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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]

[Wakanui]

Wakanui, in the county of Ashburton, is a fertile farming settlement. Its distance from Christchurch is fifty-nine miles. The sea is only three miles away, and the district is about six miles to the east of Ashburton, the county town. There is a local post office, and a daily mail service with Christchurch. The nearest telegraph office is at Ashburton.

Wakanui Crown Roller Flour Mills (Mr. Thomas Rollitt, proprietor), Wakanui. These large mills were erected in the early days of Canterbury by a Mr. Moffatt, and were subsequently owned for several years by Mr. Edward Thomas, who converted them into roller mills of the latest type, and afterwards sold them to Mr. Rollitt. They are situated in the centre of the Wakanui district, one of the most renowned wheat growing districts in New Zealand, and the supply of grain is almost at the very door. The mills supply the local demand, which is sufficient to keep them running constantly the whole years round; their capacity is from three to four sacks per hour. The building is four stories in height; the machinery is driven by an overshot wheel, 18 feet in diameter, and the water supply comes from the Ashburton river. A farm of 100 acres, attached to the mill, is also the property of Mr. Rollitt, and on a recent occasion it yielded an average of seventy-three bushels per acre of Tuscan wheat. Mr. Rollitt's residence is picturesquely situated near the mill, and is surrounded by a prettily laid out garden.

Wakanui Roller Flour Mills.

Wakanui Roller Flour Mills.

Mr. Thomas Rollitt, Proprietor, was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1861, and is a son of Mr. William Rollitt, milling engineer. He was brought up to the milling business in the Old Country, where he received a thorough practical training. Mr. Rollitt came to New Zealand in 1883, by the first direct steamer that traded to the Colony, and has ever since been identified with milling. He is a member of the Ashburton Thistle Lodge of Freemasons. Mr. Rollitt was married, in 1892, to the third daughter of the late Mr. page 811 James, of Belmont, Richmond, Tasmania, and has two sons.