will be the most modern which is obtainable in the world today.
The hardening of the reels which form the work horse of each motor mower will be done by induction heating and it is understood this is the first type of its kind in New Zealand.
Electronically controlled lathes and other equipment are being installed together with the latest designs of press brakes and mechanical presses up to 300 tons. The weight of the latter press is 43 tons and the shipment of one case weighing 31 tons will be the heaviest lift ever undertaken in Hawkes Bay.
Staff amenities have been catered for on an up-to-date scale and will include a canteen with modern kitchen, swimming pool, and tennis courts. The whole front of the factory will be landscaped with lawns and gardens and it is hoped will become one of the beauty spots of the area.
The Morrison motor mower in its original form was the brain child of a Hastings engineer, Mr Sid Morrison, who before the war had an agency for an imported model. Import restrictions cut off his supply, so the engineer who previously made himself a motorized mower used parts of an old Model A Ford, experimented with his own designs for a powered mower.
First model
His model had many virtues. It was light but sturdy, easily handled, simple in operation and not excessively expensive and these principles have been carried on to the present day. And so Morrison Mowers Limited was formed and a new company went into production. Soon the company turned to power driven cultivators and when the war came these replaced mowers on the production chain as the Dominion’s market gardening system was expanded to meet the demand for foodstuffs.
In the immediate post-war boom, production climbed by leaps and bounds; over the past nine years the company has almost tripled its factory space until the present new factory was developed. Morrison Mowers Limited with their new plant and up-to-date equipment are at present in the process of developing new lines for manufacture. Many of these new products are still at the drawing board stage and not available for publication.
Rigorous tests
Design and development is a vital part of any industry. It is a key to improvement in products and the extension of a manufacturing programme. At Morrison Industries
Page 44
Giant press installed
A mobile crane moves a huge 300-ton press into position in the 180,000 sq. ft. factory addition of Morrison Industries Ltd. The press is the largest of its type in Hawkes Bay. To the left of the picture workmen can be seen installing other plant.
[Advertisement]
KEN GRANT LTD.
PHONE
86-623
HASTINGS
508 N. KARAMU ROAD
PHONE
86-623
AUTO ELECTRICIANS
AND
INSTRUMENT REPAIRERS
HAWKES BAY SALES AND SERVICE FOR –
“SMITHS” INSTRUMENTS and K. L. G. SPARK PLUGS
Hastings Sales and Service for: –
AC-DELCO, DELCO-REMY AUTO ELECTRICAL PARTS
SOLARC and VOLTEX BATTERIES
CLAUDET IGNITION REPLACEMENT PARTS
POLLAK SWITCHES
Ken Grant Ltd. new building.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 45
MORRISON INDUSTRIES, Contd.
Test mowing is a full time occupation
Limited men are engaged full time in the company’s development section trying improvements for future models and testing all new designs under rigorous conditions before recommending them for production. Draughtsmen and engineers work in unison to plan and to put into effect new ideas. Some are adopted many are rejected.
Mr Customer
One of the backroom boys is the equivalent of “Mr Customer” who, when he buys a motor mower, expects it to give him trouble-free mowing year in and year out, often under rigorous conditions. “Mr Customer’s” task is to take experimental models into grassed areas of Hastings and simply mow them and keep on mowing day after day. It’s a full time job, but one calculated to find the bugs which do not show up on the drawing board or in the machine shop.
Production at the factory does not follow the mass chain system associated with many heavy industries. But each man and women, the metal workers, braziers, welders, painters, have their tasks and a carefully allocated plan of assembly. Into the Hastings factory flows a regular supply of sheet steel in 2-ton bundles.
Fed into hydraulic presses which punch out components with deceptive ease or moulded over steel dies, the metal is punched and shaped into mower components for later assembly to meet production orders. Speed of working, however, takes second place to accuracy and efficiency. Engineers are constantly checking components as they come from the presses and lathes to ensure that critical sizes are being adhered to. The smallest deviation would shorten the life of or prevent the correct operation of an assembled mower.
With the exception of engines which are imported from Britain and United States, the mowers are completely built in Hastings. At the final assembly point before despatch to retailers, each motor is run and tuned. When the machine reaches the customer it’s ready to cut its swath through the fastest growing spring grass.
Morrison history
Like many companies of national repute, this company started off with an idea to produce a sturdy precision product manufactured to give long and satisfactory service. The company was originally started by Mr S. Morrison in 1939 and the first model produced, which is still known as the 16 in. Morrison reel motor mower, was designed and manufactured under his guidance. This model had a high wooden handle whereas the present models are all steel construction. With the advent of the war in 1939, the production of motor mowers was interrupted and the factory engaged on all out war effort.
Prior to 1951, the only model manufactured was a 16 in. reel motor mower but since that date new models have been designed and improved. The company is fully aware that to give the public of New Zealand the finest motor mower of its kind, an ever watchful eye must be kept on current trends and to improve this design, simplify where practical the operation and pound for pound give the best value possible.
In 1951 the 20 in. reel mower was produced for those with larger areas of lawn to cut. In 1952 the 22 in. motor scythe was produced. In 1953 the Morrison cultivator, 1956 the rotary mower with catcher and side delivery, 1957 the 14 in. motor mower, a lighter machine for a smaller lawn. Morrisons were this year proud to announce the sale of their 50,000th 16 in. reel motor mower alone. Proof in itself that the foundation principles of manufacture have been followed precisely.
The whole process of designing, the making of machine tools, and every phase of manufacture is carried out in Hastings. Only parts not manufactured, being the power units which are imported from England, Canada, and the United States.
46 HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS
[Advertisement]
MORRISON INDUSTRIES LTD.
Private Bag HASTINGS
Manufacturers of the famous
Morrison range of
Reel Mowers
Rotary Mowers
and
Multihoes
Morrison’s new factory is being built on the most up-to-date lines. In this building many new processes and plant will be used for the first time in
An automatic wash and dry-off spray paint booth and an automatic oven, will be in operation. Air flow through the spray booth is 25,000 cu. ft. per minute and it is possible to do spray painting in evening dress without getting any paint on the clothing. The plant will be the most modern which is obtainable in the world today.
The hardening of the reels which form the work horse of each motor mower will be done by induction heating. It is the first type of its kind in New Zealand.
Photograph above shows the progress being made on Morrison’s new factory premises to cope with manufacture of existing products and their extension into the manufacturing and assembling of bicycles. This latter will be the first of its kind in New Zealand.
Recently completed for Morrison Industries Limited 60 ft. span portals covering 90,000 sq. ft. of floor area
Electronically controlled lathes and other equipment are being installed together with the latest designs of press brakes and mechanical presses up to 300 tons capacity.
The continued public demand for Morrison’ mowers has made this new factory and the extensions of facilities to take care of bicycle manufacture possible.
Morrison’s are indeed grateful to the New Zealand public for their appreciation of their High Quality Products and would assure everyone that future products will continue to be manufactured at the same high standard.
Page 48
[Advertisement]
Clayton
(DYNA-MOMETER)
VEHICLE
ANALYZER
Measures Engine Horse Power.
If it’s O. K. on the CLAYTON
it’s O. K. on the road !
COPY BOOK TUNING WITH THE CLAYTON DYNAMOMETER
This machine which copies the manufacturers’ specifications for engine tuning and performance has been installed in our Automotive Service Depot., in Hastings. The machine costing £2,500, is the Clayton Dynamometer, and is one of the only two of its type now installed in the country. Our Service Manager reports that: –
“It has taken the guesswork out of diagnosis and has the added advantage that road testing is now kept to a minimum. By carefully observing test instruments we get definite proof whether or not the vehicle corresponds to the standard values. The machine can simulate most kinds of road conditions at all speeds and in all gearings. It cuts out the sometimes long hours of road testing and other testing by a skilled man seeking faults “by ear” and experience.”
A car under inspection is driven on rollers with the engine and clutch engaged. Linking instruments show the action of individual components of the engine, output being transferred to a power-absorption unit via the driving gears and rollers.
As well as testing power and performance, speedometer accuracy can be checked at all speeds. It is quite true to say that –
“If it’s alright on the Clayton, it’s alright on the road”.
Used in conjunction with the Clayton Dynamometer is an Electronic Engine Tester, which supplies, on a cathode ray tube a trace for each cylinder indicating the actual performance of the spark plugs, condenser, contacts and dwell angle. Fault finding is thus reduced to a matter of minutes. A substantial saving in time and expense is thus accomplished.
This company, which was established in 1927 have always specialized in the field of Automotive Electricity and has kept their plant and their methods always in line with modern practice as adopted both in this and other countries.
JOHN HILL LTD.
P.O. Box 139, Hastings.
Telephone 89-093 (Two Lines)
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 49
MEAT FREEZING INDUSTRY
Two Hastings meat works kill 28,000 sheep and lambs daily; and annually export more than 100,000,000 lb. of the finest lamb and mutton overseas
Tomoana:
The Tomoana Freezing Works ranks with the largest in New Zealand and the name and the company’s products are famous throughout New Zealand. These works have a killing capacity of 16,000 sheep and lambs and 50 cattle per day – a big advance on the capacity in 1883 when the company first operated and handled 400 sheep and 10 cattle daily.
Page 50
Furniture
&
Woodware
Ltd.
HASTINGS
FURNWARE
THIS COMPANY, incorporated in 1935, is essentially a Hastings concern, built with local capital, and local effort and initiative. From a small beginnings trading in radios, with a capital of £675, it has grown to be the largest factory of its type in New Zealand with a capital of £160,000.
Its manufacturing activities received a boost in early years from Government war contracts, for such items as ammunition boxes, instrument stands, pegs, water bottle stoppers, as well as furniture for military organizations, all in quantity production.
Its transition from war to peace was not particularly happy and some lean years were experienced. However, in the late 1940’s it settled down and with a change in policy towards bulk manufacture of standard designs, notably in school furniture and kitchen fittings for State Houses, from which time it has made steady headway. Rather than be dependent almost exclusively upon the retail furniture trade, Furnware changed its policy in favour of diversification of markets in order to ensure continuity of demand and sustain volume output.
Concentration on mass-produced, standardized products using selected materials, skilled operative and efficient plant, yielded increasing returns, thus confirming the wisdom of the Company’s manufacturing and trading policy. From an output in 1950 of £90, to an output in 1960 of £278,000 is a very commendable expansion.
Earlier products were made entirely of wood, till about 1954, influenced by the Education authorities
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 51
changeover to tubular steel desks and chairs, the Company commenced manufacturing in this newer material. Many of the manufacturing principles involved were to be common to both materials and the conversion was made very smoothly. Today probably more than half the output involves tubular furniture of one kind or another.
