WASHTUB UNPOPULAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3460, 14 April 1920, Page 3

WASHTUB UNPOPULAR.

N.Z. LAUNDRY .1").}~1}.9‘L.7-.\'L'-'l‘.

ATTRIBUTED TO LABOUR PROBLEM. ~ '

After sixteen years operations at its locality on the waterfro:lt of the New Zealand Laundry (.70., }'.*.x]., ‘as comer‘activities as from the end of M':m-,h, it has been decided To \\‘iJd up ‘be business and dispose of the sito, 913 d stock. The closing of the business is attributed primarily to ‘labour conditions, zmd is rather a striking illustration of the indirect effect of the enhancing‘ of working‘ conditions in other theatres. '

Working at full "pressure the laundry employed as many as 70 on the fomale strength, but as the result of more attractive positions and },;ghc,. rates of remuneration el.~‘9whel'e, considcrnbles difficulty has been experienced in maintaining this strength, and ultimately it became practically impossible to secure the necessal'y stafi’. In explaining the situation to :1 Star reporter, the .secre’r.ary of the company sfated that the strength of the company had dwindled to about 40 females and 14 men, and this was inadequate to cope with the huge amount of work oifering, and much difiiculty was experienced in carrying out contracts. The latter include shipping and riffixx-':ly employees’ laundry, and the cessation of operations will no doubt occasioii some difiicull‘y‘to the larger patrons of the company, and entail <:onsid.cz~a'blenlrn'e work on the part of the two surviving steam laundries. Another reason advanced for closing the business is the environment, the number of factories that have sprung up around fl‘-e lm'm:lr_v site, and the proximity gt’ the railway station being detrimental to the process of renovating tlic soiled proporfy.—-Auckland Star.