Masport, The War Years 1940s

The outbreak of war in 1939 led to major changes in the direction the Company followed once the United States were drawn into the conflict and New Zealand faced a very real threat of a land invasion. At first, there had been little change to the way the Company operated in that both the Cleveland Road and Mt Wellington premises ran concurrently. The war in Europe seemed a long way from home and neither side was making much headway. The New Zealand economy was based on agriculture and the majority of metal industry manufacturing was related to supplying farming or domestic needs. This meant that there were some dramatic changes to the way the metal industry carried out its business in the face of the dire military circumstances.

Mason & Porter were one of many firms which fell in behind the call to support the war effort. Reuben Porter was immediately recognised as a leader in his field and was appointed chairman of the joint Allocation Committee set up to repair and build ships for the United States Army and Navy in the Pacific arena. The Company also adapted to the manufacture of a variety of military hardware. Both plants were involved in this production. The Company went from a firm manufacturing lawnmowers, vacuum pumps and washing machine parts to one that also made parts for hand grenades, sten guns, bren gun carriers and other military equipment. The changeover was not without its problems because of the technical difficulties involved. The Staff had to adapt to new and unfamiliar processes with existing machinery.

Other changes affected the workers in the factories. Shifts had to be coordinated so that the plants could run for longer periods and production could be increased. The workforce also had to become more adaptable and many of the tools and much of the machinery used in production had to be made in New Zealand. (It should be noted however that the company still produced a limited range of mowers during the war).

Further changes in the industry affected Mason & Porter just as much as other firms. The shortage of labour became chronic as more young men were called to serve overseas in our forces. Reuben Porter had already introduced the "G" department to the business, which gave the firm a head start on other companies. The number of women employed by the firm increased and the average age of the men working in the machine shop and the foundry also increased.

Mason & Porter's workforce also played a major part in both the repair and manufacture of ships belonging to the United States Navy. Some arrived needing major repairs as a result of enemy action and new ships were required to act as minesweepers or carry out patrol boat duties.

Much of the casting work was carried out in Mason & Porter's foundries. Mason & Porter's part in the war effort is graphically shown in the photographs on the following pages. these photos are all taken in the modern Mt Wellington plant. Not only are we able to look at what the Company was manufacturing but we can also see how the different parts of the factory operated. It gives us a real snapshot of Mason & Porter as it operated in the 1940's.

Taken from Jim Allnatt's Masport: 100 years in the making. Published by Masport in 2010.

Left: Up to one and a half million hand grenade bodies were cast in the Foundry at Cleveland Rd. They were then machine moulded, with the cores made in pairs, six at a time on a core-blowing machine at Panmure. The castings were rumbled and sand blasted before going to the Machine Shop to be finished. The man in the photograph is drilling 1 3/4" hole through the grenade with a specially designed vertical machine.

Right: The women in the photo are performing secondary operations on a line of machines which are also designed for this particular task.