School furniture, for which the Company has consistently secured large contracts all over New Zealand, is a specialty which has kept the Furnware trademark to the forefront in this department.
Increasing popularity of steel for use in seating for halls, clubs, restaurants, etc., has created such a demand that the Company has installed the latest plant to take care of its increased output. As a consequence, the Furnware brand takes a very prominent place as suppliers of such furniture in the Dominion.
The logical development from tubular furniture finished in stoved enamel, is chrome plating and this Company’s latest venture. By early 1962 it will be operating one of the largest and most efficient electro-plating plants in this country.
Main products include household furniture, school furniture, kitchen fittings, office desks, church pews, shop fittings and automatic turnery. These are supplied through various channels to consumers throughout both North and South Islands.
With a staff of 110 and approximately 60,000 sq. ft., Furnware is on its way to bigger things, as a local enterprise of which the Hastings community be proud.
CONTACT US FOR QUOTATIONS ON YOUR
REQUIREMENTS OF
SCHOOL FURNITURE
KITCHEN FITTINGS
SHOP FITTINGS
CHURCH PEWS
HALL FURNITURE
CAFETERIA FURNITURE
OFFICE FURNITURE
Page 52
[Advertisement]
For all
PLUMBING
and
DRAINAGE
REQUIREMENTS
Apply to –
J J. O’CONNOR LTD.
Alexandra Cres., Hastings
Phone – 86-746
Our Agent includes…
BROWNBUILT ROOFING
FILTERMASTER FILTRATION PLANTS
RENOWN PUMPS
PERNACRETE [PERMACRETE] CONCRETE TANKS
We also undertake all types of HEATING and BOILER installations
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 53
[Advertisement]
SYNONYMOUS with PROGRESS
throughout the ‘Bay
HBF
Unity is Strength – The Hawkes Bay Farmers’ Co-op. Assn. Ltd. is a member co-operative of the Farmers’ Co-operative Wholesale Federation (N.Z.) Ltd. Combined these co-operatives are the largest Stock and Station Agents in New Zealand.
Throughout Hawkes Bay the H.B.F. is recognised as a leader in the field in the providing all that’s best for Town and Country.
Approximately 29.4% of the total yards throughput in stock is sold by the H.B.F.
Approximately 25% of the total Greasy Wool and approximately 22.7 of the total Scoured Wool sold at auction in H.B. is sold by the H.B.F.
H.B.F. is recognised as a leader in the Stud Stock Field.
H.B.F. Seed Dressing Plants and Produce Depts. throughout the Bay provide a service second to none.
H.B.F. Motor Dept., with 4 Garages, hold the Chevrolet, Holden Franchise at 3 points and Vauxhall, Bedford at the other.
H.B.F. also hold the Land Rover, Rover Franchise throughout H.B.
10 Retail Stores cater for the needs of everyone in H.B.
H.B.F. are Wholesale Wines, Ales and Spirit Merchants.
H.B.F. are Land and Real Estate Agents, Insurance and Shipping Agents.
THE HAWKE’S BAY FARMERS’ CO-OP. ASSN. LTD.
HASTINGS – NAPIER – WAIROA – HAVELOCK NORTH – DANNEVIRKE – WOODVILLE – ORMONDVILLE – WAIPUKURAU – TAKAPAU, and directly associated with COMMON, SHELTON & CO. LTD., GISBORNE.
Page 54
[Advertisement]
E. W. WILSON & SON
BUILDING CONTRACTORS and
JOINERY MANUFACTURERS
All classes of Building Work Undertaken
Light-weight construction.
We specialize in low-cost commercial buildings of light-weight construction using galvanized pipe “roof trusses”.
Reinforced concrete buildings with concrete block panels and steel R.S.J. portal trusses.
Modern home builders and all types of alterations and repair work carried out under personal supervision.
Plans, Specifications and Estimates prepared
A concrete building.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 55
PROSPERITY FROM THE SOIL
The soil of the Heretaunga Plains on which Hastings is situated is among the most fertile in New Zealand. It supports market gardens and orchards which enjoy the country’s highest yield and it is believed that nowhere in the world do apple trees bear such heavy crops as they do on the Heretaunga Plains. All this has earnt for Hastings the title of “Fruit Bowl of New Zealand”. Because of the abundance of highest quality fruit and vegetables Hastings has become the unchallenged leader in New Zealand’s canned and quick frozen food industry.
– Whites Aviation picture.
Page 56
[Advertisement]
Commercial Buildings and
Sunshine HOMES
PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS AND ESTIMATES PREPARED
SHOP AND OFFICE FITTINGS
FORMICA PLASTIC FABRICATORS
WINDOWS, DOORS AND CUPBOARDS
ALL TYPES OF BUILT-IN FITTINGS
GLASS AND GLAZING
HULENA BROS. LTD.
REGISTERED MASTER BUILDERS
402 VICTORIA STREET HASTINGS
Phone: Office and Yard – 86-454.
L. F. Hulena – 82-269.
K. C. Hulena – 78-323.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 57
SHOW PLACE OF FURNITURE INDUSTRY
THE fire on March 28, 1957, totally destroyed the main, central block. Damage was estimated at £36,000, and some people in the trade seemed to think that recovery would be a long, slow process.
This general view inside the new Hastings factory of Fowler, Drummond and Waddell indicates the extent of the premises.
They underestimated seriously the initiative of the firm, for today the new factory of Fowler, Drummond and Waddell, of Hastings, is considered to be one of the most modern and extensive in New Zealand. It has floor space of over 17,000 sq. ft., is of steel construction, and is equipped with the latest available machinery. An interesting departure is the central heating system: it is installed in the form of channels underneath the concrete floor, with vents at regular intervals around the walls. Only recently completed, the new factory is a show piece of the furniture industry, reflecting as it does the modern outlook of an old-established firm.
Mass production methods have been adopted, and it goes without saying that a very high standard of workmanship is Maintained. In the lacquering department, for instance, the very latest in hot Spray equipment is employed, and as Well as resulting in a much improved finish, this has also effected a speed-up in production.
The partnership of Fowler, Son and Drummond was formed in 1936, between the principals, but the story of the organization goes back further still, for the principals had formerly been in businesses of their own. A private company was formed in 1941, under the present name. In 1936 the staff numbered five, eventually reaching a peak at 65.
The organization was among the pioneers of Bentwood furniture in this country, and in fact still manufactures a number of occasional furniture designs of this style. It has always been an intrinsic part of the policy of Fowler, Drummond and Waddell to keep abreast of the times. Today they claim to offer the widest range of both occasional and suite furniture in New Zealand. Their sales districts cover both North and South Islands.
In this agreeable, progressive setting, the firm of Fowler, Drummond and Waddell has taken its place as one of the most modern and productive furniture manufacturing organizations in New Zealand.
FOWLER, DRUMMOND & WADDELL LTD.
P.O. BOX 537. PHONE 85-029
FENWICK STREET, HASTINGS.
WHOLESALE FURNITURE MANUFACTURERS
TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: “FOWDRUMELL”
Page 58
[Advertisement]
The logical choice in painting
ALLAN BALDWIN LTD.
Picture framers
Colour Consultants
Painters and Decorators
Call, Phone or write to their
‘Paint – Wallpaper – Picture Salon’
P.O. Box 649.
315 Heretaunga Street East,
HASTINGS
TELEPHONES: –
Shop – 84-191
Mr Baldwin, Res. – 78-844 Shop
Manager – 86-151
Painting Foreman – CE-894
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 59
[Advertisements]
L&P SERVICE…
For over fifty years Loach & Price Ltd. have served the needs of Hastings and the surrounding district, and we are proud to be carrying on the established traditions of high standards of service and workmanship that have been the basis of our business over these many years.
LOACH & PRICE LTD.
330-332 HERETAUNGA STREET WEST, HASTINGS
ELECTRICIANS SHEETMETAL WORKERS
ELECTRICAL and RADIO DEALERS
DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION
T. G. WRIGHTSON LTD.
REGISTERED BUILDERS
CONTRACTORS
JOINERY MANUFACTURERS
COMMERCIAL BUILDING
HOME BUILDING
INDUSTRIAL BUILDING
416 OMAHU ROAD
HASTINGS
Telephones:
Office and Factory 88 416
Private 82 744
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 61
[Advertisements]
DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED BY…
T. L. MARSHALL LTD.
CONCRETE BLOCKS SUPPLIED BY FIRTH CONCRETE LIMITED OWNERS . . . THE NATIONAL ELECTRICAL & ENGINEERING CO.
SPECIALISTS IN
CONCRETE BLOCK CONSTRUCTION
JOINERY
COMMERCIAL
HOUSING
SELECT SECTIONS AVAILABLE
FLATS
SHOPS
SHOP FITTINGS
LET T. L. MARSHALL LTD.
ASSIST IN SOLVING YOUR BUILDING PROBLEMS
816 A KARAMU ROAD NORTH – HASTINGS – PHONE 86-756
VIBRABLOCS
from
FIRTH
Firth Concrete Ltd. are manufacturers of first grade concrete building blocks of all types including load bearing, veneer, and decorative walls. In the Hawkes Bay area a block laying service is provided and quotations can be given to building contractors for the complete supply and laying of concrete blocks.
Orders may be placed with our factories at
HAMILTON, PUTARURU, ROTORUA, TAUPO, HASTINGS, NAPIER, STRATFORD and NEW PLYMOUTH.
Page 62
[Advertisement]
PERCY & HENDERSON LIMITED
– MECHANICAL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS –
P.O. Box 570 403 Karamu Road, Hastings Phone 86-271
Fabricators and Erectors of all classes of Steel Structures.
Mechanical and General Engineering, Factory Installation Conveyors and Handling Equipment, Storage Tanks, etc…
PIPE LINES & TANKS
OIL DEPOT INSTALLATION
TRACTOR EQUIPMENT
RIPPER FOR D8 TRACTOR
BUILDING STRUCTURES
Recently completed for Morrison Industries Ltd., 160 ft. span portals covering 90,000 sq. ft. of floor area.
