Wednesday, December 11, 2013

State Brickworks (SCM) Wonthaggi


It only lasted a short time and is a complex story.  This is a precis and a more informative story on one of my other blogs soon.  Wonthaggi’s history really started in 1909 as a socialist experiment by a conservative government, with a need for Victoria to sever its dependence on NSW for its supply of black coal.  It then became a casualty of the vicissitudes of governments of the times.  In April 1910, the Victorian State Government refused to issue any further coal mining leases as a prelude to assuming control of coal production across the State. 

In 1901, the State Government of Victoria decided to build a State-owned and operated coal mine at Wonthaggi, an area near the east coast.  Extensive black coal deposits had been discovered throughout the region.  Later, as part of the State Coal Mine at Wonthaggi, the State Brickworks was started.  The General Manager of the coalmine, Mr George Broome decided that the expanding works should produce its own bricks.  Despite howls of protest from the private sector, the Minister of Mines Mr McBride gave approval in mid 1910 for the establishment of a State brick works at the town.


A convenient size for a Scotch kiln is about 60 feet by 11 feet internal dimensions, and 12 feet high. This will contain about 80,000 bricks. The fire-holes are 3 feet apart. These kilns are often made 12 feet wide, but 11 feet is enough to burn through properly.  The existing pictures of the Wonthaggi kiln show a much smaller kiln (or kilns) of around 20 to 30,000 bricks per firing.

The Scotch Kiln is known as an intermittent kiln.  Later, a Hoffman kiln was built.  The Hoffman kiln is known as a continuous type where bricks remain stationary and the fire moves through the kiln with assistance or help of a chimney or by a suction fan.  Most brick works in Victoria used the “Hoffman” kilns of this type.   The major benefit to brick makers was that bricks could be made up to 80% cheaper in a Hoffman kiln.


The SCM Machar wire-cutting machine could make up to 12,000 bricks per week.  These bricks were made to build a Hoffman kiln.  A second wire cutting machine was also installed.  This Hoffman kiln required 400,000 bricks in its construction. 

Poor quality of the bricks was alleged (supposedly by those associated with the Co-operative) and by 1912 the works were effectively closed.  It was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald on the 21st of February 2012 that the total cost of construction was £9995/12/2, working expenses to date £5720/7/3; revenue to date £1000/13/3.  “The number of serviceable bricks manufactured was 1,252,000; number of bricks used in erection of buildings for coal mines 368,000; number of bricks used in the erection of public and private buildings 188,000.” 

By this time, a serious rival had emerged, in the Glen Iris Brick Tile and Terra Cotta Co started by disgruntled builders.  It had a site at Glen Iris but had to move to because the local Council and the Co-operative blocked access to the land.  An agreement was also entered into for a lease of Government land at Thornbury commencing in 1913 and to provide the State Government with bricks at a reduced price.

Mr. Robert Selkirk of Ballarat was called in to review the works. Robert had arrived in Victoria in 1854 at the age of 14 with his family and after working as a stonemason for thirty years, eventually started his own business making bricks by hand just outside Ballarat in the goldfields.  He thought the State Brick Works were incorrectly sited on almost permanently wet clay, this clay being too heavy and sticky for the machinery to handle. He subsequently supervised the making of 25,000 bricks from clay obtained from the pony paddock, but was of the opinion that the black coal was not suitable for burning the bricks.  Nevertheless, he conceded, good quality bricks could be made for as little as 32-33/- per 1000.

Despite Mr Selkirk’s expert opinion, on 20 October 1913, the State Government Cabinet decided to discontinue brick making at Wonthaggi and to dispose of the plant and its material by public tender. Initially, a by-law decreed that Wonthaggi houses should be made of brick, but on 24 October 1913, the by-law was relaxed.

There were at least two other brick works that operated in Wonthaggi.  One was owned by Edison and Utting and began in April 1911 near South Dudley. Originally a Mr Ash was reported as being their manager but another manager was Mr George.
  
One of the reasons given for the failure of the Wonthaggi Brick Works was the influence of the Co=Operative Brick Company.  Brick makers in Melbourne had complained about the Co-operative Brick Company that was established in 1896.  It was alleged that the Co operative was responsible for high prices, poor quality, refusal to supply products and various other monopolistic practices.  In 1913, the Victorian Government established a Royal Commission that eventually determined that the Co-op was not a monopoly as some of the companies outside it were. 

Remains of Brick Pits at Wonthaggi


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