THE TRIALS, tribulations and success of flourmilling in South Canterbury are synonymous with the history of the province itself. In the early days mills were scattered around the district. Now the industry is concentrated to five old-established, but highly mechanised units. Water and windmills have long been replaced by electricallydriven machinery and equipment—among the most moadern in New Zealand.
Wheat grown in South Canterbury for the 1963-64 season totalled 40,000 acres—approximately one-fifth of the national yield.
The Agriculture Department’s post-harvest survey places production at 2.04 million bushels.
This is big business.
At 14s a bushel (allowing for storage and Hilgendorf) something like £1l4million is the pay-out to South Canterbury growers.
Today’s five mills are geared to cope with the complex demands of discerning buyers and ever-changing marketing trends.
The three Timaru mills, Evans and Company Limited, the Timaru Milling Company Limited, and J. R. Bruce Limited, are among the largest in the Dominion.
The two country mills are the Temuka Milling Company Limited, and Harrison’s Flour Mill at Winchester.
Last year South Canterbury mills purchased 1,730,000 bushels.
Taking this figure as the quantity used by mills, and deducting it from the current season’s estimate, it is found that the remaining 310,000 bushels are used locally for feed and seed.
The total production of flour, bran and pollard produced by South Canterbury mills for the year ended January 31, 1964, is as follows: Flour, 37,259 short tons; bran, 5241 short tons; pollard, 5928 short tons.
These figures may be broken down to show the quantities supplied locally and the volume shipped through the Port of Timaru—in short tons:
Flour Bran Pollard Local trade oon, an 4116 2132 2132 Shipping trade... ou. 33,143 3089 3776
TORAIS osc eette tee 37,299 5241 5928
ROLLER FLOOR IN FLOUR MILL
Effectively this means that the value of the five mills’ production is £521,626 (flour), £89,097 (bran) and £100,776 (pollard),
Of the 40,000 acres of wheat estimated for the 1963-64 season, about 6000 acres were Hilgendortf.
Yields of the three main varieties in South Canterbury for the season, as estimated by the Department of Agriculture, were as follows:
Aotea, 52.6 bushels per acre; Arawa, 52.4 bushels per acre; Hilgendorf, 45 bushels per acre; all varieties, 51.1 bushels per acre.
There have been tremendous changes in harvesting methods.
Portable mills once travelled around the farms for reaping, stooking and threshing.
Today the industry is highly scientific and mechanised, output being boosted by auto headers, etc.
Harvesting used to spread over several months. Now a complete harvest is handled in two months.
Another interesting facet is the sharp increase in bulk handling, resulting in big savings to the farmer. This has been made possible by the operation in mills of expensive plant and equipment, such as silo storage, bulk tipping and handling machinery. Heavy capital outlay is involved.
The industry’s success requires the fullest co-operation and goodwill among farmers, transport operators, the Railways Department, shipping interests, retail and wholesale distributors, and the millers.
South Canterbury was once largely “a wheat field”, and grain was exported to England, Australia and even to South Africa.
The first mills were at Milford and Opihi. Stubbs and King notified in April, 1865, that they were prepared to supply flour, bran and sharps from the mill of John Hayhurst, Temuka. The mill was shifted from Milford to the Waihi River, south of Winchester, in 1886. It was demolished only a few years ago.
On June 10, 1865, Parr Brothers advertised flour for sale at Opihi. Hayhurst’s and Parr’s mills were driven by water-wheels. The first steam mill was a combined flour and timber plant opened in Sophia Street, Timaru, in 1868, by G. Cliff.
Three years later the Wood Brothers built a mill at Winchester. It was sold to Daniel Inwood in 1873, later becoming known as Harrison’s Flour Mill. It was converted to steam (later electricity), and has flourished ever since.
George Buchanan had a water mill on the Waihao in the ‘sixties, and G. Cliff (Timaru) and McKenzie and McKissock (Geraldine) combined gristing with sawmilling.
An historic windmill was erected by the Parrs in the early ‘seventies at the corner of Elizabeth and Theodosia Streets. It was the only one of its kind in South Canterbury and the second in the South Island. Standing about 70 feet high it was a landmark visible for miles.
The sails and gearing weighed several tons. There were no giant mobile cranes, so it must have been an engineering feat to hoist them into position.
The Belford Mill was opened in Timaru in July, 1875. Another was owned by J. G. Allen, and later by his son Richard Allen. The Belford was converted from stones to rollers about 1883 and was bought a few years later by John Jackson. |
After the Waimate Bush fire of 1878, James Bruce, a sawmiller, came to Timaru and established the Waitangi mills, which ground flour and sawed timber. This was also burned out, and Bruce then went overseas and purchased roller-milling equipment which was installed in what was known as the Big mill or Bruce’s. It was opened in 1882. On the death of J. Mendelson (Temuka), a partner, it was taken over by the Timaru Milling Company.
Bruce tried again and floated a company which erected a tall building to manufacture oatmeal. This had hardly reached production stage when it went up in flames in a snowstorm. Bruces Mill was twice gutted by fire—in the 1920’s and in 1941.
William Evans organised the Atlas Milling Company in 1888, and it has been one of the biggest producers of flour in the country. A few years ago it also experienced a fire in its main store.
The last mill built in Timaru, also known as Bruce’s, was promoted by James Bruce (a nephew of the first miller by that name). This mill, for some years a successful manufacturer of biscuits, was also seriously damaged by fire.
The Empire mill at Waimate, opened by R. Nicol about 1890, was unique in construction. It was remodelled a few years later and was worked on what was known as the gyrator sifter model. Popularly known as the “Silo”, it is painted white and can be seen for miles around.
The principal South Canterbury mill now producing outside Timaru is located at Temuka, alongside the railway ine, and is owned by a company. But the Winchester mill continues to grind its quota
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