Some Major Engineering Contracts Completed:
East Coast Farmers Fertiliser Co. Ltd. (Structural Steelwork)
J. Wattie Canneries Ltd., Zero and Dry Goods Store (Structural Steelwork)
Leopard Breweries Ltd. (Structural Steelwork and Installation)
Birdseye Foods Ltd. (Structural Steelwork and Installation)
Butland Industries (Structural Steelwork and Installation)
New Zealand Foods (Structural Steelwork and Installation)
Hastings War Memorial (Structural Steelwork)
Fropax (N.Z.) Ltd. (Structural Steelwork)
M.O.W. Workshop (Structural Steelwork)
N.Z.E.D. Workshop (Structural Steelwork)
Shell Oil N.Z. Ltd. (Depot Installation)
Belspray Asphalts (Bulk Bitumen Storage)
Murray Roberts Wool Store
Wright Stephenson Wool Store
W. Tucker Ltd. Wool Store
Various Schools, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne
WE WILL DESIGN STRUCTURES, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT TO YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND UNDERTAKE CONTRACTS BIG OR SMALL, ANYWHERE IN HAWKES BAY AND ENVIRONMENTS.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 63
INDEX TO HASTINGS ADVERTISERS
Agnew Refrigeration Ltd. 36
Baldwin Allan Ltd. 58
Barclay Motors Ltd. 32
Bennett & Redfern Ltd. 32
Bridgeman, P. J. 60
Campbell, H. H. & Sons Ltd. 20
de Pelichet, McLeod & Co. Ltd. 12
Dudley Lynn Ltd. 60
Duncans Furniture & Manufacturers Ltd. 2
Dysart, Ross, McLean Ltd. 18
Firth Concrete Ltd. 61
Fowler, Drummond & Waddell. Ltd. 57
Fraser, John & Sons 21
Furniture & Woodware Ltd. Co. Ltd. 50, 51
General Haulage Co. Ltd. 18
Grant, Ken Ltd. 44
Hastings Glass Co. Ltd. 61
Hawkes Bay Farmers’ Co-operative Association Ltd. 53
H. B. Driveways 42
H. B. Machinery & Engineering Co. Ltd. 24
Hill, John Ltd. 48
Hortop & Son Ltd. 3
Hulena Bros. Ltd. 58
Jepson Engineering Co. 42
Leopard Brewery Ltd. 8
Lett, K. G. Ltd. 31
Linnell, J. W. 4
Loach & Price Ltd. 59
Mackersey, J. C. Ltd. 5
Marshall. T. L. Ltd. 61
Miller & Gurnsey Ltd. 14, 15
Morrison Industries Ltd. 46, 47
Nelsons (N.Z.) Ltd. 6, 7
N.Z. Aerial Mapping Ltd. 30
O’Connor, J. J. Ltd. 52
Odlin, C. A. Lumber & Hardware Co. Ltd. 26
Olsen, A. W. Ltd. 63
Percy & Henderson Ltd. 62
Plix Products Ltd. 40
Steel Builders Ltd. 37
Steelcrafts (Hastings) Ltd. 12
Stortford Lodge Hotel 22
Tucker, W. Ltd. 28
Vidal, A. J. & Sons 41
Wattie, J. Canneries Ltd. 38, 39
Welders & Engineers (Hastings) Ltd. 27
Wilson, E. W. & Sons 54
Wrightson, T. G. Ltd. 59
[Advertisement]
CYCLONE Farm Buildings
reduce erection and maintenance costs.
Reduce maintenance costs to an absolute minimum – specify Cyclone Steel construction farm Buildings.
Specifications: Tubular Galvanised Steel framework, timber roof purlins and side wall girts. Galvanised corrugated iron roof and wall covering. Available in 20 ft., 25 ft., 30 ft. width and to any length and height.
MANUFACTURED IN HAWKE’S BAY TO AN EXACTING STANDARD
For full details write to –
A. W. OLSEN LTD.
P.O. BOX 455 HASTINGS
Page 64
NAPIER:
THE HOLIDAY CITY WHERE BRINGS PROSPERITY…
IT WAS not quite 9 a. m., the time of my first business appointment on my first visit to Napier. I began to pace the pavement outside my hotel and then remembered the Marine Parade I had heard so much about through the years. A walk of 100 yd. or so down Emerson Street brought me to the Colonade [Colonnade] where I sat in the early morning sun. Around me were others talking quietly, subconsciously not wanting to disturb the stillness or the quiet, although the Pacific surf was crashing on the beach. Out towards the horizon were three fishing boats and around to the north-east the cargo ship Essex was gliding into the port.
I watched the scene for many minutes before strolling the length of the Parade. People were out walking their dogs, occasionally stopping to chat with a friend. It did not seem possible that only a matter of 50 yd. away was the start of the business area of this rapidly growing provincial city. My reaction then, and still is after leaving Napier, that this was definitely the place to bring the family for a holiday.
Needless to say I was late for the appointment, but when I explained what I had been doing my inpunctuality was overlook. In fact,
Photo caption – The view of Napier that each year draws thousands of holiday-makers. The Marine Parade is one of the finest playgrounds in New Zealand.
– Whites Aviation picture.
Page 65
I’m sure had I suggested it, our business would have been conducted in the peace and quiet of the parade.
Throughout the city, in business, residential and industrial areas there is an unmistakable holiday atmosphere – as though everyone was in Napier for a spell away from the drudgery of the work-a-day routine of their own city or town. But do not be mislead. Napier and its people is a city on the go. It is just that the people here do not make it so obvious as people in other growing centres seem to do.
Stand for a few minutes on the corner of Emerson and Dalton Streets and watch the scene about you. Traffic is quite heavy. The pavements are crowded with shoppers and business people going about their work. Inside, the shops are doing good business. In fact, in Napier more money is spent in retail shops per person than in all but four other centres in New Zealand. The average spending rate is somewhat higher than the New Zealand average.
The early history of Napier was far from peaceful, though. The first European settlers, 30 years after Captain Cook sighted what is now Napier in 1769, were whalers. As could be expected the first business
[Continued on page 67]
Photo captions –
The most striking building on the Napier skyline today is the majestic and lofty new St. Paul’s Cathedral. Work is now in progress on the fourth stage of this very major construction job. The completed stages of the project are featured on the front cover of this publication.
Many new homes are being built in Napier and new suburbs are developing. One of these is Onekawa where these houses are. Onekawa is also the site of considerable industrial development.
Page 66
[Advertisement]
Equip your home with
“Astra’s” electrical appliances
Rangettes Console Models
Rangettes Table Models
Air-Dry Cabinets
Infra-red Heaters
Floor Polishers
Convection Heaters
Electric Radiators
Sketch
Astra
Every woman will appreciate a labour-saving gift like the ASTRA. Polishes right up to skirtings, fixtures and underneath spaces and furniture. Rubber buffer right around prevents damage to woodwork. Latest finger-tip, balanced control through the one-piece handle. Powerful self-lubricating motor, no oiling, no mess.
BEGLEY’S INDUSTRIES LTD.
Cadbury Street
Napier
Astra
ASTRA
PLUG-IN RANGETTE
Two top elements.
Top and bottom oven elements
Warming compartment.
Size: 23½ in. x 36 in. x 13½ in.
£29/17/6.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 67
[Continued from page 65]
established was a drinking house at Petane, along the coast from Westshore. Other settlers began to arrive but they were crowded out by the whalers and set up their homes on the shore or Corunna Bay now half a mile from the sea following earthquake and reclamation.
This soon became quite a little settlement and stores were established, the first by a Mr Alexander Alexander. But at Ahuriri there were eight drinking houses and they did good business with the sailors and whalers and about 5,000 Maoris who had been quickly taught the worst features of European life by the whalers. It was not until 1852 that Napier got its first hotel as opposed to the grog shops of Ahuriri.
A year later Mr Donald McLean paid £7,000 to the Maoris for the land on which Napier now stands. Within a few years several acres of this land had been subdivided and sold: and the village began to spread over the hills. Swamps were drained and in 1855 Napier was constituted a town.
Access to Napier for intending settlers was not easy, the only certain way to get together with troubles with Maoris and over land and immigration policies, slowed the expansion of Napier. So for some years investigations were made into possible routes for a railway linking the town with Wellington.
By 1874 the line between Napier and Hastings, which had begun its life a few years earlier as a gift of 100 acres, was opened. No longer did coach passengers face the possibility of being asked to step down to help push the coach through the mud. One month later, in November, the town was proclaimed a borough and the first stage of the development of Napier was over. The borough wasted no time in beginning the second stage of Napier’s history. Boundaries were laid down and 493 voters elected a mayor and council. Then the first major project began – the provision of an adequate water supply for the town. This was soon completed, as was the surfacing of once muddy streets.
At the turn of the century Napier expanded rapidly and in a few years the population increased by 1,000. The borough council was, like many other municipal councils those days, impressed by the miracle of the electric tram and in 1913 a start was made on a tramway system. Seven months after work started nine trams were in operation. The fleet was added to and the routes enlarged. But their life ended with the earthquake which completely wrecked the system.
The earthquake forced many changes on Napier. Hundreds of acres of land were reclaimed as the ground was heaved up. The bickering over the site of the port (Napier then had two) was brought to an abrupt halt by the upheaval. Many people have said the ’quake was a blessing in disguise for Napier and that may well be so. For in the rebuilding many modern features were incorporated which has given the city an advantage, especially in appearance, over many other towns and cities of the same age.
There can be no doubt that Napier has a very important part to play in the economic future of the Hawkes Bay and of New Zealand. And it certainly has a future as a holiday spot for my family. – FS.
Photo caption – Port Ahuriri, considered by many until the 1931 earthquake, as the best site for Napier’s port. However, the earthquake almost completely drained the area and the present port was developed. Port Ahuriri is the site of huge woolstore and bulk petrol stores and is also the haven for small boats.
– Whites Aviation picture.
Page 68
[Advertisements]
WE OFFER THIS
SERVICE
TO ALL BUILDERS
QUALITY JOINERY OF ALL TYPES
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED COMPETITIVE PRICES
PROMPT EXECUTION OF ORDERS PERSONAL ATTENTION
NORRIE JOINERY COMPANY LTD.
CADBURY ST. – ONEKAWA
Scientific Service Laboratories
LABORATORY, DUNLOP ROAD,
ONEKAWA.
PHONE: 39 218, NAPIER.
SSL
P. O. Box 301, NAPIER
Private Phone 872
INDUSTRIAL & CONSULTING CHEMISTS
New Zealand Manufacturers of
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
(Spirits of Salts or Muriatic Acid)
We also undertake
Chemical Formulation to Specification
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 69
[Advertisement]
Attractive
Umbrellas
for the rain
and sunshine
A portion of the finishing floor, showing an array of the finished products which will find their way to all the rainy parts of the country.
PEROS QUALITY UMBRELLAS LTD.
71-75 Tennyson Street NAPIER
This new, well lit factory, the home of Peros Umbrellos, employs 65 – odd people – over half of those employed in the trade in New Zealand.
