THE NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1069, 9 October 1883, Page 4

THE NEW ZEALAND CLOTHING FACTORY.

The casual stroller through the streets of this city .of ours is likely enough to pass up and down the thoroughfare at the ,foot of which are situated the offices of this paper without ever once imagining fora moment that he is passing and repassing premises where is being carried oh| with a considerable degree of success, one of the largest, and in some respects most important, of our colonial industries. It is true that if he casts a

glance up the yardway that flanks one of the largest buildings in the street he will probably catch - sight of a small board infixed;.a doorway, and bearing the legend “ Factory Entrance but this will never suggest to him the magnitude of Jibe operations here conducted. Should 'jie have occasion to be passing this particular, spot at the hour of 1, his eyes may .-ppssibly. be ,opened a-little by the small stream of operatives, male and female, young and old, that are hastening out j into the street, in search presumably, of theit .midday, meal; but even the sight of these will give him no sort of adequate notion as to the numbers of the busy throng who swarm this human hive. Nothing but inspection of the factory of Messrs Hallenstein Bros, will give a full idea of the work which is being carried on in our very midst. The spacious premises in Dowling street are not the seat of a trade monopoly;, but they may bo regarded as being by far' the most important in the clothing line, and give employment ;to the astonishing number, of'sbmethibg like 4DO hands. Selecting the hour of noon for our tour of inspection, lot us pay ayisit to the representatives of what’cannot fail to prove., a most interesting industry.; It should'; However, be premised that the chief firms engaged in the manufacture of clothing* „ip addition to the one under gotiiief ate » those of Sargood, bon and Ewan, and Kbss and Gtendining, which latter have already come before our observation in this series as manufacturing their own cloth in die Kaikorai Valley. Entering the p®emisea.of r Mes rs BHallenstein Brothers ;by the. Side ddor of which mention ifias been made, we ascend at once to |he upper floor by a somewhat lofty: etaircasef each -step of which is edged with r|eath'er,A3- aprecahtion, it would anpeaf, against a possible slip of the foot pa the part of those who are constantly ascending and, descending,' and often with! a cobStderahle load' In their arms. Hence passing along corridor we reach a.little waiting-room, pad; tapping: at its pigeon-hole window, are promptly answered by th,e official in-charge,: who, Dh’learixmg the' nature of our ; business, swiftly .summons the superintendent-or • ! th'e‘workrpom,under.whoae iritelligent guiclance our inspection is qarribd on,' 'Th s ‘cqwpjPcetl, on SnteriUg ‘lhe'itfain' Workroom .is. remarkably striking and pretty as well,Tor not only is the .whole scene one of great livelitiSs9J hnt |the perfect cleanlinejis and fteodom I from'' litfer ' are -features which . attract the visitor’s notice at the first glance. Here is an-enormous chamber of lofty pitch, \fi£h : ’spacious galleries runpmg. around it, and walls and rafters ■' in " tints of bide and/ white, while windows and skylights are so lavishly distributed to fill the .place with a flood of tempered light;Lbtig rows of 1 tables cover' the, ground floor and fill the galleries, but these are so arranged as to leave ample space for those whose duty it may be from time- to time to pass behind or betWeeh' the serried ranks of workers. \v hen the notion is firkt grasped by the visitor, that in front of eadp-pirißqf thgse women and girls there is merrilyrcvolving a sewingmachine of one sort or, nother, it becomes a matter'bf the gtfeafbsf w6nder!ment how it can be that there is no greater amount -of noise, and that the pleasant ham of voices is not overpowered by the ceaseless rattle of the wheels.. At the cloth-mills, indeed, the din of file flying shuttles was intolerable to the unaccustomed ear, but here it is very different. In the middle of one side of the room is set a slightly-elevated rostrum, whence the manager of the department may cast his watchful eye over every part of, the place-; and f leaning against this we'are able-to chat at base ’without tlie necessity for unduly raising our voices. Such is the care here taken'to : uae for each particular sort of work or different material the.machine which is best adapted to the purpose that there are in all no fewer than 22. different makes of sewing-machines employed.' -’Amongst these the Singer, . having proved itself to be the most rapid inaction, is in, the greatest request for coat-making, etc; and certainly I,QOO stitches a minute does seam a .respectable r*ts' pt say the least of it. Iff ! accordance with the strict regularity which characterises every process in this factory, where you see the making of men’s coats in progress,-., you will see nothing but men’s—coats, at yonder double table, vests only ’ are tianUfaotnred, «nd a (hundred .busy fingerßi>are.fa»hioning the-garments thste will presently; adorn • the youthful forma of oiu. sons and grandsons. {Through all tjm Wnfec'h'iid ,huai of the scene a spinvof drdbt hnd system visibly prevails, adff ttts'goes hand in. hand with a bright add cheerful aspect that is conspicuously ntrtrCeabreamong the lively throng. The dejgtib of skill required in the workwoman Tarießi’of cburßo, with the nature of the iask dsaigned' to her'; and we. soon notice, that.wherever a oldster of quite young girlndsb.e found a staid; matron to and rapejryiqe«their labors, as well, maybe,, as to exercise a sobering influence on their exuberant ypung spirits. It must surely havb taken a long, and patient, course of practiceb#fpre this young woman, who is engaged mbihding natrow braid On pocket ■ ’ flaps and taroueea etrapa could have ever nffainod nueh celerity in the nccnmnlisb-

