FULL SPEED AHEAD

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 48, 25 August 1914, Page 3

FULL SPEED AHEAD

ACTIVITY IN THE CLOTHING FACTORIES PHENOMENAL OUTPUT OF UNIFORMS & OVERCOATS FIVE MILLS SUPPLYING MATERIAL.

Day and night some of the clothing factories of Wellington and elsewhere are working to supply the phenomenal demand for uniforms caused by the equipment of the Expeditionary Force to be sent from New Zealand. Never before in the history of the Dominion have so many uniforms been required in such a short space of time. The contractor for clothing for the Territorials of this country is Mr. A. Levy, whose factory, where 130 hands are employed, is working thirteen hours a day, and presents an extremely animated scene.' Everywhere is khaki — from the material as it arrives from- the mills to the completed uniform, with its red stripes down the trousers and its tunic resplenent with brass buttons. A hundrea machines make a rattle not unlike the racing of a, propeller when the stern of a ship is out of the water.. Piled high in one corner are bundles and bundles of uniforms, waiting to be sent on to the Defence Department, whence they are distributed all over New Zealand. Deft cutters with keen knives cut into the suitings from layers of material pressed solidly together, machines stitch the various parts together, and an antiseptic steam presser presses the suits in readi- | ness to be donned by the wearer. In addition to Mr. Levy's factory, twelve other factories are working with desperate haste to execute orders, and between them they are turning out approximately 5000 garments of various kinds per week. Five mills— Onehunga, Petone, Napier, Oamaru, and Mosgiel— are busily engaged in manufacturing tho worsteds for the outfits, and some of them are working three shifts. Even then the supply of material is hardly - enough to cope with the demands of the / manufacturers. Not only have the uniforms for the rank and file to be made, but in addition dozens of uniforms ordered pri* vately by officer* have to be turned out at the shorttest notice. Then there is a large amount of extra equipment, guch as valises (comprising a sleeping bag and a. cover for carrying "kits") to be made. Opinions as to the efficacy of the sleeping kit appear to be divided, the contention on one' hand being that they are little better than useless, while on the other it is maintained that they give considerable comfort to the sleeper. That some of the officers hold the latter view is indicated by the fact that several of the bagi have been ordered. > Apart from his uniform, every man has to be equipped with an overcoat, made, like the uniform, of the best material and with the best workmanship, and several thousands of these are being made with as much despatch as possible. The overcoats are made in eleven different sizes, while the uniforms are manufactured in no less than 31 sizes to suit all builds of soldiers. Each private's equipment includes a service uniform, a Denham suit (for working in while on shipboard and elsewhere), two woollen shirts, two pairs of woollen singlets and underpants, two pairs socks, two hats, and a little contrivance called a "housewife"( pronounced "hussiff"), for carrying knife, fork, and metal cup. Something of a record was established by Mr. 1 Levy in turning out the mattresses for the two troopships which left with the first contingent of the Expeditionary Force some days ago. When the order came through, Mr. Levy had none of the necessary material in stock, but neverthless was able to secure what was required, and manufactured the whole of the mattresses in fifteen working hours.