The annual Peros output is 130,000 umbrellas, all made and assembled from 100 per cent imported raw materials.
LEFT: A view of the main workroom – the most modern and mechanized of its kind in New Zealand. It boasts natural lighting and ventilation and indirect heating.
RIGHT: Here some of the men are seen assembling beach umbrellas – attaching the cover to the frame by means of patented, rustless aluminium clips exclusive to the Peros Products. All Beach Canvas is designed by an artist overseas and is woven to our own specifications once again offering you an exclusive cloth both in design and quality.
Page 70
PORT OF NAPIER
Young in years but great in stature
LAST YEAR the growing port of Napier handled 565,500 tons of cargo to make it one of New Zealand’s most important trading centres. Increasing production in the large area of the Hawkes Bay which it serves ensures the future of the port and to keep pace with this development the Napier Harbour Board has planned its own development programme. And this programme is no dream to be carried out in the far distant future. This programme has already begun and should. be in full operation during the next 10-15 years. When completed Napier will have a port that will rank with the major ports of this country.
But the port of Napier has not always been in the strong position it now finds itself. There was a time when there were two ports in Napier, neither of them doing particularly well. And for many years it appeared that this unhappy situation would persist because the harbour board consisted of two pretty evenly matched factions – one in favour of developing the inner harbour and the other in favour of the outer harbour, the breakwater.
Large ships could not use the inner harbour because of the shallow entrance and lighters were used to transfer cargo from ship to shore. The breakwater harbour was not sufficiently developed to take large ships in all weathers.
The harbour board, in 1914, adopted a scheme to develop the inner harbour, but supporters of the breakwater scheme petitioned Parliament and demanded a commission to investigate the situation. The investigation was made and the ensuing report favoured development of the breakwater and the relegation of the inner harbour to a small-craft haven. The board ignored the report, made in 1924, as the majority of the members were inner harbour proponents. A year later elections gave the breakwater faction a small majority but control was later regained by inner harbour supporters. Then, on 3rd February, 1931, nature stepped in and the argument had met a sudden death.
The earthquake raised the floor of the inner harbour by 7 ft. and almost completely blocked the entrance. Wharfs and installations were reduced to rubble. Damage at the breakwater was far less, although the raising of the sea bed meant that Glasgow Wharf was much higher than is normal. Only recently this
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 71
Future developments will allow berths for 21 ships
wharf was demolished to make way for the new Higgins Wharf which was opened in May, 1960.
As Napier recovered from the earthquake and the depression the harbour board set about developing the breakwater in earnest. Even so, until 1939, when Geddis Wharf was opened, most cargo was handled by lighters and weather still played a major part in the running of the port.
Once Geddis Wharf was opened the port began to develop rapidly, helped considerably by increased shipping movements during the war. Napier could no longer be considered a minor port and today it ranks as the New Zealand port with the third largest export trade.
It can be seen, then, that the port of Napier is a relatively new one, having been open in all weather to large ships only since 1939. Being so new it has developed along efficient lines so that its future development does not pose the problems that such plans do in old established ports.
In 1939 the cargo handled was 181,520 tons. Last year this figure had increased to 565,500 tons. By 1965 this tonnage is estimated to reach 650,000 tens by which time the present berthage and cargo handling facilities will have reached their limit. But the Napier Harbour Board
[Continued on page 73]
Photo captions –
This is the important and fast-growing Port of Napier. Last year it handled 560,000 tons of cargo and will have outgrown present berthage by 1965. To meet this the Napier Harbour Board will soon start building a new wharf. A start will soon be made, too, on the ambitious plan to enlarge the port to a total of nine wharfs and a western mole with facilities for oil tankers and general cargo ships. Total berthage will be for 21 overseas ships – the present capacity of the Port of Auckland.
-Whites Aviation picture.
A fishing boat back from the sea tied up at the new Higgins Wharf which replaced another wharf which had been damaged in the 1931 earthquake.
Page 72
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HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 73
Port Development…
is well prepared for this and already has in hand the design work for a new wharf to be ready for operation in 1965. At present there are 4,600 ft. of berthage, comprising six berths all capable of handling overseas ships. There are two well-equipped transit sheds totalling 40,000 sq. ft. and another of 22,000 sq. ft. is being erected this year.
It has always been the wish of successive boards to improve conditions within the harbour, and whilst much valuable work has, and is being done by extending the existing breakwater, the construction of a western mole is essential if the maximum possible shelter for shipping is to be provided. The siting of this mole to enclose a sufficient area of water for future needs has been the subject of exhaustive examination, and a decision has been made to provide space for sufficient wharfs to accommodate the equivalent of 21 overseas vessels.
Before the structure is finally designed, it is proposed to have a scale model constructed, and to carry out investigations with it to determine that the scheme of construction will be satisfactory. The Hydraulics Research Station, Wallingford, England, is to be commissioned to carry out the investigations.
The estimated cost of the proposed wharf and the western mole is £1,400,000, and it is considered that this amount can be financed within the present scale of charges and rates.
When allowance is made for the fact that current loans aggregating £340,000 will be fully repaid by 1964, and that a reserve fund has been established to meet any deficiency which might arise should there be a marked fall in trade in any year, revenue from the estimated trade of 1964, together with the saving in loan charges on the £340,000 referred to above will be sufficient to pay the annual charges of £1,400,000. If all preparatory work can be done in the meantime it will be possible to commence these essential works in 1963.
The new wharf to be started next year in readiness for 1965 will be 800 ft. long and 82 ft. wide with berths dredged to 35 ft. at low water. The cost of this construction job will be £550,000.
[Continued on page 75]
Photo captions –
Row upon row of huge concrete blocks, all bearing the date of casting, wait in readiness to. be placed in the breakwater extension. Each of these huge blocks weighs 28 tons and last year 898 blocks were cast.
Bright new bollards on Higgins Wharf appear to stand guard as rip rap for the breakwater extension is loaded into a barge.
Port Development…
A major construction job carried out year after year by the board is the construction of the breakwater. It is now ¾ mile long and requires a further 400 ft. to complete. The work is done by the board and is a major undertaking by any standards. Huge concrete blocks weighing up to 28 tons are cast in the block yard and then railed along the existing breakwater and placed in position by one of two 30-ton steam cranes which have been in service with the board since 1872.
The blocks are placed on a bed of rip rap and smaller blocks are placed on top of them. Finally the breakwater is capped with a thick layer of concrete as a sealer. It is a slow and tedious job and despite the bulk of the material being handled the builders have to work to very tight tolerances. Last year 898 blocks totalling 17,350 tons were cast, using 1,351½ tons of cement. A further 1176 tons of cement was used for mass concrete (capping).
Dredging of the harbour is another task which requires constant attention and last year the board’s dredge removed 146,950 tons from the sea bed. As the result of drilling and blasting it is now possible to dredge an area off the end of Higgins Wharf. Some drilling and blasting was necessary in the fairway.
The board has also been busy with reclamation work for the erection of giant wool stores and, in conjunction with the city council, has developed about 500 acres of land it owns for industrial and residential sites. The board also runs a very successful farm of sheep and beef cattle.
Without doubt the port of Napier has a particularly good future ahead of it and once that can not help but add to the prosperity of the city and the province. And who knows what might happen if the oil exploration in the area proves fruitful.
This 30-ton steam crane looks old – and certainly is. It has been in constant use since 1872 and apart from normal maintenance it has cost the harbour very little for repairs and replacement of parts.
Another 19th Century steam crane works hard in the block yard lifting the concrete from the batcher to the timber block moulds.
[Continued on page 79]
Page 76
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An interior view…
of part of our new wholesale Merchandise Warehouse at Onekawa
WILLIAMS & KETTLE LTD.
Box 174,
NAPIER
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‘We cover the territory from Woodville to East Cape, and including Taupo’
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 77
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Page 78
[Advertisements]
THE NEW FACTORY RECENTLY OPENED IN NAPIER
WESTON ENGINEERING LTD.
Napier
This Company’s activities in the manufacturing field were initiated by wartime needs – production for mobile war units and military equipment – requiring precision repetition work. These parts were made mainly in steel and brass from bar stock on normal machinery especially adapted for the required purpose.
Post-war activities of the Company led to a continuation as manufacturers of machine components to makers in domestic appliance and industrial spheres. Standard lines of case-hardened square-head setscrews, hexagon head cap screws and heat-treated slotted grubscrews are produced.
The production of machined parts from bar material is the firm’s specialty. In this connection it operates automatic screw machines graduated in size from heavy multi-spindle units to single spindle automatics.
Several of these machines are equipped for slotting screws and, for all of them, additional equipment has been obtained with the object of versatile production. A useful capstan section supplements the automatic plant. Auxiliary machines for drilling, tapping, precision grinding, automatic milling, where such work is called for in secondary operations, have been installed.
A considerable quantity of the output of the plant is heat-treated, for which purpose salt-bath furnace equipment is used. In this section carburising and heat treatment of carbon and alloy steel products are dealt with by skilled operators using adequate control apparatus during the process, and for hardness tests.
Directors: C. L. Weston (Works Manager), M. L. Weston, H. S. Weston, M. I. Prod. E. (Managing Director).
