Modern Appliances Now In Use In Local Businesses

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 February 1950, Page 3

Modern Appliances Now In Use In Local Businesses

From the achievements of science in war-time have come many appliances which have been of immense benefit to the world. . These appliances have made their appearance in many skilled trades, and one of the latest is the “watch master,” an astounding little machine which can diagnose in 30 seconds the loss or gain of a watch over a 24-hour period, as well as diagnosing any me- ■ chanical faults. i The “watch master”—there are perhaps only a half-dozen of them 1 in New Zealand —has made its appearance in a Greymouth jeweller’s ; shop. It is a machine which indicates that the magic of electronics has entered a new field. Through the “watch master,” even the daintiest wrist watch “writes” in a matter of seconds on a chart the record of its performances over a 24-hour period. And all this is linked with one of the greatest inventions of the I war. I Precision Bombing During the war the utmost pre- • cision was required to assure pinpoint bombing accuracy. Today the identical basic timing standard used in testing bomb sights is used to check, by means of the “watch master,” a watch when repair work is completed. The same instrument can diagnose any mechanical trouble in timepieces. Several other appliances of the very latest type have appeared in various shops in Greymouth. An innovation to the Coast _is the X-ray plant which is now being used for fitting shoes in a Greymouth footwear shop. This plant is the latest of its type, and should add to the customer’s confidence in making his selection of a pair of shoes.- The shoe is placed on the foot, and by the operation of the X-ray plant, the customer can see his own foot inside the shoe, with a clear view of the suitability of the length and width of the shoe. Excellent fitting should result. There is no possibility of anyone ’receiving an X-ray burn as there is no over-exposure and safety devices make the machine, which is portable, i almost foolproof. Frock Presser I To women the latest installation in ’ a dry-cleaning depot will be of interest. An American machine —there are only a few of them in the country—the apparatus is used for pressing frocks, and, if necessary, stretching them. Previously all work had to be done with steam-pressers, which was a longer procedure and was not producing results comparable with those of the new automatic machine. A press of the foot on a pedal blows . steam throughout the garment, and then there is another pedal which when pressed is instrumental in drying the steam off the garment. Garments of any size can be fitted on the machine and lost shape is quickly returned after the garment has had its “testing” on the machine. There is every check against shrinkage. , . .