THE QUEEN MARY'S LINEN LOCKERS

Evening Post, Issue 45, 22 February 1936, Page 271

THE QUEEN MARY'S LINEN LOCKERS

The new Cunard-White Star liner Queen Mary is going to be a housewife's paradise in many ways. . . • While men passengers'are admiring engines, women will be longing to look inside the .linen lockers.

Immense stocks of linen, amounting to a total value of about £45,000, are, being supplied for the liner. So many sheets, table-cloths, and such things will 'be carried that it would be possible to robe the liner completely in white. ■

This tremendous linen order, probably the largest ever placed by a shipping company, has been carried out by firms in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Nbrthern Ireland.

It -comprises about 500,000 articles, ranging from dusters to towels (there will be over 200,000 of these) and from oven cloths to bed coverlets and counterpanes. .

The huge supply has been made necessary by the shortness o£ the Queen Mary's stay in port between voyages.

To ensure that fresh supplies will always be available triplicate stocks have been ordered.

One stock will be carried on board the Queen Mary, the other two will be retained at Southampton and New York for immediate transfer to the ship on her arrival.

Outstanding figures in the list of 41 items to be supplied to the ship include:

Pillow slips, 31,000; sheets, 30,000; table-cloths, 21,000;* serviettes/ 92,000; towels, 210,000.

Blankets, 5600; bed coverlets and

counterpanes, 8500; pantry cloths, 12,500; waiters' cloths, 12,000; oven cloths, 3100; dusters, 3000; linen bags, 2200.

Belfast is solely responsible for the supply of the all-linen and union goods, Manchester and district is supplying the cotton goods, and Yorkshire the blankets and travelling • rugs.

About half the total articles required come from the manufacturers ready made, and the balance is cut up from the cloth and made into the finished article by the Cunard-White Star linen department at Liverpool, where expert machinists are at work.

The designs on many of the patterned goods are the work of the department; others have been brought out in collaboration with the manufacturers. Of the latter the outstanding design belongs to the first-class tablecloths and serviettes.

The first-class blankets are white and are made from fine Australian merino wool, as are the fawn coverlets for the same class.

Travelling rugs are woven in brilliant blue and scarlet colours, and have been specially chosen for comfort and warmth. '

Extensive lockers have been fitted In the Queen Mary to facilitate the rapid handling of the vast quantities of ■ linen to and from the laundry at each terminal port.

The necessity for speed can be realised when it is estimated that 2000 bags of linen will be handled in the course of a few hours.