A MULTI-SPINDLE AUTOMATIC MACHINE
IVOR E. CURTIS
BUILDING CONTRACTOR
Holden Street – Onekawa
before… after…
FOR HIGH-CLASS HOME – SHOP and OFFICE FITTINGS and RENOVATIONS. AND GENERAL BUILDING – TOPCLASS TRADESMEN KEPT CONSTANTLY EMPLOYED ON HIGH-CLASS WORK IN THIS DISTRICT.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 79
Port Development…
Cargo Movement at the Port of Napier During 1960-61
INWARDS OUTWARDS
Coastal Tons Overseas Tons Coastal Tons Overseas Tons Total Tons
Beans and Peas 314 5 72 1,042
Cement 22,891 103 – – 22,994
Cereal Products 2,289 – – – 2,289
Chaff, Hay and Straw 155 – – – 155
Coal 7,571 – – – 7,571
Flour 6,820 – – – 6,820
Fruit, Preserved 334 772 1 34 1,141
Fruit Fresh – 300 400 18,960 19,660
Grain 1,033 – – – 1,033
Hides, Skins and Pelts 8 665 4,975 5,648
Honey 70 – 1 – 71
Iron & Steel Pipes, etc. 1,210 16,149 119 – 17,478
Machinery 596 616 108 73 1,393
Manures, Artificial 13,056 137,545 252 672 151,525
Meat, Frozen (Beef, Mutton, Lamb) – – – 52,523 52,523
Meat, Preserved 53 – – – 53
Milk Products (other than Butter and Cheese) 175 – – 150 325
Motor-Spirit, Kerosene 2,022 82,279 – – 84,301
Motor Vehicles, Parts and Tyres 2,053 123 62 4 2,242
Oil, Other Mineral 6,737 34,718 1,849 5,446 48,750
Paper, Newsprint, etc. 518 569 – – 1,087
Potatoes: 1,123 – – – 1,123
Seeds 579 16 8 320 923
Sugar 5,085 – – – 5,085
Tallow – – 868 6,276 7,144
Timber, Hardwoods 704 1,1857 – – 2,561
Timber, Softwoods 555 1,099 – 217 1,871
Wines, Spirits, Ales, Beers 191 579 – 3,723 4,493
Wool 4,309 – 713 49,098 54,120
All Other Goods 16,902 26,810 10,268 5,957 59,937
TOTALS: 97,915 303,849 15,319 148,500 565,583
EXPORTED
298,521 Bales Wool
543,301 Carcasses Mutton 12,315 tons
1,775,233 Carcasses Lamb 25,192 tons
Beef 6,000 tons
Meat Sundries 9,016 tons
52,523 tons meat
Page 80
Hawkes Bay wines have won fine reputation
Next step is the production of
SEMI-SPARKLING WINES
SEMI-SPARKLING WINES are to be produced in Hawkes Bay in 1965. A separate winery for the exclusive production of table wines, including the semi-parkling [sparkling] types, is to be established in Napier. This was announced last month by Mr T. B. McDonald, director in charge of production for the new company, McWilliams Industries Ltd., which resulted from the merger of McDonald’s Wines Ltd., Taradale, and McWilliams Wines Ltd, Napier. Mr McDonald said experiments had been carried out for the past five years with the production of semi-sparkling wines. They had been successful and it was aimed to produce them in Napier by 1965.
He said varieties of grapes new to the Dominion were being planted on 60 acres of land reserved for the purpose in the Haumoana-Tuki Tuki area. These grapes would be used exclusively for table wines and would provide the raw material for the production of the semi-sparkling types.
The company had major expansion programmes ahead, said Mr McDonald. The capacity of the Taradale winery had been doubled in the past two years, and in the next two years it was planned to double the capacity of the Napier winery in Faraday Street.
“When this is done the company’s wineries in Napier and Taradale will have a holding capacity of more than 1 million gal. of wine,” said Mr McDonald. “This year the company will produce one-third of all the wine made in New Zealand.”
The duplicating of the Napier
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 81
winery, he said, involved the building of storage vats for an additional 192,000 gal. A tender had already been accepted for this work, which was now under way.
Mr McDonald said the company now had 300 acres planted in grapes, and the additional 60 acres of special new grapes was to be planted. By 1964 the company would have put down some thousands of gallons of wine from the new grapes. In the following year, 1965, semi-sparkling wines would be produced.
The board of directors consisted of Messrs K. S. McWilliam (chairman), D. R. McWilliam, J. V. Ward and T. B. McDonald (representing McWilliam Wines Ltd.), Messrs H. W. Milner (vice-chairman) and R. A. Barnsdale (representing Ballins Industries Ltd.), and Sir Ernest Davis and Mr B. T. O’Connell representing New Zealand Breweries Ltd. and other shareholders). Mr McDonald is director in charge of production and manages all Hawkes Bay activities, Mr T. Cooper, of Auckland, is secretary and manager in Auckland, and Mr D. Kasza is assistant production manager and wine-maker.
The company’s plans should further enhance Hawkes Bays’ claims as the premier table wine producing centre of New Zealand. This claim might have been disputed before this announcement, particularly by Auckland wine interests. Now, however, planned production of the semi-sparkling wines confirms the regional advantage in climatic conditions, notably in a relatively low rainfall, plus sunshine and frost, which allows the preferred European grape varieties to be grown in Hawkes Bay. With the successful conclusion of growing trials, increased vineyard acreage and processing facilities have been proposed by the major producer in the district, leading to an eventual holding capacity of more than 1 million gal. of wine in Napier and Taradale. Add other Hawkes Bay production to this figure and the quick postwar growth of winemaking in the province is emphasized.
Wine consumption is increasing, to such an extent that the industry’s resources are being strained to satisfy the immediate and prospective demand. A good vintage in Hawkes Bay this season will help to meet the higher consumption requirements arising from a curtailment of imports (to 75 per cent of 1960 licences in the new schedule) and from the cultivation of the wine palate throughout New Zealand.
Licensed restaurants are already
Photo captions –
Row upon row of grape vines stretch across many acres of this big Hawkes Bay vineyard, one of many which produce some of the best wines New Zealand makes.
Long hours of hard work are necessary when grape harvest time arrives. If the crop is not picked at exactly the right time then the wine will not be up to standard.
[Continued on page 83]
Page 82
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Hastings Street Napier Phone 4717
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HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 83
[Continued from page 81]
Hawke’s Bay vineyards could produce half N.Z. production
serving as a public relations platform for the industry, for leisurely dining invites the complementary garnish of good wine. As the palate is cultivated, wines produced from the European grapes grown in Hawkes Bay should win a discriminating favour.
Wine production in Hawkes Bay is equal to about two-fifths of total New Zealand production. With known expansion plans it is probable that regional production will eventually reach about half the New Zealand total. What this means to commerce in the region should be quickly appreciated. It is much more than vineyards and even processing. Transport and other services are involved. There is the “added value” to production.
The seasonal labour problem which is so marked in Hawkes Bay is admittedly reflected here also, but again this is an industry with an assured future and one which is well based on production from the soil in an area which has a natural advantage. That wine-making is also one of New Zealand’s quick growth industries is a further cause for satisfaction that the producers – others as well as the company whose expansion plans are reported today – are alert to the opportunities.
Although the industry is occupied with the immediate demand, the long-term invitation to make brandy in New Zealand could be reconsidered. New Zealand-made gin is being accepted. New Zealand-made brandy will follow at some time. When, depends on the Government. A form of brandy is made as part of the wine-making process, while experiments at Te Kauwhata under the direction of the Department of Agriculture produced what was regarded as a most acceptable brandy.
Wine-makers believe that further trials are needed to establish the proper grape varieties for New Zealand conditions before brandy can be produced with confidence and there appears to be no reason why permission should not be given for experimental production to be undertaken by producers who desire to adventure into this field.
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Page 84
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LAWSON PRODUCTS LTD.
DUNLOP and CARNEGIE STREETS
ONEKAWA
HARVEY, FULTON & HILL
(Established 1918)
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(Chief Agents Sun Insurance Office Ltd.)
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Phone 5482
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RUSSELL STREET…
Phone 86-184
HASTINGS
Manager – Mr W. T. Harvey)
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 85
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Page 86
NAPIER – TAUPO HIGHWAY
LONGER ROUTE BUT…
It saves time and wear
ROAD communication to and from Napier is a major undertaking for the National Roads Board and the Ministry of Works. While the main route south of Napier is quite adequate the routes to the north and north-east are far from satisfactory. The road north, known as the Napier-Taupo Highway, has been recognized for years as probably the worst in the country, considering its importance as a major arterial route. The highway to Gisborne is very rough in places, too.
However, reconstruction and realignment work on both highways is being carried out not as quickly as most people would like but as quickly as the money available will allow. A great deal of attention has been paid to the Napier-Taupo Highway in the last few years and late last year the first stage of the reconstruction of this route was opened to traffic. This stage covered five miles and work is now in progress on the next stage of reconstruction. The job will take several years to complete, but when that day is reached the effect on Napier and particularly on the port will be tremendous.
The Taupo Basin is a relatively untouched tract of land extending over more than 1 million acres rich in native and exotic timber and with great possibilities as farmland. Much of the timber is today left standing because the state of the road makes it uneconomic for felling and transport to Napier. But there is sufficient native and exotic timber in the area to export 100 million log feet each year in perpetuity. With lower freight rates that should follow the improvement of the road it will then be a paying proposition to mill these great forests. It will also make primary production a profitable venture.
Notwithstanding the state of the 47-mile mountain section of the highway where motorists are afraid to look at the scenery lest they drive off the narrow road or smash head-on with other traffic on the sharp bends and where truck drivers have to fight their heavy vehicles the whole journey, the route carries a heavy volume of traffic. There are about 80 trucks operating over this highway carting logs that are easily reached from near the road.
The first stage of the reconstruction programme to be completed was the Turangakuma section. The old road climbed and dipped, bent and curled over and around some of the North Island’s most rugged country. It was a frightening experience for any motorist even in the best conditions.
Now that nightmarish piece of road is a thing of the past. It has been replaced by a new route, slightly longer, but of much easier gradients and with fewer and less tortuous bends. The new section can be traversed much more quickly than the metal track it has replaced and this was made quite plain in a demonstration between two logging trucks – one on the old section and the other one the new.
In the matter of gradients the new section is vastly superior. Grades as steep as 1:6 were common on the old road and it reached to more than 2,600 ft. The steepest grade on the deviation is 1:12 and the average grade is 1:19. The highest point on the deviation is 300 ft. below the old section.
The other two stages of the reconstruction are at either end of the recently-opened deviation. The southern approach will begin at Te Haroto, 46 miles north-west of Napier. It will head in a north-westerly direction towards the renge before diving through an 80 ft. cutting to join the central section. At the northern end the reconstruction will start just north of Double Crossing, the present bridge over the Waione Stream, and will be almost straight and level as it crosses the plateau. It will then cross the Waione Stream via a new bridge and join the central section.
One of the most spectacular features of the Napier – Taupo Highway reconstruction is the construction of a bridge high above the Mohaka River. The bridge is very nearly complete now and only the approaches, quite big earthmoving projects, have to be constructed for the bridge to become operational.
The new Mohaka bridge is 160 ft. above river level. Its length of 710 ft. is divided into three spans of 189 ft., 270 ft. and 189 ft. with two short approach spans of 25 ft. and 35 ft. Two concrete piers, one 130 ft. and the other 75 ft. high support the bridge which is of the suspended span design. The steel frame of the bridge will support a 24 ft. concrete roadway. Concrete piers were selected rather than steel because of the chance that the Mohaka River may one day be used for power generation which would mean the submersion of a substantial part of the piers in water. The Mohaka bridge will eliminate the steep and winding approaches to the old wooden bridge.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 87
The first stage of the reconstruction and realignment of the tortuous Napier-Taupo road has been completed and has already made the burden of the many logging truck operators who use this road somewhat easier to bear. Though the deviation is slightly longer than the five miles of steep, winding road it replaces easy bends and grades make it a much faster route and one that does not sap the energy of drivers. These pictures were taken when the deviation was officially opened. Two trucks, one each on the deviation and old route, showed conclusively how much quicker the deviation is.
