OBSERVATIONS ABROAD

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1950, 5 December 1906, Page 3

OBSERVATIONS ABROAD

LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL CONDITIONS.

After an eight mouths' Sour c£ America, England, Bouilaud, Iceland, and Paris, Mr Dayid EobstSßon, of the Pine fix Foundry, Wellington, returned to Wellington by the steamer Moaowai. In an interview with a representative of the Evening Post, Mr Robertson gave a general idea efi the impressions gathered during hia travels, LABOR-SAVING MACHINERY.

Early in i'no voyage, at Honolulu, Mr Robsr.aon wa3 impressed by an up-to-date frotziog plans and a power-house for electrio fighting, which was being run by only two man, Tueaa man worked tbe whole job. There were three Eaboock and Wuoox boilers, which wero fired with petroleum. The liquid fuel v/aa stored in a ir.tgo tank outside the works, and i rbgos ran from the Sank to tho combustion chambers, bo that by Sfce simple turning of a cook the engineer oould com' rnand wbai steam ho required on his boiler. By turning the cock sta.m ojuld bo either inoreaaed. or deoreased. The "ipos were so arranged that the petioLum eauid bo sprayed on to the combustion chamber. The whole sobome appeared Bimpiioit,y isaslx, CANADIAN IMPRESSIONS.

The future ahsad of Vancouver im« preß3od tho visitor, who considers the por-i-3 destined JO ho tbg main centre for steamers from the East. Boats going to Umn now call there regularly, a id by prfeaenii indications iho port has a groat iutare, and mast become a very important place before long. Lmd there has doubled in value during tho past three or four years. Winnipeg, a busy piaoe in tte centre of a wheat growing district, struck the Now Zaalander as haviDg been rushed up to meet the requirements of iho imm ; .? diate present, The streets wore unformed, 1 tho footpaths consisting simply of threo or four glauks laid down side by eidr, Oj ooe occasion the visitor noticed a bullocks dsoy bogged iu tho mud not far from the centre of the town, The city which BPpcalod most to Mr Robertson in Amotioa was Toronto, which is laid out with well paved streets and good buildings. Every street has a rew of frees cp tho eido, which onhancss tho beauty of I |he oity,

NIAGARA FALLS— AMERICAN V. NEW ZEALAND METHODS.

Mr Roborbon paid a visit to tho Nifts gara Falls. Tho first uttiLupt to gain udmissiou to tho power worka foiled, hut on tho production of a letter from tho 1 tie Premier ovoiy facility was put in tho way of tho visitor, who, in duo courso, was lowered down uorne 260 or 800 foot to tho bottom of tho falls, into a power house, which transmitted something liko 00 000 hors.'-powor. Although groat thiDgs were o.\p:o;od oi tho falls, tho sight was immouse aud eurpustei even tho wildost anticipations. By tnounß of a tunnel a view was obtained of tbo groat volume oi j tv ..tor earning over tho pioeipico, a wonderful titnl uwu inspiring 8*«hl. Tho city of Montreal fell bolow what tho average person would oxpoct, tho wharfage accommodation and oijuipmont being behind the times. In the operation I of loading built timber it took about six I men something liko half tin hour to roll a I largo log to a ship's derrick, an operation I which could have been performed on tho Wolington wharf in a low minutes.