CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11562, 20 April 1903, Page 3

CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

THE LATEST LOCAL INDUSTRY.

It Trill be remembered that some few years ago a number of gentlemen interested tlnanseltv* in, an endeavour to establish & tepid swimming bath for the city, in connection with which it was proposed to provide a'laundjy. Several public meetings were called on the subject-, but eventually the project- fell through. With the advent- of Greater Christchurch, however, the necessity for keeping abreast of the times became more apparent, and % number of CbriMchurch business men took the matter up in earnest, with tbe result that within a very short time, the city will be provided with a thoroughly equipped American Steam Laundry, which will be one of the best in the Australasian Colonies. Tho Christchurch Steam Laundry Company. Limited, has now been successfully floated with a capital of £14,750, and "duly registered.

The Company has purchased half an acre of land in Victoria street, adjoining Goss's sawmills, on which an ample supply of water is provided by a second stratum artesian well. Upon this land commodious premises are being erected, fitttd with evcTy convenience for carrying on the laundry business on a very large scale. Tho share list of the concern embraces the namea of a number of the leading business men of the city, and a strong directorate watches over their interests. Before building operations were commenced, all necessary inquiries were made in connection with tho project, and it was found that the Troy Work** of Chicago made a specialty of the laundry business. An order for a full plant was, therefore, placed with thus firm, and the necessary particulars as to the buildings required for its. accommodation were obtained from the Troy Works expert. These were submitted to Messrs S. and A. Luttrell, architects, of this city, who will superintend the erection of the buildings now being put up in brick and concrete by Meters D. Scott and Son. The premises will include all the necessary buildings and outbuildings for collecting, distributing, and carrying on the work. The advent of this laundry, which with fifty hands employed, can supply the wants of a population of 55,0C0 persons while only working eight hours por day, should be a great convenience to the people of Christchurch and surrounding districts. The business of the concern, however, will not merely deal with soiled linen, although all the- city washing could be done there without interfering with the other branches of the business. The Company is importing all the very latest, machinery and appliances for dealing with new work, and this will allow of Wansiderable development in the shirt, collar, and cuff-making industry. One of the leading bouses in Christchurch has already decided to embark in the manufacture of white shirte, and has entered into a five years' contract with the Company to do all its Laundry work at prices which will enaible the firm to compete successfully with other manufacturers, and at the same time yield a bandeome profit to the Company. This will result in the i-inployment -of a good deal of highly skilled labour, and give employment to v. number of .seamstresses, and be the mean, of establishing another important industry in our midst.

Arrangements have been made with the Troy Company to send out an expert to superintend the erection of the machinery, vjand take charge of the laundry when it is in working order. Th? plant .8 being obtained through Messrs Hadley and Co., of Sydney and Auckland, Australa-uan ngents for. the manufacturers, for whom Mr A. H. Anderson, of this city, is the representative for the South Island of New l*"paland. The Company is also importing the I'ecessary plant for the manufacture of the eoapto be used in the laundry. The erection of the buildings is now under way, and as the ma-ehinery is due to arrive from America in the course of a few weeks, the concern is erpected to be in fall working order by July next. Hie plant will b* operated by a powerful steam engine of the Atlas typo, and amongst the various appliances there will be hydraulic washers, which considerably minimise the wear and tear on clothes ia the cleansing process ; hydro-centrifugal extractors, which entirely do away with the necocsity for wringing; ''ihakers," paragon mangles, capable of dealing with a population of 70,000 persons; a 25-gallon starch «ooker, collar and cuff starchers, panel and Hietallia dry house, steam damping press, cellar and cuff ironers, combined band ironers, bopom ironers, friction body ironers, sleeve ironers, automatic collar ehapere a_id folders, collar and c\iff damping machines, pressure blowers, Tyler shirt polishers, hand eyelet raisers, hand-seam dampers, 20 gas iron heaters, _tc. The. power house will contain a multitubular boiler, with a wovking pressure of 1001b to the square inch, sufficient to cope with a city of over 50,000 inhabitants. These machines are all devised so as to perform their various operations in a wonderfully short space of time, while the goods are turned out with an exceedingly high finish, which it is impoPMble to attain by means of the more primitive methods generally adopted. In addition to the actual laundry plant a kr_. number of useful accessories are being imported from America, including twelve months' supplies of the latest -style of vans for_ collecting and delivering the various articles to be dealt with at. the laundry.