Page 88
EXPANSION FOR CITY AIRPORT
Napier’s growth unhindered by land lack
NAPIER’S importance as a major port is undoubted, but its place on the internal airways network is a relatively minor one. The reason for this is that Napier Airport has not been able to provide the facilities necessary to cater for the bigger aircraft that are now beginning to take over many air routes. While other centres are on the Viscount and Friendship services, Napier and therefore the Hawkes Bay is still being served by the slow, outdated DC3s.
But Napier is not sitting back and allowing the situation to continue. Already surveyors have been at work marking out the site for a sealed runway, work on which should start soon. It is hoped that the runway will be ready for operation early next year or sooner.
The runway initially will be 4,500 ft. long and allowances will be made for future extensions to 5,600 ft. Also planned is an unsealed cross runway. In the plan, too, is the provision of modern navigation aids.
There are 500 acres of land on the area set aside for the airport site and some of this will be available at a later date for industrial use.
Once the runway is opened and Napier is included on the Friendship services there will be a noticeable increase in traffic. Napier and Hastings together have a large population that will be quick to make use of the improved service which will also play a big part in attracting visitors and tourists to the area. There could also be a big demand for air freight services so that growers and packers can get their produce to markets such as Auckland quickly enough to take advantage of the generally higher prices ruling there.
OVER the past 10 years the expansion of Napier has been very rapid both in the residential and industrial sense. This has been possible because the Napier City Council has been in the position to supply the prime essential to all development, namely fully serviced land. To arrive at a balanced development it is necessary to provide sites for industry and residential sites for the workers therein. To this end the council has developed some 220 acres for industry and of this all except about 65 acres has been purchased for industrial use. Any area of land can be purchased by persons concerned in setting up industries, and if large areas are required subdivisions to particular requirements can be arranged.
Recently a block of 10 acres was sold to a firm which in the near future intends to extend its activities in the electrical home appliances field, and another block of six acres has been made available for the erection of a licensed hotel.
In the residential field the council has for many years unsuccessfully tried to cope with the demand for building sites but just recently with the release of some 150 sections the demand has been temporarily satisfied. All land development is done by agreement between the Napier City Council and the Napier Harbour Board, and negotiations are in train for the development of another 400 acres of residential land. The first 100 sites from this area will be available to the public in April, and from then on the council hopes that sections at prices ranging from £550 to £750 will always be available for sale over the counter. In addition the Housing Department of the Ministry of Works is erecting State houses and making sections available for group building.
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FLOORING
ALUMINIUM SHEETING
CERTIFIED CONCRETE
“GOLDEN BAY” CEMENT
GIBRALTAR BOARD
INSULATION CENTRAL HEATING
STRUCTURAL & REINFORCING STEEL
Associated with practically every major construction project in Napier, Hastings and district
Winstone’s
BUILDING SUPPLIES AND SERVICES
NAPIER, WELLINGTON, LOWER HUTT, PORIRUA, PALMERSTON NORTH, WANGANUI, NEW PLYMOUTH, BLENHEIM and throughout Auckland Province and South Island.
Page 90
AFTER 87 YEARS, A NEW STATION FOR NAPIER
IN THE last decade the Railways Department, as part of its overall modernization programme, has brought into use some 30 new station buildings and road services terminals or depots. Attractive in design and colouring, these modern structures range from country depots and important stations at main centres, such as New Plymouth and Rotorua, to the £1 million station opened at Christchurch in November, 1960.
In Hawkes Bay the station building programme resulted in the completion of a new station at Napier in 1961 and the letting of a contract for the construction of another new station at Hastings at the end of the same year.
The old Napier station which has been replaced was built in 1874, when the railway between Napier and Hastings was first opened. Enlarged in 1897 and 1907, it served the growing town of Napier well, but by the 1950’s it had become outdated and inadequate. The first step in its replacement took place in 1956, when a two-storey reinforced concrete office block was constructed at the city end of the station proper.
In December, 1959, the then Minister of Railways, Mr M. Moohan, announced Cabinet approval for the erection of a complete new station to be linked with the new office block. A contract for the construction of the new building was let in May, 1960, to the Napier and Lower Hutt firm of W. M. Angus Ltd. and preparatory work was put into operation almost immediately.
The structure was to be single-storeyed, with a length of 155 ft. and a width of 30 ft. at its widest part. Although 87 ft. shorter than the old building its greater width provided an increased floor area.
Reinforced concrete was used for the station floor, outer walls and some of the cross walls, with timber framing for the roofs, and platform verandah and the interior partitions.
Photo caption – The days of gloomy, soot-covered railway stations are becoming a thing of the past and Napier is fortunate in being one of the first centres to be graced with a modern structure. The picture shows the welcoming entrance to the station recently completed.
– N.Z.R. publicity picture.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 91
The verandah was supported by steel cantilevers.
Other materials used in the building were hardboard, fibrous plaster. acoustic tiles and fibreglass. Vinyl plastic and wood blocks were utilized for floor surfacing within the building. The exterior street frontage was given an attractive, modern finish, with glazed clay slabs applied to the section surrounding the public entrance which is protected by a verandah.
As with all of the new-style station buildings designed by the Railways Department’s architects, the extensive use of glass and modern colouring was incorporated in the design and decoration of the new structure.
The replacement of the station was carried out in three stages. The first stage involved the removal of the old building near the new office block and the construction of the main portion of the new station. This portion comprised the station- master’s office, the booking and parcels offices, the ladies’ waiting room and the public lobby, the greatest space being devoted to the luggage and parcels rooms. Also included in the first stage was the construction of a separate building consisting of a lamp room, relay room and a mechanician’s workshop.
In the second stage a foreman’s office and signals and other offices were erected, together with a new refreshment room with a kitchen and other associated facilities. The final stage involved the demolition of the old refreshment rooms block.
By June, 1960, the main building had begun to take shape, with girders and steel reinforcing arising from the foundations. By November the shell of the building had been largely completed, with the front verandah already in position.
The booking office and parcels office were completed and brought into use in March, 1961. Favourable comment was made on the station exterior, with its colours of white and pastel blue and red, and on the attractive entrance and booking office lobby with their highly polished parquet floors of selected New Zealand woods, knotted pine walls and plastic acoustic tile ceilings.
Describing the new station facilities, the local newspaper remarked that the new building had brought a new standard of railway station design to Hawkes Bay.
With the opening of the main station block, work commenced on the extension containing refreshment services and other rooms in the second stage of construction. Designed for quick and efficient service, the spacious new refreshment rooms and bookstall were provided with a counter 45 ft. in length.
– N.Z.R. publicity picture
Staff as well as passengers have been considered in the replacement of the old Napier railway station and this picture shows the administration block of two storeys, built shortly before the new station.
Page 92
[Advertisement]
Over 100 years of progress
Holt’s
help you build
better… faster
Holts can help you with every building need from timber to hardboard tools to hardware. It’s a complete service in every way a friendly service.
A visit to any Holt branch will convince you that Holts dedicated purpose is to serve you better. You choose from this huge range of products –
TIMBER
POSTS AND BATTENS
WOOD LAMINATION
HARDWARE
PAINT
DOORS
GLASS
WALLPAPER
PLUMBING SUPPLIES
CEMENT
PIPES
BRICKS
ROBERT HOLT & SONS LTD.
NAPIER HASTINGS WAIPUKURAU
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 93
TIMBER FIRM LOOKS BACK ON 103 YEARS
ONE HUNDRED years in business – few companies in New Zealand can claim such a proud record, but Robert Holt & Sons Limited joined the select few in its centennial year, 1959. The management of the company has remained in the hands of the Holt family since it was founded in 1859, only a few months after Hawkes Bay became a province. Mr Harold R. Holt, the present managing director, and one of the leaders in New Zealand’s timber industry is the grandson of the founder of the business, the late Mr Robert Holt.
All great industries have great stories to tell and the histories of most of our pioneer timber concerns are packed with tales of adventure, hardships, setback, and disappointments. Robert Holt, the founder, was born in Lancashire, where he served his apprenticeship as a millwright installing the steam and water mills connected with the great cotton industry. The year 1859 found him working at his trade in Oldham, Lancashire, with England in the depth of a trade recession. To a young man with ambition and ability such conditions were depressing, and no doubt it was this that influenced Robert Holt’s decision to emigrate to New Zealand. His name appears in the passenger list of the “William Watson” a barque of only 480 tons. Romance it seems must inevitably be associated with long sea voyages and appearing in the same passenger list is the name of Miss Marshall, who was later to become Mrs Robert Holt.
This young man, still in his early 20’s, chose Napier for his venture in a new land. His first place of business was in Emerson Street on the site now occupied by Blythes Limited. It is on record that he purchased this land up to the present A. & N.Z. Bank corner for £100, later recovering the £100 by disposing of the corner section to the bank for that amount. The rate of progress of Napier and the province was slow in comparison with present days, but as Napier grew Robert Holt’s business grew with it and a little later Robert Holt’s steam sawmill opened in Hastings Street on land opposite that now occupied by the Albion Hotel. This was the first plant of its kind in Hawkes Bay. Where there are now sealed streets lined with modern buildings it was a common sight in those far off days to see horse and bullock teams dragging logs over the rough roads.
A few years later a second steam sawmill was established at Port Ahuriri, where quantities of kauri were landed through the port and a large volume of timber, joinery and other building materials was shipped north to Wairoa. With the coming of the railway in 1886 a site was purchased in Thackeray Street adjacent to the railway station. This site still remains today as the administrative headquarters of the company and covers an area of two acres.
Robert Holt’s first country sawmill was established at Piri Piri near Dannevirke, also in 1886. Further progress was made in 1897 when Robert Holt purchased the business of Knight Brothers at Hastings and established a branch there under the management of his eldest son, John Holt. By this time Robert Holt’s sons, John, James and Robert were taking an active part in the direction of the business and were responsible for the establishment of a further sawmill at Keruru [Kereru] in 1908.
