INDUSTRIES WEEK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 220, 10 June 1908, Page 9

INDUSTRIES WEEK.

A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT. DISCUSSION BY INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION. "Industries Week" was again tho dominant subject of discussion at the meeting of the general Committee of the Wellington Industrial Association last evening. Though general satisfaction was expressed with tho way in which the project has been carried out, Mr. H. H. Seaton had a complaint.. Ho stat'ed that the Railway Department had not advertised excursion rates for Industries Week to tho same extent as they advertised excursion rates for races. In the case of a raco meeting placards were posted up at every railway station. In this case, nothing of that kind had been done, and many people in tho country did Hot know what, was going on. ' The secretary stated that the Department had advortised in the city newspapers. Mr. Seaton still thought that moro might have been done. The secretary (Mr. H. F. Allen) read a very comprehensive report on the progress of the scheme, which, ho stated, was proving a great success. The same might bo said of the result in Canterbury. There was a diversity of opinion as to whether it would prove advantageous to hold New Zealand Industries Week on the same dates in each city. Opinion was still divided, but personally he thought that tho opinion of tho manufacturers' should decide the point for tho future. opinion of a large majority of manufacturers was that different dates should bo selected in future, in ■ order that an opportunity for exchanging exhibits might be made. The shop window exhibition Was unique in New Zealand, but a similar display was held in Australia annually. At tho same time, an exhibition of Australian manufactures was held in the Exhibition building, Melbourne. All was there conducted _ under . tho auspices oJ tho Australian Natives Association. Locally displays wore being held at ' tlie Lower Hutt, at Palmorston North, Ormondville, and Dannevirko. He had received lot■•ters from each of the places mentioned, and sent window bills, cards, and every information. It was to the advantage of working men to support local industries in every way, because they would bo assisting in the matter of keeping many in constant employment. New Zealand would prove to be practically a self-supporting country, if its pcoplo wore only patriotic enough. Everything from a button io a billiard table, railway engine or sea-going steamboat," was manufactured in this country. Several surprises had been caused to Wellington people this week by seeing amongst the exhibits stained-glass windows and a church rercdos. Lately, the Technical School had, been fitted up . with muffel ovens for enamelling and stained-glass work, , and excellent designs and executed work had been seen in Wellington by tho Association's visiting committees. Tho thanks of tho Association v.'ero duo to tho Now' : Zealand Government for assisting by running excursion trains on two days during the wool;, and also to the' Mayor and 1 City Councillors' for allowing'streamers to bo carried on the locally-made traracars. Such had boon tho success of. the week's display that he felt sure that the Association would favour an annual display of New Zealand manufactured goods. Ho believed that the movement' would spread to every city in tho Dominion,, and he honed that'it would; be tho means of many more, branches of ; tho Industrial Corporation of >Ncw Zealand being formed. In conclusion; ho made a strong appeal to,-manufacturers to join -tho Association in order that their industries might benefit. ' . . 1 Mr. .'Allen also submitted a detailed list of Now Zealand's principal industries, with tho number of hands employed in each instance, wages paid, and approximate value of buildings and plant. Tho total number of industries, according.. ,to , the'."-census . .of 190(5,'wan 1186; number of hands employed, 56,359; amount of wages paid, for the year, £4,457,619 ;" approximate value of buildings. ■. land, machinery, and plant (excluding value of Crown lands), £12;509,286. '• A vote of thanks was. passed to tho secretary fgr his report. • In replying, Mr. Allen stated that he intended to, go through the city , and make ,i complete list of all 'the objects ■ displayed, with their approximate value. ' It was decided to thank the shopkeeper! and their Association for the onthusiasn with which they have assisted'; -in the scheme. ■ ' •Mr. Seaton. stated that 157 shops • hac made, displays. Most" of - the shopkeeper! spoke-very .well, of the business which" thoj had done. - Mr., S. S. Williams complained of tin placards given to shopkeepers, which,) hi said, wore more like mustard plasters 1 thai anything else, and would not improve thi appearance of anybody's window.\ Mr. Seaton admitted that the predominnn yellow gave something of the ( appearance o I a town under quarantine. Yellow was a goo( conspicuous colour, but something bette: mieht' bo found next time. It was reported that ono manufacture had paid £20 for the' use of a. window fo tho week. In connection with the essays-competi tion,, it was stated that one boy had sen in six essays: It Was reported that most of the oxhibit will be on display for a second week. Th exhibition of work at. tho Technical Sclioo has been well patronised to date.

