Firm looks to country areas

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33540, 22 May 1974, Page 1

Firm looks to country areas

Investigations are being made by a large Christchurch-based clothing manufacturing firm into the possibility of setting up sewing plants in Geraldine, Temuka, Darfield, and Oamaru.

Mr M. A. Stevens, the operations manager for Lane, Walker, Rudkin, Ltd, said .that his firm had begun a survey of the Geraldine - Temuka area last Friday to find out how many women would be interested in working for it in the area, and so far the results had been very pleasing.

If the firm decided to establish a factory in the area it would take about seven months to prepare it. New premises would probably have to be built, said Mr Stevens.

Although a decision would! be made shortly, it was too; soon to tell whether a sewing i plant could be set up at Geraldine or Temuka, as this depended on the number of: applications received for em-i ployment, he said. There was also a possi-l bilitv of setting up a plant at, Darfield, although the re-! sponse had not been quite as! strong there, and at Oamaru,! Mr Stevens said. “Lane, Walker, Rudkin has; 22 sewing plants in New Zea-; land, and of these, 17 are in I the South Island,” he said. "Like all employers of high Postal ballot All issues in Ellesmere! County at the local body elections in October will be. decided by postal ballot. The County Clerk (Mr W. S. K. Drew) said yesterday that a! postal ballot would be held! for the first time in the county town ridings of Leeston and Southbridge, and for the third time in the rural; I ridings of the county.

intensity labour, we are looking for smaller units out of the main centres to attract more staff.” At Geraldine, the Mayor (Mr W. S. Aitken) has welcomed the proposal, and said that such a plant would be a great asset to the town.

“Geraldine is too far from Timaru for workers, particularly married women, to go to work each day, and the sewing plant will provide opportunities and training in skilled work for women,” Mr Aitken said.