When the death of Robert Holt occurred in 1909 his sons John and Robert became joint managing directors and the business was to remain under their direction for the next 40 years. The company continued to expand steadily during this period but it was not without its anxieties and misfortunes with two world wars and the disastrous earthquake which struck Hawkes Bay on the morning of 3rd February, 1931. Fire also took its toll as it has done with most timber concerns. In 1922 the Napier premises were burned to the ground and in 1928 the Hastings establishment suffered a similar fate. Where old buildings had stood modern premises were quickly erected in their place. Sawmills were established at Puketiritiri [Puketitiri] (1911), Horopito (1917), and Ohurakura (1923). The mill at Ohurakura has been producing for 35 years but is nearing the end of its life. The company holds extensive areas of indigenous forest about 65 miles north of Napier on the Taupo road and logging will shortly commence on the blocks but will be milled at the Ohurakura and Napier mills. The first drying kilns were established in Napier in 1939 and these became an important factor during the Second World War, when seasoned timber was urgently required for Government contracts both in New Zealand and the South Pacific.
The death of Mr John Holt occurred in 1944 and Mr Robert Holt continued on as managing director until his death early in 1949. At this time wartime restrictions were being lifted, the demand for housing was multiplying and Hawkes Bay was going ahead in leaps and bounds. Mr Harold Holt was appointed managing director on his father’s death and after 20 years as his father’s chief lieutenant was ready to take up the challenge. He was not unfamiliar with modern trends in the industry as earlier in his career he had spent some time working in the industry on the Pacific Coast of Canada and U.S.A. He had seen some years before the inevitable shortage in indigenous timbers and with the assured future of radiata pine in mind, had set about establishing the company’s own exotic forests on the Ohurakura property.
Shortly after the last war a small sawmill engaged exclusively on cutting radiata pine was established on the outskirts of Napier, but Mr Harold Holt realized this would be inadequate to cope with the growing demand. As land became available in Napier’s new industrial area, part of the huge acreage thrown up in the 1931 earthquake, an area of nine acres was purchased which has since been increased to 30 acres with the addition of adjoining blocks.
It was decided to concentrate the whole of the company’s town milling and processing activities in this locality. Mr Holt made an extended visit to the United
[Continued on page 95]
Page 94
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HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 95
[Continued from page 93]
Kingdom, Canada and U.S.A. in 1952 and on his return planned and had erected on the new area a modern radiata pine mill with a capacity of 20,000 super feet per day. In the preservation sphere Robert Holt & Sons Limited were one of the earliest in the field with the installation of a small Tanalith plant in 1951. A large unit was installed in 1955 and both plants are today working to full capacity with one engaged entirely on the production of fencing material.
New kilns were bought into operation in 1957 and a further sawmill to cut indigenous timber and custom logs was producing by early 1958. This block has undergone a remarkable transformation in the space of a few short years. Where sheep and cattle were grazing as late as 1952 has appeared one of the most up-to-date timber establishments in New Zealand with endless activity in the shape of logging and timber trucks, straddles, forklifts and other vehicles connected with the industry. Other departments of the business have shared in the great progress the company has made over the last 10 years and modern offices, hardware and paint shops have been erected in the twin cities of Napier and Hastings.
“Everything for Building’ has for long been the company’s slogan and with timber, joinery, hardware, paint and glass departments it can cater for almost every need.
Mr Harold Holt is always ready to pay a tribute to the loyalty and service of the staff, which over the years has played such a great part in building this vast organization. The company has always been renowned for its large numbers of long service employees and many of its present staff of approximately 250 have over 40 and 50 years’ service. A generous superannuation scheme was instituted in 1951.
On 1st January, 1959, the old established timber. and hardware business of John Winlove & Sons Limited at Waipukurau was purchased, thus giving the company a coverage over Central Hawkes Bay.
Following the centenary of the company in 1959 steps were taken to form it into a public company and this was done early in 1961. The first public issue of 400,000 5s. shares was made in June, 1961, and closed heavily over-subscribed immediately after opening. Although 1961 would have been a momentous year with the change to public company status it made it even more so by several mergers with other companies in Hawkes Bay and Poverty Bay.
The first merger was with the Tawa Timber Co. Limited in July, and this was followed by the signing in August of a marketing arrangement with the Fletcher group of companies whereby they withdrew from retail activities in Hawkes Bay in favour of Robert Holt & Sons Limited. In October the Gisborne companies of C. Aicken and Son Limited and Williams and Pedersen Limited merged their interests with the company and Pittar, Shortt and Barker Limited, of Wairoa, also joined the group. Finally December saw the addition of the Box Company Limited, Gisborne. The amalgamation made by the company over the latter half of 1961 placed it among the top timber and building supply concerns in New Zealand and it is anticipated that with the combined resources now available its continued progress is assured.
[Advertisement]
A. STAFFORD
REGD. BUILDER
and CONTRACTOR
ALTERATIONS
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ALL CLASSES OF JOINERY
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90 GUPPY ROAD
GREENMEADOWS
PHONES: Office and Workshop 7086
Residence 8708 Taradale
Workshop: 7 Gloucester Street.
Page 96
[Advertisements]
FROM FOUNDATIONS TO ROOFS – INSIDE AND OUT
HAWKES BAY BRINGS YOU THE
PAINT
SPECIALISTS IN…
SEMI-GLASS TUNG OIL
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PHONE 7747. 178 HYDERABAD ROAD
SPECIALISTS in GLASSWORK
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PIRIE & NICHOL LTD.
GLOUCESTER ST. – GREENMEADOWS
Phone 7111, Taradale
GLASS & GLAZING
Plain, Fancy & Plate
Sliding glass panels & Doors
Shop Frontages & Show Cases
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 97
[Advertisement]
HIGH QUALITY INTERIOR JOINERY by
R.G. & C. Alexander
We are Registered Master Builders, and will design, estimate and complete the whole job. Our activities cover the whole range of Building activities, quality workmanship at competitive prices. We are members of Associated Building Contractors, Napier and Hastings, whose aim and object is to compete on the low cost housing market building “Sunshine Homes”. Plans are available at our office with housing sections on hand, making for a speedy end to the young couple’s housing problem.
School Joinery – We specialize in this type of wall frame joinery some 26 school rooms having been completely joinered by us.
The interior of St. Columbas Church, Westshore. Both church and interior |joinery was carried out by our firm.
BUILDING – Recent jobs: 3 pumping stations for Napier City Council, St. Columbas Church, Trellinoe Station Homestead, Group Housing, Private Housing, McLean Park Temporary Grandstands.
JOINERY – School Joinery for some 26 classrooms, shop fittings, private housing joinery, stock cupboard units, for our own and for other builders’ contracts.
A modern Home designed and built by us nearing completion.
R. G. & C. ALEXANDER LTD.
Registered Building and Joinery Contractors
ESTIMATES FREE WORKMANSHIP GUARANTEED
PHONE 39-626 NAPIER
Page 98
[Advertisement]
PROTECTION for industry
from
the weather
TARPAULINS
by Foster’s
the Tarpaulin Specialists
Here, at Forster’s, in the largest Canvas Factory in Hawke’s Bay, we make a specialty of Tarpaulins for every possible purpose in Industry, on the Farm, for Builders, for Contractors, for Transport and miscellaneous protection. Whatever your needs, we can meet them. We send all over New Zealand. Prompt Repair Service, too.
CONTRACTORS – TRANSPORT OPERATORS – FARM and EARTH-MOVING MACHINERY – STACK COVERS BUILDERS for Timber Protection – TRAILERS etc.
Trade Enquiries Welcomed
CARPENTER’S CANVASWARE
Aprons
Tool Kits
Saw Bags
also the renowned
Shipmate
FEATHER-LIGHT LIFE JACKETS
FOSTER’S
1 Carlyle St. NAPIER. P.O. Box 528.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 99
A corner of the workroom at Foster’s Ship Chandlery Ltd. where 17 women are kept busy manufacturing life jackets for sale and use throughout New Zealand. These jackets save the lives of many people every year.
Makers of a “better mousetrap”
EVERY now and again in the business world someone produces a better mousetrap, and you can see the path beaten to their door. Fosters Ship Chandlery Ltd., of Napier, have built that mousetrap, in the form of a better life jacket, and the beaten path is evidenced in the 2000 per cent increase in sales of their jackets in six years. The firm, starting in business as a retail shop in 1951, has grown to one of the major ship supply businesses in the country, and much of their reputation comes from the life jackets which are one of their stocks-in-trade.
In many ways, the jackets, made from polystryrene [polystyrene] filling in plasticized or sanforized cotton outer coverings, are well above overseas standards, and managing director, R. V. Foster, says that the demand is increasing rapidly as more people realize “safety is not cissy”. The present jackets have been developed after exhaustive tests and research, with practical trials being the criterion.
The price? Highly competitive, with the added attractions that they represent in addition to a sure means of saving life, a wind and waterproof coat.
Fosters first introduced the children’s and tiny tots’ trade into the life jacket world in New Zealand and they modestly claim that their styles compare favourably with any. Style in the life jacket world means a compromise with safety, so Fosters have preferred safety first, with style second, but never lost sight of in the rush to sell thousands a year. Production, Mr Foster says, is limited only by the availability of materials.
Work on the jackets keeps 17 women busy for most of the year, producing the patterns, from deluxe to yachtmen’s, from Board of Trade specification to tiny tots, that have made their name a byword in the sea-going world. The Royal New Zealand Navy has recognized their worth, and the Government has equipped the new Stewart Island ferry with Fosters life jackets. The firm sells its jackets with the knowledge that they are selling 100 per cent reserve buoyancy, a claim that means simply that one of their jackets is capable of saving two lives at once.
Production manager Bill Young, responsible for research, design and production, keeps abreast of all overseas ideas, while Mr Foster himself watches for pattern changes, to keep up with the changing choice of the public. Colour, always a factor in buying choice, is limited by the small range of shades necessary for rescue work in choppy seas, but within the range the firm prides itself on its use of those colours. “Safety first” may not be the firm’s slogan, but it is their guarantee.
From Massive Woolstore…
These two pictures help to show the diversity of the building skill of Watters and Jackson Ltd. from the purely functional woolstore of H.B. Farmers’ Co-op., one of the largest in New Zealand, to the eye-appealing, customer-pleasing toy shop where fancy, though practical, joinery is of prime importance in these days when the customer takes just as much notice of the shop as the products being sold.
…To Bright, New Toy shop
Page 102
Product of 2,000 uses
Napier factory uses 10,000 miles of wire annually
THERE are over 2,000 uses for wire – and among the first users were the Pharoahs who produced beaten gold and silver wire. Since that time wire production has taken many steps forward. French monks of the 17th Century created the basis for modern wire drawing, being the first to make and use wire drawing dies. Wire, of course, has many applications and takes many forms, some being model railway tracks, spectacle frame hinges, and electric meter cogs. One Napier firm works wonders with wire and from the busy factory of Eclipse Wire (Hawkes Bay) Ltd. go out a tremendous variety of wire products.