meat of hep . somewhat complicated task. Bound the shrves and corners of the neatly v cnt pieces the swiftly-darting needle 1 flies without the slightest' halt,. theSciasotflj'another bit of' cloth' is put ‘in position,' whirr goes the ming wheel again; and are we ha,ye glafitced ait the pretty little machine, there lie Vf the side of it a score of finished articles! : Irdmense' savers of labor of the most" tediou'S sort afe the button-hole machines, .most, ingeniously contrived tt> cut and*finish these necessary adjuncts to our clothing, and fitted£aS ‘‘occasion' may reqmte,'wft)v cuttersof Variousssizes, lajmewatply After our jhtereatpd inspection of thaWj rcon trlvanoer, our guide point s out to * as a' ’‘particular machinist, who he informs us, was entrusted with the making up.of the whole.of the .elaborate oostUmes lately worn in the amateur perfenhance t of “Patience.” And so we pass'ph to witness the processes of pressing Ishd.phyinking, the. peculiar irons used in which department are the manufacture of Messrs Ciiiten and Co., of this town, while thestove npon which , they are headed is 6/ a novel .form, and was designsd.hy out conductor himself. . Next we come .upon the cutters,' who, hard at work at their broad.benchea, manage with to fashion out nicely .12 folds of . cloth ,nt one and the same tim&' ' ,WhaJever may be the shape of the piece'they are required to cut out there is no difficulty'ih'findfng the right pattern, ias each of , these is ,not only stored after its luit 'use, but ,also citalogqed. The I openpion; of shirt and trouser finishing are well' worth watching for a few. moments, both by reason;of the character of the special machinery used, and of the dextyjty of the.-.operatives. Of many mioor detaUa cf the work here carried on: .UfOfCOnqof Upw spe- k, since .the domes tic arcangements , deman a few Just as we have colluded . ■ ' 1

suspended on one o£ the galleries strikes the hour of one, and a most amusing stampede takes place on the instant. Up from their benches rise women, girls, and boys with one consent, and hurriedly make for the spacious dining-room that adjoins. In three minutes our guide and' ourselves are all that are left in the deserted hall. Following shortly the steps of the fugitives, wo find ourselves the centre of an animated coin-, pany, who are laughing and chatting in groups, seated at several long tables —; chatting, that is to say, as much as they can whilejtheir facial rau clea are otherwise and more profitably employed. _ By far the greater number of our 400 friends are here assembled, and each has opened out his or her packet, of lunch, which is agreeably accompanied by the fragrant cup of tea. This beverage is daily piopared at the expense of the firm and served out to. the hands, who have only to Irir.g each one his own share of the herb, and the vessel in which it may he served A .very happy family party it looks. The sanitary acc nnmodation is amply sufficient and particularly well arranged, and the ventilation could scarcely be better effected. The warehouse with its long piles on piles of finished, garments, the bulk and.blan-' ket room, the packing room,, and the' folding room, where every at tide is inea-; sured, folded, b ushed, and ticketed, are all in turn visited ; but enough, has r een said to show-that the whole pi teems with interest, and that the factory is now conducted as an item of importance among our local industries, and a credit jto its proprietors. Otago D.ily Times.