THE WOOLLEN FACTORIES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 56, 5 August 1885, Page 4

THE WOOLLEN FACTORIES.

(N.Z. l\mes.) The woollen factories, the New Zealand Clothing Factory, anil Messrs Wilson and R'charclson's exhibits arc placed along the main entrance of tlia Exliibi tion buiUin?, of which they are the most prominent feature. As the wooKon manufactures have a most important bearing on the future prosperity of the Colony, ifc will he as well to describe these exhibits first. THS r.O LIN FACTORY. The exhibits of this factory, which' is owned by Messrs Ross and _ Glendining, of Duneuin, occupy a position to the right of the main entrance. The chief manufactures of that firm consist of tweeds, the Defiance saddle tweed, a very durable material, being one of their specialities. There is a fine dhplay__.a£ double cloths, heavy Teviotr and' silkmixed tweeds. The _re.?Hinifonn cloth which is nowjEQja 1)y four or -Ivo of the Voltintpj&v-irdrps m Cliristchurch, is exjpefrent. There is a kr£o variety of ladies' tweet Kin plain, fancy, and check .dosigns; wh lit there are flannels m fine, medium, and heavy makes, the colors including azuliiie, coral, white, Shetland, silver-grey, scarlet, and maroon. Thtf morino blunkets, m snowy white, with silk bindings to match, are a grand exhibit ; there aro also snrac pretty designs m striped and fancy cheeks, with the usual display of g;ood, serviceable, household blankets. The travelling rugs, with reversible colors, and the Crimean and tweed shirtings, are superior to anything that can now be imported and sold at the same prices; There is a large array ofhoisery and knitting yarns, with full range of plain and fancy colorings and heather mixtures. Some of the tartans show the McKenzio on one side and the Gordon on the other; the Mackay and the Argyle being produced m a similar manner. The coloring is very finely blended. Messrs Boss and Glendining employ about 450 hands, 80 to 100 being engaged outside the factory at ' hoisery manufacture. The representative (Mr Peters) states that the Roslyn mill was the first m the Colony which used the electric r'ght for practical purposes. Theve are 86 Swan incandescent lamps of 20-candle power each, now m use, huh the firm have just received a Victoria dynamo for 175 lamps. The mill is con- , nccted by telephone with the Dunodin warehouse. Forty looms are now at work, but that number will soon be consider ably incroased. Mr Ross, the London partner, lately purchased a 300-horse- . power engine for the mill, and is going to send out machinery for manufactiir ing Avorsted yarns, which will bo the first importation of th'.s kind south of the Lino. TIIE KAIAPOI MILL. Lower down, on the same side, are placed the exhibits of tho Kaiapoi Factory, which has 80 looms at work and nearly 000 hands employed. There is a fine display of merino rugs, of the latest style, m clouded and rainbow colors, hung' round m front of the exhibits. These rugs, some of which have prettily worked monograms, which can be attached according to order, have a large sale m Melbourne, m spite of the heavy protective tariff by which tha". colony tries to exclude other manufactures. Saxony shawls and Maud travelling rugs complete the display m front. On a stand facing the concert hall there is a splendid display «f tweeds m sixt# different pitio ns, some of which are vory neat. In the interior there are some excellent worsted coatings, and it is claimed that the Kaiapoi Factory is the only one m the colony which manufactures that kind of material. There is a very .good display of: carriage cloths, which also" have a (large sale m Sydney and Mcl: bourne. For brilliancy of color, fine texture, and durability, they will compare favorably with "anything of the kind m the Home market. This Company claims to be tho only manufacturer of serge for lining saddle cloths. The tartan kiltingß are largely used by the Caledonian societies m the South Island, and have been sold to the members of the Caledon an Society m Sydney. A large assortment oj blankets, white and colored flannels, fingering and wheelingyarns m a variety of colors, Crimean shirting?, and ready-made clothing m all j styles, from cricketing and rowing suits to tho;e usually worn by working men, make up a display of. goods which might be creditably plrced m any Exhihtion. There are, besides, some fine specimens of ladies' dress tweeds, for winch there has been a large demand this winter. The factory has been lit for three years with the Gulcher eletric ligbt, which has giveh great satisfaction. The Directors of the Kaiapoi Company use every thing, as far as possible, o" colonial manufacturer The two engines at the factory — an 80h.p. and 15h.p. — were manufactured by Messrs Scott Bros., of Cliristchurch, and have worked very smoothly for over throe years. Colonial coal and colonial o'l also get the preference. The mil is managed by Mr Leitheatl, a man of large experience, who cama from Kendal 1 , m the North of England, and joined the Company about four years ngo. Since the enlargement of the Company Mr Shanks, who has been m Wellington for several days looking after and arranging the exhibits, has been en.rusted with the management of its affa'r s. . MOSGIEL WOOLLEN FACTORY, This Company has two mill^one. a

