OUR EXHIBITION LETTER.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 125, 16 March 1881, Page 3

OUR EXHIBITION LETTER.

BY COSMOPOLITAN. Thb Exhibition obounds.— A Gbber goddess.— The Sono or thb Shi st. — More laboob-savinci inventions. - —-Thb light-running Standard. — Simplicity and capacity. — Thb - perfection op mechanism. — Messrs Moss, Whitjs and Go's awards— -Thb rival or Bacchus— Another aboriginal racb dying OUT— CHpICB_nBANDSr=rT_UI - Ax.<— i A pirm; to rkmembbb. The Exhibition grounds have been thrown open to the public on Sundays, and , tbe residents m the neighborhood already realise the truth ofj the proverb that it is an ill wind that brings no | one any good, for one result of the Exhibition to them is tbe possession of what is fast becoming an admirable publicigarden. The flowers, under Mr gangster's care, are all the hot season will allow; the grass is of the greenest, and the presence of two or three sheets of waiter form attractive oases, m which the building glasses itself whenever the water is sufficiently clear. There is a Utile tree covered island on one of the lakes, and a cast of the marble statue pf of Venus, found m the. Baths of Claudius, at jOsti, partially undraped, glimmers through the trees, suggesting the idea that she is about to lave her classic limbs m j the cool pelucid lakelet. But that w>hld be highly indecorous I' Lest any short sighted, or otherwise . vidonslly imperfect individuals should mil into any erroi, let us here assure them that it is but a plaster east of the Greek divinity. When Thomas Hood wrote his famous "Song of the Shirt," the burthen of is the lamentation over: dear,' food and cheap labor^ it never entered into his fervid imagination that, m a few years' time a device, consisting of polished steel, automatic m action, light and elegant m appearance —a piece of handsome furniture, m fact— would take' the place of the poor seamstress, and " sticb,"— stitch— stitch, 1 " band, and gusset, and seam, mechanically; from morn and eve, without I fingers to grow weary and worn, or eyelids to grow heavy and red, or. heart to grow sick, or brain to swim, or tears to shed. Suoh an invention as the sewing machine could never have had birth m any country bur j America, where a deficient labor supply imposed that necessity, which is the mother bf invention. _ The., number of. lab^r saving inventions perfected by our American cousins is one of the most interesting and remarkable features of the nineteenth century. Sewing machines have been. followed by pea shelters, cherry stoners, egg beaters, potato peelers, cucumber slicers, and all kinds of automat tic domestic helps m small household matters, all tending to make tne wheels .of life run more smoothly and with less friction m that* kingdom where woman r- igns supreme \ /BptT.t^r/jpjrlng machinje is unquestionably tbe most Ymaid all kinfis of small family manufactures. Can be successfully achieved, which other.