NEW ZEALAND-CANDLE COMPANY. A very large proportion of the candles used in Now Zealand ,arc locally mado, and in this manufacture the New Zealand Candle Company takes no inconsiderable part. Without question, some of the best candles on the market are locally made. Anyone inspecting tho fine exhibit in Mr. W. Campboll's window at .Manners', fj'.reet will bo quickly convinced'of tho excellence of tho l)ominion-mado candles. The.'window exhibit is a very attractive one, and comprises rows. of candles, beautifully arranged;: and of. various colours. There are also shown bottled samples of tallow, before and after operating, distilled stearine and crude glycerine, oxtracted from tallow. The whoio forms a very creditable and conspicuous display. ■ _ ' . A Dominion representative went to Kaiwarra and was shown over the factory by the manager (Mr. E. Bull). He was initiated into the intricacies of caudle-making, a's fully as time would permit. Tlie first process is tho conversion of tallow into stearine. The tallow is melted from the cask, then, blown by steam into huge vats on the upper floor, where the extraction of tho glycerine by chemical process takes place. After this, the material is distilled—allowed to cool. It is then put through very powerful hydraulic presses, which treatment extract's tho Olein oil and thus is obtained the "pressed' stearine," which is then ready to be made into candles. The New Zealand Candle Company make five qualities of stearino candles, v-rv fro:" IT? to 127 degrees Fahr. These brands are known as "Premier," "Neva," •usburne,'' • uji:i.imi "Milling," and '■ "Mining" (improved). Tho brands ' of the paraffin and oompo'sito candles made are "British Sperm," "French Sperm," "Universal Wax," " Excelsior Paraffin," "Apollo Sperm," and "Venus." Then tliero are fancy candles—" Venus" (coloured fluted), "Piano" (coloured), "Piano" (yellow wax). "Bedroom" (French sporm), "Bedroom" (best stearine), 1 " Bedroom" (yellow coat), and tho "Carriage" candle, the latter being quite a speciality. The company's " British Sperm" candle won tho burning competition which was hold in Greymouth in November, 1902. The "Apollo Sperm" candle has won great praise, and is held in tho highest respect by the V\'.est Coast minors. v Coming into the moulding. room, the reporter was shown several vats of various sizes, somo holding two tons of material. It is hero that tho paraffin wax and stearine is molted, after which it is purified and allowed to settle. When ready, it is transported into . the moulds, in tho centro of which runs tho wick. There aro about a dozen of' theso candle-moulding machines, but tho company has just imported one of the latest machines of that description at more than double, tho cost of the old o;ies. It is an improvement jjevexal 'ways, and it moulds 200 candlos;

simultaneously, whereas the old ones do 96 each. Tho machine arrived.:by .the Athenic a fortnight ago as a sample;'and if-satisfac-tory a Dumber trill be-ordered-and-the old ones consigned to the, .'scrap •heap.,. The wicks look simple enough,-.but-.after.'they.ar-rive from England, they..'have-;,to undergo' a chemical process to overcome tho - disadvantage and annoyance'.:of..spluttering.A couple of men take the finishing candles out of the'moulds, and then the work of packing, begins, and tho packers' deft and rapid-fin-gers quickly sort them in sixes, and tnoy are wrapped up in a fraction of time. They are then labelled and boxed; and/ready for putting on tho. drays for removal. ■•■■■ Beyond all question,'-the company, is turning out a first-class article, and there is not tho slightest reason why New Zcalanders should not- foster local industry, and at the same time do themselves a good turn.

THE GEAR MEAT, COMPANY,.; Among tho many exhibits'connected • with the Local Industries. week tho display by the Gear Meat Company is perhaps .as interesting as any. It is hot. quite an easj.. matter to inako an attractive display; oi. pelts, wool, neatsfoot oil, , canned meats, extract of beef, and beef-and mutton, still tho employees .have achieved a wonderful success, -and taken altogether, the window exhibit is worthy of the company. Just what Nov Zealand owes to the development of the meat industry can never he fully, estimated, and almost from the first the Gear Meat Company has taken a prominent place in developing the industry. 'The Gear Company is known through the length and breadth of New Zealand, and the Gear brand of canned meats is well known in tho markets of the United Kingdom. The-remarkable- success of the Gear Company reflects the utmost credit on the management, and is a tribute to the business men who , have controlled and directed its affairs. .

