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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District]

Hellaby, R. And W.

page 389

Hellaby, R. And W., Wholesale and Retail Family and Shipping Butchers, Tinned Meat Preservers, and Ice Manufacturers, Shortland Street, Auckland; Works, Richmond. Telephones 102, 111, and 859. This business was established over twenty years ago in a comparatively small retail way in Shortland Street. But in a few years the firm erected slaughter yards and extensive works at Richmond, and about twenty years ago purchased the Shortland Street property, where the present premises are situated. From that time, the business rapidly expanded, and now (1901) Messrs R. and W. Hellaby are the largest butchering firm in New Zealand, and the largest and most complete private firm in the colonies. As the trade continued to increase, they added meat preserving, bacon curing, freezing, and ice manufacturing departments, and some time back were obliged to purchase a further tract of land at the back of the Shortland Street buildings, in Chancery Lane. The main premises consist of two two-storey buildings, with cellarage, and have a frontage on Shortland Street of about 105 feet, and a depth of over 176 feet. The front portion of the ground floor is utilised for the retail and delivery shop, and for offices. Further back are the departments for meat preserving, ice manufacturing, tinning, and the freezing chambers. The premises are lighted with electricity throughout, by means of a 70-light dynamo. The properly at the back of the Shortland Street premises has a frontage of about 114 feet, and a depth of 184 feet, extending right back to Victoria Quadrant. On this have been erected stables, corn-sheds, wagon-houses, etc., and also a fine two-storey brick building, with a frontage of 40 feet, and a depth of about 100 feet. The ground floor, which is of concrete throughout, is used principally for corned beef storage, and the upstairs portion for the storage of bone dust and manure. The works at Richmond cover about three acres and a half, and are complete in every particular. They include a boiling-down establishment, bone-mills, fellmongery, tannery, stables, etc. The Richmond property comprises over 100 acres, and is utilised for paddocks, slaughter yards, etc. The firm slaughters weekly, on an average, over 200 head of cattle, about 1000 sheep and lambs (in addition to which it receives a large quantity of pork from the country), and from forty to fifty calves. It gives regular employment to some 200 men, and keeps about forty horses, and seventeen waggons and carts.