Our Local Industries.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 282, 4 June 1896, Page 2

Our Local Industries.

This is an ehterpriaing age^ atfd in Feilding we have some entetpirising people. Anyone visiting tbei Public Benefit Boot Factory must admit that Mr James Trewin is hot the least among them. " Wherewithal shall we be clothed " is an important question, but it is not more important than " Wherewithal shall we be booted." I Mr Trewin set himself to answer that question, and if he has not sohfcd it he has made great strides in the right direction. By request our reporter paid a visit to the Public Benefit Boot and Shoe Warehouse, of "Mr Trewin, Kimbolton road, Feilding, and found the genial proprietor rounded by cases of goods just received from the Home market and literally "up to his eyes " in work, marking off ladies' and gents' slippers, boots, and shoes of every description. It would be useless for us to attempt to describe the various classes of goods Mr Trewin has for sale, but we noticed some very enticing looking slippers, specially suitable for this season of the year, and for which we predict a ready sals. x - Mr Trewin has lately had his Show Boom enlarged, and finds even now it is scarcely commodious enough to hold or display bis large and varied stock* as he is now adding upwards of £500 worth in the new lines. After taking a general view of the stock we were introduced to the factory manager, Mr Hartley, and shown and explained the various tools and machines in use. Mr Trewin, when* at Home lately, purchased all the latest improved machinery for the trade, and is therefore in a position to do work in the most expeditious manner possible, and at the same time to give to the public the benefit. The workmen were " put through their facings " and proved how time is saved and utilised under the present system of making boots as compared with that of the old method* There is a staff|of men actively and constantly employed to keep pace with the increasing demand for this factory's goods and never did our representative see factory hands work with such enerey and will as though uo effort would be wanting on their part to attain the success aimed at by their "employer. The rivetting and lasting department was inspected. To see this and look back upon the old methods of making shoes leads one to wonder how they managed to get " booted in the olden times." The factory is a compact building and all; space is utilised by benches, machines, &c. We were shown some hundreds of pairs of boots in course of manufacture. One class of boots -men's shooters at 10s 6d per pair— which we considered was a really first- class boot. We were also shown the store room, packed with all kinds of leathers, some of which have been imported direct from the Home market, including half a ton of sole leather, ' French calf, kid and various assortments/ besides a quantity of material Used in. 1 the trade. There were also a number of " uppers " manufactured: on the premises, of the very best leather. The proprietor is prepared to supply the trade in any quantities. A specialty of the factory is the far-famed watertignts, men's Balis at 10s 6d, shooter** slippers, and leggings made in all grades and designed for the roughest wear. The samples shown our representative look, and no doubt are, extremely durable. Having seen the mode of manufacture and the material used, it must be admitted that Mr Trewin's goods are bouud to hold their own and give unqualified satisfaction wherever introduced. If our population would insist on being shod only with reliable .footwear made in this town, there would be employment for five, aye, ten times the workpeople at present engaged in the trade. This would benefit one and all, and we wish Mr Trewin every success which his enterprise deserves. The manager, Mr Hartley, intimates that he would be pleased to show any person the new method of boot making, and assured us that the factory was prepared to make boots to order in four and a half hoars notice. Mr. Trewin. bas named bis factory the Public Benefit Boot Factory and rightly so too we think.