The following is a tabulated account of the cost of the brick kilns to the State, and the value of these convict-made bricks in the local market. The output of bricks per month when four tables were at work was 230,000, and their value at $45.00 per 10,000 would be $1,035. The cost of manufacture was as follows:— | $ | | Overseer's Salary | 45.00 | Labour of 125 Convicts,
at 25cts. per diem for artizans
and 9cts. for labourers | 306.00 | | Cost of Fuel | 200.00 | | Wear and Tear | 17.10 | | Food for Cattle | 24.30 | | Contingencies | 16.20 | | Total | $608.60 | | $ | Value of 230,000 of Bricks at $45 per laksa,
that being the market price for Government Bricks | 1,035.00 | | Deduct cost of manufacture | 608.60 | | Difference to credit of the State | $426.40 | Bricks were debited to Government Works at $20 per laksa. The size of a Government brick mould was 10¼ x 5¼ x 3 ins. The bricks when burnt measured 9 x 4½ x 2¾ ins., and weighed about 7 lbs. when dry, and about 7 lbs. 3 or 4 ozs. after soaking in fresh water. These were ordinary bricks, but those manufactured for hydraulic work were impervious to water. Note.—The size of a Chinese-made brick when burnt is 10 x 5 x 1½ ins. It requires 22 Chinese-made bricks to build one cubic foot of brickwork, but of convict-made Government bricks a cubic foot of brickwork requires 13 only.
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