Ii is a trite saying and a true one, that "Gear meat is a treat to eat," fresh,' frozen, or canned, there is. the same uniform excellence of quality. No matter what the article, if it carries the Gear brand, it is good, and ii is this strenuous effort, to maintain quality all through that has so largely helped in the ..progress of the company. Besides quality, purity and wholesomcness are essential with such a food product, and tho Gear Company takes 110 risks in this connection. The company takes tho same care in selection that tho most exacting of housewives could take. Every ounce of meat handled at the works, whether for freezing, for local consumption, or. for canning, must pass tho strict and careful inspection of qualified veterinary officors, appointed, paid by and'under the immediate control of tho New- Zealand Government. Anyone visiting the Gear. Meat Works st Petono will be impressed with Abe fact thati cleanliness is carried to-tho extreme; ~ About 2,01)0,000 gallons of water, hot and. cold, are used up every day on the average, and no matter when tho operations ceaso, early or late,'the cleaners immediately.'set to work and have the'place thoroughly 'and fresh for the next day.'s, operations. .Immaculate cleanliness and perfect sanitation prevail in every corner in every department of the great works. Is it „any. wonder, with all the care taken in.selection,, with.all the care

takci in preparation,- -that tho Gear brand should bo so favourably'known and appre-J ciated? ' ' ' i In Chicago, the Porkopolis of the United States, it'.is claimed that-nothing is wasted of .the'hog .but tho squeal, and :it may Jbo said of tho Gear Company that nothing is wasted at their works except: the bleat of the sheep. It is by multiplying the number of by-products and turning everything into. account that tho company* is able,' year after year, to nay its shareholders handsome dividends. It is only those on-the inside who kno.v what close attention is necessary ,to keep the machinery of; so'largo an undertaking going at a profit.'/'-'-Sueh concerns have to work, to a very close-margin, and oftentimes that margin represents sixpence and' less per sheep. A losiTis'.as easily made_ as a profit, as most shareholders: of. freezing companies must know-by >now. 'It -is unncc-. iessary to go into the plant, and machinery of ilie-companv; it is sufficient ■to say 1 that they are mora than enual to' all the requirements of-to-day, and for a ■"long -time to cornel . Nor yet. is it:of. nny special importance to present statistical data' of the I company's operations, for they are consistently largo and conspicuously successful. Of its' frozen meat exports," or of its. ship-. ments, of wool and by-products, inothing need bo said, but the company has r. large local trade which is of considerable' interest. As butchers the company; supplies a'good deal of the fresh meat consumed in Wellington and suburbs, its five, retail shops doing an immense business. • The company also does ■a-big Now Zoaland trade; in canned meats,, of which it produces' a, splendid variety. Every can of-meat lias ,to pass a, special tost, .which is a secret:.of.,.tho company,: as also are some of tho proposes-of;m.anui-*.Cr tnre. Gear extract of meat' is very good, and the proof of that is found'in the fact that the company can scarcely !keep pace, with the demand. The potted pastes .and soups aro also excellent, s-and we know positively that the Gear brand is' produced under the strictest sanitary conditions. ,

