IMPORTANT INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1372, 24 February 1912, Page 16

IMPORTANT INDUSTRY.

*■ CONFECTIONERY AMD BISCUITS. GRIFFIN AND SONS, NELSON. "liiscuifs, and mind you ask for Griffin's," was one of tho oft-repeated requests of our mothers when we in our childhood days wero sent, on messages. Many limes we wondered who Griliin was, and what ho did. We were certain that there must be a. lot of good about him, because he made such nice, things to eat. That was in the days of our childhood, and since our own youngsters have roiiio along with the same likings and cravings for toothsome things as their forbears, and again the legend is forced upon their infantile minds: "And mind you ask for Grillin's." From the foregoing it will be seen that Grillin's is a fairly well-estal>li>licd firm. As a matter of fact, the business of Griffin and Sons was started in Nelson bv the latu Mr. John Griffin in ISGS, and at the present time is ono of the three biggest institutions of its kind in the Dominion. The works, which are one of the show industrial places in the Nelson province, cover now fully threequarters of an acre. Fully one hundred hands are employed daily, and this number could bo greatly increased if it were not for (he scarcity of juvenile labour. The present line block of factory buildings is comparatively new, and up-to-date machinery is being constantly added to tho ahvady well-erjnipped plant, the value of which runs between- .£1(1.000 and J.20,0D1). The great name carried Ly their goods is easily understood when one notices the extreme care manifested in manufacture, and tho hygienic cleaniiness which is most scrupulously observed by the staffs <■{ the several departments. A Dominion representative who happened to be, in Nelson was invited on a tour of inspection by Mr. G. K. Griffin, the manager of the firm.

BISCUIT-MAKING. Biscuits were being made in thousands, nice crisp things that in tho mouth left a liking for more. As to the manner ill which biscuits arc made, the writer came to the conclusion that at one time during the proceedings, the Hour was mixed, anil the dough was subjected to tho steel-like embracing of rollers which planed or rather ironed out tho stuff to the requisite thickness, alter which the area was punched, moulded, or cut fo size, baked, and then packed in fins for market. The whole operation occupies only a few minutes.

CHOCOLATES. Chocolates aro made from cocoa beans, After being baked, shollcd, and ground. J.lie liquid is dried and worked into a powder, but the fat of the bean is extracted under machine pressure, and then turned into chocolate with, the addition of sugar and cccca butter. The liquid is thou taken to a cooling-room, where it is uisd-a into various shapes, and solidities. The morsels aro then neatly parked in artistic-looking boxes, which are made o:t Hid premi.-es, and stored away, .in time to be utilised as an appetising pleasure for many a New Zealand child and parent. CAF!AiVSELS. The manufacture of caramels and their subsequent wrapping was one of (ho most interesting sights i:i the factory. One has often wondered what -deft fingers packed Griflin's cube .caramels in their dainty tissue paper, oh which the firm's name appears in neat blue print. It used to be done by hand labour ones, but that has been ouce again superseded by the ever-present machine. The caramels aro popped; unwrapped, into a little sieel Onnal to a slot which is fed by a ribbon tissue roll something like, but of course a thousand times smaller than, the paper roll on a newspaper printing press. These little, cubes go along at the rate of 80 a minute, and are seized and wrapped at the. same rate of speed by the same wonderful machinery, and finally conveyed to a receptacle, from which they arc packed awav in dainty cardboard boxes. There is also another machino which bears the cheerful name of a kiss wrapper. This machino enfolds the caramel .".'kisses" in tissue papers, giving them "each final twists at tho ends. The caramel machino does the work of ten girls, and the "kiss"-wrappins machino the labour of five girls. In addition thero is another machine with a cylinder which cuts caramels for wrapping purposes at the rate of 300 a : 'minuto. In manufacture, caramels are etoarn stirred. BOILED SUGAR. A five-horsc-power engine drives the boiled sugar apparatus. One -process, known as vacuum plant, boils the sugar by steam; tho other is the usual fireheated cauldron used by our mothers. Two ton of sugar is boiled every day, and the stulf is put through as a liquid at one end of a marvellous machine, and after being moulded, cooled, and scpirrated, comes out the other end in all the recognised forms required of barley sugar. 'JUJUBES AMD MOULDED GOODS. ' Tho firm has also some wonderful machinery, in the jujube and moulded goods department. After the jujubes aro sufficiently dry, they are placed in a "Starch P.uch," which cleanses them, and gets them ready for a depositing machine, which does the rest of tho work one hundred times quicker than the fingers of a human being.' Jujubes, jelly goods, and fondants are fixed up in this way at tho rate of a ton of material a day, and (he articles nro then taken i away to the drying room and properly dried.

LEMON AND ORANGE PEEL. A largo amount of care is spent in the manufacture of lemon and orange peel. The. raw product is obtained from Italy

in brine, and tho mnnufnchiro of the skins into the sweet peel so necessary for household cookery is a slow process. BOX-MAKING. Messrs. Griffin and Sons make nil the boxes which are required for their confectionery anil oilier goods, and the work done 'with a siiriii'isiiijj deftness and skill bv girl labour. The packing also is entrusted !o especially ."riH;.. ■s it is well known that the gßt-nj> oafl outward appearance of an nrlielo is om of its first recommendations as u saleable com modily.