BUSINESS DISLOCATED.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17949, 16 November 1918, Page 7

BUSINESS DISLOCATED.

MANY FIRMS AFFECTED. In reply to an inquiry, the manager of the New Zealand Farmers' Co-oper-ative Association said that the.working of the business was now badly hit, as yesterday morning ut J'* 1 * J ho ,™- tal staffing-practically 000 of the employees-were absentees. We are encouragine tho.ni to stay at home, lie continued. *' if they have any suspicion that they have contracted the ailment. All the place is being sprayed, and a disinfection room is & J^J^St The Ohristchurch factories of the Kaiapoi Woollen SKfiKftS otSrs, be decided to dose all the factories until. Monday *£L The Jor&. *«• **™* *• 8°

to their homes and engage in healthful occupations, and refrain from any congregation in the city. In the meantime the premises will be thoroughly fumigated, and every step will be taken to make them as sweet and wholesome as possible ere the resumption of work. Tho factories of the different clothing companies are becoming more and more shorthanded. Even before the outbreak of this epidemio it was difficult to secure sufficient hands to cope with orders. Wvon going at the highest pressure many firms had an accumulation which meant about six months' work. Now largo numbers of tlie tailoring hands are away from employment, and in the case of the girls it is not only du(e to the faot that they are influenza victims, but large numbers of them, owing to the illness of their mothers, have to stop at homo to attend to the household duties, and care for those who are laid up. ( A visit to the Christohurch Clothing Company disclosed that all possible prevention by the strongly recommended agents of fresh air and sunshine were being thoroughly resorted to. The 6taff of workers here had suffered a further depletion since the previous day's report.

The offices of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company closed down yesterday tiU Wednesday next. Yesterday thero was a shortage of eighteen in the complement of the office staff. A third of the employees of Aulsebrook's Biscuit, Chocolate and Confectionery Manufactory were away from work yesterday. Yesterday there were seventy-three of the iCaiapoi Woollen Company's mill employees absent from work. An inhalation chamber was opened at the mills at Kaiapoi yesterday for the use of the employees and the public.

POSTPONEMENTS. , The following fixtures haVe been postponed owing to the epidemi: : Dominion Boy Scouts' parade, torow ; North Canterbury' Threshing achine Owners' annual meeting, \\ .d----nesday; St John's Young • Peop .-5 a Union sale of work; operetta performance at Upper Riccarton; Methodist Sunday School Union, quarterly meeting, to-day; Defence Rifle Club's competition, to-day; Banks Peninsula Agricultural and Pastoral Association's annual show, Tuesday.

CLOSED DOWN. The following institutions have been closed owing to the epidemic:—Girls' High School, Boys' High School and School of Art, till November 25; Returned Soldiers' Club rooms, indefinitely ; tuberculosis dispensary, Armagh Street, indefinitely; Christchurch Hospital dental department, indefinitely; boarding-house at Christ's College, till December 2.