wise would be impossile. Amongst the numerous varieties competing for public favor, the Light Running Standard, manufactured by Johnston, Clark and Co., of New York, appears on the whole j to present the largest run of useful and attractive qualities possible to a sewing machine. It claims to be the latest American production of scientific, mechanical and skilled workmanship m the manufacture of sewing machines. In its construction the manufacturers have bad special references to the views of practical operators, and the result is a machine surpassing all others for simplicity, durability and capacity. It embodies new principles, and all real improvements known to the sewing machine art. The " Light-running Standard " has a selfsetting needle, which cannot be set wrong, and is not dependent on a mark on the needle bar, as m the other machines. The " automatic tension," when once properly regulated, will rarely need to be changed; and, as a general rule, the whole range of family sewing can be done without any change of tension , whatever, the tension adapting itself! automatically from fine to coarse thread. A device whereby the bobbin can he wound without running the machine, saves unnecessary wear of the machine, and the trouble of untreading and removing work and attachments while the bobbin is being filled. Also, it has more room under the arm than any other family sewing machine yet introduced — an important feature, giving unusual facilities for doing all kinds of work — and, moreover, a dial for regulating the length of the stitch without testing previous to commencing work. Another feature isthe '« Springtension Shuttle," holding a bobbin that carries a very Urge amount of thread. There is but one hole to thread through, making it the most easily threaded shuttle m use. All the parts are made adjustable, so that " lost motion " from long usage cau be easily taken up. The machine cannot be put out of time unless some part is broken. In the construction of the " Standard,'' the matter of durability has been carefully considered. All the working parts are made of the very best material, and casehardened. It claims to be thebest family sewingmacbine ever invented. Its simplicity of construction is such that it cannot get out of order with fair usage. Another very important feature to those who live far removed from busy cities is that, from its great simplicity, personal instruction is unnecessary,' and the inexperienced cannot fail to use it with pleasure and profit. Unlike some other machines, no fatigue is experienced with the " Lightrunning Standard," however long the user may protract her labours. It runs so easily and noiselessly on account of the peculiar mechanical devices before alluded to ; and the " feed " never fails to perform its duty. It will feed the lightest and heaviest goods With equal precision and will cross seams and hard seams and hard places without changing length ot stitch or missing stitches ; and the selfacting " take-up" permits the operator to use with equal facility the finest to the coarsest thread manufactured, including linen or silk thread, without chafing or breaking. It is specially adapted to the wants not only of the family but of tailors, dressmakers, seamstresses, manufacturers of clothing &c. The large space under the arm, the large bobbin, ease of rung, facilities for threading tbe machine quickly, self-setting needle, automatic tension, device for winding bobbin without running tbe machine, all combine to make the " Standard " the most desirable of all machines for manufacturing and domestic purposes. It is tbe perfection of mechanism for every variety of sewing, from the lightest muslins to the heaviest cloths, performing a greater range of work than other macnines. Since its introduction here, a very large number have been ordered. That no difficulty may be experienced m obtaining them, direct agents have been appointed m all the colonies. The agents for Victoria are W. H. Masters and Co., 55 Little Colli n9-street, Melbourne; for New South Wales, J. W. Johnston and Co., 746 George- street, Sydney ; for South Australia, A. and J. Dobbie, Adelaide; for Queensland, Izatt and Mitchell 146 Queenstreet, Brisbane; for New Zealand, R. Gardner and Co., Lambton Quay, Wellington. Opposite the refreshment bar m the Victorian Court stands a tall and slendtjr classic temple, belonging to Messrs. Moss. White, and Co., 63 Little Queen-street, Melbourne, dedicated to tobacco and cigars. Why has not "the fragrant weed" its divinity, as well as the juicy grape! Bacchus, the god of wine, has bad all sorts of things dedicated to him. He has been painted, and sculptured, and sung to by painters and poets withou* number 1 Why not tobacco? Is there any evidence that tbe Greeks knew not tobacco P Are we to innocently believe the tobacco-god was a >cotcb Highlander ? The statue of Sawney Macbean used to stand at the door of every tobacconist m olden days, attired m the classic kilt (!) the plumed bonnet, the tartan plaid, philabeg and dirk, taking snuff with an idiotic grin, and an air and pose as though representing the Gaplic mythology. But these symbolic statues are now almost an extinct species. Peace be with them t The manufacturer was an artist m his way, but the way was an execrable one. To return to Messrs. Moss, White and Co;, who **«♦ aids to reflection," m the form of their best brands, we highly appreciate, we rejoice to see they have again carried off a first-class award for their cigars made solely of imported leaf. This makes another championship for them against twentyfive! competitors, as only five out of the number from all parts of the world at tbej present exhibition have been thus classified, thus adding to their list of medals previously awarded at the Paris, Dublin, London, and various Melbourne exhibitions. In this establishment the stock of raw material is a geographical study. In the cigar manufacturing department, leaf from all quarters of tbe world can be seen, embracing the growth of Havannab, Java, Sumatra, Manila, Germany. The packages iv whioh this leaf -reaches the colony are also a study - barrels and boxes of strange wood, bales of 'hemp and hair, and buffalo- skins. The firm make cigars of between thirty and •forty different sizes, shapes and qualities, from £4 to £18 per thousand ; their best are, as their merits obtained endorse, equal to aky imported They employ m tins department about 30 men ana 15, boys and igirls, at wages ranging up to 60s ?per week. J*.orae of the men employed are English, some German, and some { American, while many of them are ' wholly colonial,

In the early stage of the cigar manufacturing, the leaf is separated and stemmed, damped, and when nearly dry, rolled up by the fingers into cigars, using an inner and outer wrapper, and the end is gummed to close it ; nothing is added to the tobacco used. Some are made with the aid of wooden moulds. A good workman can make from 1000 to 1200 io a week. When finished they remain m large boxes for some months to dry, then placed m their boxes, and sent out when ripe or dry enough, which is m about three or six months. The boxes are made m the colony, on the firm's .own premises, by a carpenter, from wood imported from Cuba, San Salvador, and other places ; it is preferred to our own cedar on account of a pleasant aroma which it emits. The labels and lace papers, which are placed on and m the boxes, are very pretty, and are also the production of "the colony. Besides cigars, this firm makes plug tobacco, for which they also obtained an award of merit. They also make snuff and cut tobaccos. In these lines they got a first-class merit also. They grind the snuff and cut the tohacco by the aid of a four-horse power engine and a self- feeding cutting machine, with immense guillotine-looking knives. In plug tobacco, this firm makes about ten different shapes of plugs, and som» four different qualities, according to tbe price and material used, the best equal to any imported made tobacco. The machinery and hydraulic presses m tbis department amount m value to some £2000 to £3000 sterling. The hydraulic press presses 300 tons pressure. The plug tobacco is submitted to this weight of pressure to form the plugs sold m the retail shops. They have a Custom-house official always on the premises, and pay a license of *£l 5"0 per annum under the new Tobacco Act. The case m the exhibit above referred to. contains a variety of cut tobaccos, manufactured from imported leaf, also snuffs, cigars, and plug tobaccos and should receive the attention of all persons visiting the Exhibition, showing what can be done m colonial manufactures.