IMPORTANT NEW INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17651, 11 December 1920, Page 10

IMPORTANT NEW INDUSTRY.

(Published by ■ Arrangement.)

HATS, BASKETS, AND SEAGRASS FURNITURE. The establishment of a new industry is. a matter of great importance at any time, but when it opens up an avenue of profitable and enjoyable employment for disabled ex-soldiers, who are unable to follow their pre-war avocations, the event ij fraught with extraordinary interest. Such an industry is that of Mr. C. V. McKenzie, hat, basket, tray, and seagrass furniture manufacturer, of Upper Symonds Street, whose business is rapidly increasing to large dimensions. Mr. McKenzie himself is a returned soldier. He returned from the war in7>l9lß, and it was while lying ill in hospital that the idea came to him of starting the industry which is now proving so yery successful. He inaugurated the business in a small way in the Strand Arcade in 1918, and it has made such rapid progress that now there are twenty-five soldier employees alone, in addition to which there is a staff of girls to do work that demands the feminine touch. The soldiers, many of them suffering from extremely severe wounds, have sometimes to go back to hospital for further .treatment, and at the-* present time no less than nine men are absent on account of this. "" Their places are kept open for them, and in the meantime, if there is no more soldier labour offering, young women are employed.

A visit to Mr. McKenzie's factory, ■which is situated at 178, Upper Symonds Street, convinces one of the important nature of his industry and bi the support ■which it is justly entitled to receive from the general public. The factory is on the first floor of the building, occupied by the Auckland Co-operative Society, and access is gained by a lane running from Upper Symonds Street down the side of the building. Entering the main workroom one sees the soldiers busily engaged in their occupation of weaving ladies' and'children's straw hats, of many shapes and sizes. The process of manufacture is simple, yet exceedingly interesting. The material is first worked on a hat frame on a revolving table. When the* skeleton of the hat is completed, the edging is finished off in a perfectly uniform manner by means of a patent plaid, the invention of Mr. McKenzie himself. This is a very valuable process, as it places the article turned out by the factory on a superior standard to that of the imported hat. The hat is then turned off in the rough state, and is put into any shape whatever i by means of the blocking process. After this, the hat is ready for the market. Other departments of the factory are the manufacture of baskets, trays, and seagrass furniture. The baskets are of the favourite boat and pumpkin shapes, which are beautifully made . and have achieved a reputation throughout New Zealand. The trays'are dainty affairs, extremely useful in" the home, and "there is a strong demand for them. The seagrass furniture, in which comfortable chairs and luxurious couches are the principal articles, .is characterised by the use of the very best material available and by expert workmanship. Mr. McKenzie extends a cordial invitation to the general public to inspect his factory and see for themselves the work that is being done there. His premises will be open to anybody and everybody between two and four o'clock 'in the afternoon until further notice. A special-showroom has been fitted up and the display of hats will be of particular ■interest to ladies. Visitors will have the opportunity of purchasing at very moderate rates any of the articles manufactured on the premises. Agencies for the factory are distributed in -various parts of the city and suburbs. A list of them is as Whitcombe and Tombs Limited, Queen Street (baskets only) S^ t -„L otherSl Queen Street; Mrs' ONeiU, Broadway, Newmarket; M. and M Worsley, Epsom; Mrs. Smith, Star Hotel Buildings, Newton. In addition there are agencies throughout the Dominion.

The claim of Mr. McKenzie's factory to the generous support of the public cannot be too strongly emphasised. One feature is that all the soldier employees are trainees under the Government repatriation scheme, and that the Department has paid Mr. McKenzie the tribute of saying that he has done more to heln the most serious cases along than any other employer in .the-Dominion. The Department too, is entitled to share in the credit for the success of the venture Do DO j forget the address: 178, Upper Symonds Street, over the Auckland Cooperative Society's store.