iv ikcra,. near Dunedm, the other at Mos£ el— and employs 400 hands. It iu:i ti-b most. 'prominent j)osition m tho Exhibition, and the most is made of it. In tho centre of the exhibits an artistic arch, composed of various fingering and wheeling yarns, has been formed, wiiilst alnve. the atch" there is a wool trophy, workoil m varioiis »l)ades, m the shape of a wheel, witji halt' a dozen medallions around it, tic four corner ones representing diirerenfc breeds of sheep, and those at the sidos tho oM and now styles of inanufact'nrin^ woollen goods. "Sue-, cess to the -Wool -spinning Industry m New Zealand," printed m gold letters, is blended' with the words." M-o^io: Woollen Factory Company." On either side of tha central arch there is a trophy, one representing a rainbow with the Saddle Hill cleverly worked m wool un.lorneath, the other a pretty design m various colored, wools, with the words, " Sine , Cora," m the centre. In .the centre of the exhibit there is a pyramid, on which is represented the various manufactures of the company, consisting of tweeds,' m every shade, texture, and weight. Somo excellent -Bedford riding cord is shown ; it. is on!y ; manufactured, so far, by the Mos^iel Company. Large quantities of tlio lighter classos of merino tweeds an I travelling rugs are now exported to Sydney and ' Melbourne. Shepherd's pLvd which w said to be very diSiault ti miinu&ieture, i? amongst the exliibit^, the .colors .being produced very distinctly. On the top oL ! the pyramid there is a variety of Berlin wools, with leather, g;-ey, and fancy colored hoisery nn ler.nonth. A pr;>minon!; object H Vie crortiiicato obtained at tho M-.jlbourno Exhibition of 1881 for ■ worsted and woollen manufactures, selected by the jurors " as the most meritorious Australasian exhibit m that section, 1 ' and nominated for tho prize given for that class of goods by the Emperor of Germany. At either end there stands a case of draped tweed.-, ot which 120 diflfjrent patterns arc shown. At each corner of the pyramid there are stocks of blankets, flannels, tweeds, and shirtings, the fine merino blankets being a splendid sample of Colonial manufacture. Various clan tartans, crimson cloth for tabling, reversible travelling ruga, flannels m white, scarlet, navy blue, Shetland and Orkney grey, Crimean shirtings, shawls m fancy designs, with a variety of. beautiful tweeds for ladies', dresses, the deuund for which is steadily increasing-, make up one of tho finest displays ever seen m the Southern Hemisphere. In addition to yarns, hosiciy, plaids, &c, about 10,000 pieces of tweed of fifty yards m length, are manufactured evsry year by the Company. Messrs I'Tjtcher & Co., electrical engineers, Dunedin, are fitting up the Mosgiol Factory with a Victoria dynamo machine for 300 lamps, which will be ready m a fortnight, and will be the largest incandescent installation m tho Colony. Me3srs Fletcher & Co. are also fitting up the Itoslyn Mill witt the eletric light.