trotman's; ; \ . Opposite the Government Buildings, on the Quay, .is Trotman's. What boy in the neighbourhood of the big. woodeii building is there who can unblushingly state that ho does not know Trotman's?, Can ho saythat he has never halted by its white front, and gazed with bulging eyes and watering mouth at the'wealth displayed to view in Trotman's windows ? v Will he deny that he has oven flattened his nose against the selfsame windows? Within Trotman's are the .Elysian . Fields. All' this without a wordconcerning the attraction which Trotman's has for the boy. Mr. Trotman is a coiifcctioncr, and during "Industries Week" has availed himself of the opportunity for making a special display of his locally-manufac-tured confections. His "made in Now Zealand" window shows what; an' enterprising manufacturing confectioner can do, when, he possesses, the knowledge, the skill, and/the means for producing endless varieties 'of sweets. Tliero is to be seen the "loilie" in every conceivablo form of , attraction. Chocolates, jujubes, toffee—slabs of it, sticks of it, hunks of it—caramels in their little paper parcels, milk "kisses," otc. The stoutest will becomes the merest-'vacillation when once the boy (or girl—girls are human) is inside Trotman's. "I want threc-pen-north of —um —or " and ho gapes distractedly at what lies before him. Tho "Loilie" has kept paco-with other products in the march of civilisation. In the days of. our grandmothers, or,;to' bo quite safe, our great grandmothers, tho standard delicacy for the "sweet-tooth" was ■ toffee— black, stick—jawey,; and. delightful. Nowadays, of the'making of "lollies" tliero is no end, and infinite variety. Contrast a chunk of tho good old stick-jaw, which stuck to the teeth "like death to. a diseased African'," with' the delectable." Turkish.Delight," Which is sold in square, solid-looking chunks, .sugarcoated, but which, alas,- 'stays in tlie mouth but a'moment, and is gone, leaving oil the palate a sense of vanished delight. In the foregoing we have held Trotman's responsible for the "boy," but'thero is ; more than boy to report upon. .A 'mail,'after all,. is but- a grown-up boy, with _the responsibilities. of maturer years, but with a sneaking regard and a hankering % after the pleasures of youth. It. is more so 'with .Woman. Sho does not smoke—at least, wo believo so— and hence a shop like Trotman's is, her undoing. Men who smoke do iiot as a'rule eat many confections, but there is a tide in tho affairs/even of smokers, which, -taken .at tho flood, loads on to matrimony. "Lollies" conio in handy then. .

. THE, " C.M.C;; LTD." " C.M.C., Ltd.," stands' for; the Cliristchureh Meat Company, Ltd.;. of Islington, Christchurch, Smithlield/iWoodville, Oamaru, Picton, and. Burnside. The company's exhibit of the celebrated " ALorepork " braiid of bacons, hams, etc., has already been mentioned in', this column, and it now remains to add a word or two concerning other .branches of its activity. ■ What-theso branches aro is well and .strikingly demonstrated in its/exhibit in Mr. Wm. Campbell's shop' in Manners Street. This display goes far to show what industries of this naturo are producing from tho products of tho laud. The variety of canned and potted meats, beef and mutton in various forms, the . C.M.C." , brand pheeps' tongues, sausages, brawn, potted

head, poultry, put up in various forms, mak" ing innumerable table .delicacies. Tho company secured six gold medals for excellency for the exhibit shown at tho Crystal Palace Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London in 1905. Oho of the exhibits worthy of special, mention is tile meat extract of guaranteed purity put'up in white porcelain jars. All the products of this company bear tho Government veterinary inspector's signature,' stating the contents are from meat killed under his inspection and supervision.

THE " EMPIRE " PACKING COMPANY. In Birmingham, so it is said, we may buy anythiug from a needle to an anchor*' At Messrs. W/ and G. Turnbiill and Co.'s, in whose building on tho . water front are situated the various departments of the business of the Empire Packing Co., it is possible to obtain anything from a pinch cf salt to, say, a pound of the choicest tea, a jar of oxtra special pickle, or anything which the fancy of an epicure might select as tho pinnacle, tho summit, the creme-dc-la-creme of dplectablo condiments. .In Mr. T. P. Coveney's grocery storo in Cuba-Street, Messrs. -Turnbull and Co. have a special display."ofcertain 'Well-known, household, lines. ;In 0110 of; the windows there is a "Royal" exhibit, showing. certain articles' bearing tho standard brand "Royal" on tho .wrappings.. Tho' 1 other window is, reserved for "Empire" brand exhibits. Both exhibits afford a-striking display. Here is a mid. of'"Royal" blue, there a stand of the firm's famous "Dragon" coffee. Pickles,' sauces, blacking, teas, castor oil, and an assortment of other products which form part of tho enormous output of tho' Empire Packing Co. To enumerate but a few of the household and cookery necessities supplied by tho company-there'might be mentioned, an addition to the foregoing,' anchovies, baking powder, curry,. egg, custard, and pudding powders, dessicated cocoanut, flavouring essences, jelly crystals and. tablets, washing fluids, furniture and lino-; leum creams, knifo powder, extract ofrsoap, Chinese laundry • glaze, etc. :