Home-makers, farmers, industries and public organisations enclose or subdivide their properties with the various special types of fence produced by Eclipse. The protective netting on the Auckland Harbour Bridge was made by Eclipse, as were the boundary fences for the Ohakea R.N.Z.A.F. station and the military camps at Linton, Waiouru and Trentham. The groyne netting which strengthens river control works all over the North Island has been supplied by Eclipse.
Eclipse netting fences surround countless tennis courts, the swimming baths at Woodford House, and the Ford compounds at Gracefield, and its netting is also used as the material for lion cages at Auckland Zoo and the birdcages at many racecourses. In this compact manufacturing unit machines are busy creating finished products from simple coils of wire – at such a rate that 10,000 miles of wire is used in the factory every year.
Chain netting – it is produced in both galvanised and plastic covered form – is made by machines which automatically twist the wire in any continuous width up to 10 ft. 6 in., spin to appropriate length, loop the ends, the (then) finally roll the strip of netting as it is made. Here too, prodigious speed in output is achieved creating a better service for the ever increasing public demand.
[Advertisement]
Eclipse
Look for the sign of quality – insist on Eclipse Wire Products for
INDUSTRIAL FENCING
FARM FENCING
CHAIN MESH NETTING
RESIDENTIAL FENCING
GATES
BARBED WIRE and SPECIALISED PIPEWORK
ALL CLASSES OF WIREWORK
Remember the name…
Eclipse
ECLIPSE WIRE (H.B.) LTD., P.O. BOX 498, NAPIER. Ph. 38-125.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 103
A speciality of the firm is woven farm fencing of the type used extensively overseas, and this is rapidly gaining favour with New Zealand farmers. This rectangular mesh fencing has many advantages over conventional post – and – wire fencing. It is available in various gradations of mesh size for special purposes such as pig fencing. It has the advantage that stock cannot damage the fence by putting their heads through it. And it is very economical in construction – cutting labour costs by the elimination of battens, and requiring only a single strain for each length of fence. Costs for this type of fence are estimated at 480 pounds per mile, as against more than 800 pounds for the traditional post – and – wire fence. Sales of the fabricated fencing have doubled in the past three years.
Eclipse heavy duty screens, made of specially tempered crimped wire, are used for sifting metal and sand for road work and the construction industry. Manual work is combined with mechanical operations in the production of the heavy sifting screens. These are made on similar principles to those used in weaving textiles, and the purpose for which the screens are designed calls for great accuracy in the mesh aperture produced.
The transition from mechanisation to the manual skill of the craftsman is completed when one walks into the handwork department of the factory, where an immense variety of fabricated articles from garden sieves to ornamental wire furniture are made. Crimpers and welding units are almost the only mechanical aids employed in this department – the rest of the work being all done by human hands.
Guarding of moving machinery is today one of the prime safety factors in manufacturing. Many workshops, small and large, still have the problem of properly guarding a belt drive or gears. Eclipse have had many years’ experience in the making of guards to fit every type of machine. Specialised work, machine guards are tailor-made to fit the job and requires skilled workers. Every guard is made to Government specifications and are approved by Labour Department inspectors. In the wire work department machine guards are designed and constructed to correct safety regulations, and in many cases fitted to the job by an Eclipse wireworker.
Photo captions –
Coils of chain mesh netting ready for despatch are stacked in the foreground while an operator works at the machine which ’weaves’ miles of this fencing material each year.
Wire from four coils is drawn into the barb wire making machine in the Napier factory of Eclipse Wire (Hawkes Bay) Ltd. The finished product can be seen middle right.
Page 106
[Advertisement]
Interior and exterior of the new St. John’s Cathedral – a new landmark in Napier.
NAPIER CATHEDRAL built by
A. B DAVIS & SONS LTD.
P.O BOX 251 – PHONE 8061 – NAPIER
For all building construction work it will pay you to consult us first, we have served the HAWKES BAY DISTRICT since 1908.
BUILDING CONTRACTORS
JOINERY MANUFACTURERS
BRICKLAYING and DRAINLAYING
PLASTERING
REGISTERED MASTER BUILDERS
The beautiful ceiling of the cathedral is the work of…
LITEWALL FIBROUS PLASTER COMPANY
We will manufacture all kinds of fibrous plaster work and fix anywhere in Hawke’s Bay.
Obtain our quotation for your next job.
Factory: NORTH STREET
Phone 38-659
Office: 33 Wellesley Road,
Phone 8061.
HAWKES BAY CONSTRUCTS 107
[Advertisement]
PAGE PLATING ARE EXPERTS
THAT’S WHY THEY RECEIVE ORDERS FROM ALL OVER THE HAWKES BAY AND EVEN FARTHER AFIELD.
If your problem is just a re-chrome job on a car bumper or a big job lot for a manufacturing process, call PAGE PLATING and see how they can help you.
PAGE PLATING HAVE THE ONLY PLATING SERVICE IN HAWKES BAY AND IT IS FOUNDED OR SKILL AND FIRST CLASS QUALITY.
PAGE PLATING CO. LIMITED
DUNLOP ROAD, ONEKAWA. Phone 39-628. P.O. Box 291.
Fine Record by Napier Paint firm
THE N.Z. Paint and Varnish Co. Ltd., was founded in 1937. In a portion of a garage with lock-up sheds attached, situated in Shelley Street, Napier, and conveniently close to the fire station, the manufacture of paint and varnish was undertaken. Some time later, the whole building was taken over as a result of the introduction of new lines and increased sales. Steadily, the original two-man business prospered, until in 1950 the company embarked upon a campaign to cater for future expansion and development. Land was purchased at Awatoto, an area set aside for heavy industry. By 1957 the changeover had been effected. The new factory, planned for efficient production, combined a raw material store, mill room and finished goods store, all under a steel framed construction. Laboratories, offices and service departments completed the unit. A modern oil-burning varnish plant and dangerous good store were erected separate from the main building to minimise fire hazards.
The company maintains a very high standard of production, concentrating on accuracy to the finest detail. An experienced chemist qualified in all aspects of the paint industry controls this activity. Raw materials are subjected to stringent tests, as are all finished lines. New processes are examined and analysed continuously, and the company is able to offer tested and proven materials to the general public, to house-owners, to builders, painters and industry.
[Advertisements]
Manufacturers of all types of hats, caps, millinery, children’s hats and beach hats.
Harris HATS Ltd.
Vautier and Station Streets
P.O. Box 230, NAPIER.
REPRESENTATIVES: –
AUCKLAND – DOBSON AND WADE, 64A Strand Arcade, Phone 30-837
WELLINGTON – CONSTABLE AGENCIES LTD., Evening Post Chambers, Phone 43-329.
CHRISTCHURCH – R. BULLEN, 88 Lichfield St., Phone 36-824
GISBORNE – W.D. MORLEY, 46 Peel Str., Phone 2701
INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER –
TRUCKS, FARM TRACTORS
& EQUIPMENT
SALES AND SERVICE
E. F. Nattrass & Co. Ltd.
LICENCED MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERS
Phone 39-106 (3 lines) NAPIER
Page 110
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS…(Napier Section)
Alexander, R.G. & C. Ltd 97
Angus, W.M. Ltd IFC
Atherfold, W.L. Ltd. 74
Begleys Industries Ltd. 66
Cotswold Cement Products Ltd. 108
Curtis, Ivor E. 78
Eclipse Wire (Hawkes Bay) Ltd. 102
Foster’s Ship Chandlery Ltd. 98
Harvey, Fulton & Hill 84
Harris Hats Ltd. 109
Holt, Robert & Sons Ltd. 92
Hyde, G.T. Ltd. 88
Lawson Products Ltd. 84
’Litewall’ Fibrous Plaster Co. 106
McAuslin, Norman Ltd. 82
Martin Printing Co. Ltd. 83
Napier Quarries Ltd. 72
Nattrass, E.F. & Co. Ltd. 109
Norrie Joinery Co. Ltd. 68
N.Z. Paint & Varnish Co. Ltd. BC
N.Z. Umbrella Manufacturing Co. Ltd. IBC
Page Plating Co. Ltd. 107
Paint Products Ltd. 96
Peros Quality Umbrellas Ltd. 69
Pirie & Nichol Ltd. 96
Premier Woodwool Co. (1957) Ltd. 85
Scientific Service Laboratories 68
Stafford, A. 95
Stitson Joinery Ltd. 105
Supreme Soap Ltd. 94
Thomson, C.S. & Co. Ltd. 104
Watters & Jackson Ltd. 100
Weldwell (N.Z.) Ltd. 77
Weston Engineering Ltd. 78
Williams & Kettle Ltd. 76
Winstone Ltd. 89
Last Look Round…
Situated between Napier and Hastings are these large freezing works, known by the name of the settlement which has grown around them – Whakatu. From these works some of the finest mutton, lamb and beef of the Hawkes Bay is sent through the thriving Port of Napier to various overseas markets.
– Whites Aviation picture.
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WITH HIGHEST QUALITY UMBRELLAS FROM
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From Playtime to Cocktail time the
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Box 205 – NAPIER
[Advertisement]
Progress leaves a calling card…
VICTOR PAINT
N.Z. PAINT & VARNISH Co. Ltd., AWATOTO, NAPIER
Manufacturers of products formulated to meet the growing needs of Hawkes Bay in: –
BUILDING BUILDING
COMMERCE COMMERCE
BUILDING BUILDING
PAINTS ENAMELS ADHESIVES
and
SPECIALISED SURFACE COATINGS
in fact
ANYTHING THAT ENHANCES OR PROTECTS.
PROGRESS IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT PRODUCT
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PoppelwellMD877_HBConstructs1962.pdf
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Description
Supplement to the April issue of Contracting and Construction
Surnames in this book –
Alexander, Angus, Atherfold, Baldwin, Barnsdale, Begley, Bridgeman, Buchanan, Campbell, Christian, Cooper, Curtis, Davis, Fraser, Fuller, Grant, Gurnsey, Harvey, Harvey, Henderson, Holder, Holt, Holt, Holt, Holt, Holt, Hulena, Hyde, Jackson, Kasza, Lett, Lynn, Marshall, McAuslin, McDonald, McLean, McWilliam, Miller, Milner, Moohan, Morgan, Morrison, Nelson, O’Connell, O’Connor, Olsen, Oulaghan, Percy, Renshaw, Seton, Sparks, Stafford, Stitson, Symes, Thomson, van Asch, Ward, Watters, Weston, Williams, Wilson, Winlove, Wrightson, Young
Format of the original
Book paperbackDate published
April 1962Accession number
622145Supporters and sponsors
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