THE CLEANSING ART

NZ Truth, Issue 868, 15 July 1922, Page 8

THE CLEANSING ART

"Truth" Pays a Visit To The Victoria Laundry

Laundries, as an industry, were a sealed book to the writer of this article until he\recently availed himself of an opportunity to inspect the Victoria Laundry Op.'s big works m Hanson Street, Wellington South. Previously, the mention \of the word conjured up either visions;., of red-faced and redarmed elderly', females bending over wash-tubs m a steamy atmosphere, and persplringly turning mangles (with the accent on the "mangle"), or of übiquitous celestials performing mysterious rites over shirts and collars m an odoriferous den. But after visiting the Victoria Laundry Co.'s plant m Hanson Street, our ideas on laundries have been revised and brought up-to-date, for up-to-date is the only word to describe all the wonderful things we saw there.

First of all we met Mr.W. Naismith, the managing director, and he said "Come and see our boilers." Boilers, it seems, are an essential industry so far as the modern laundry plant is concerned. . Steam is an indispensable adjunct to a steam latmdry plant — everything seems to be done by it and the Victoria Laundry Company is justly proud of the pair of huge Babcock automatic feed boilers, which

. COST £10,000 TO INSTAL, and are big enough .to drive an ocean liner. We -were very impressed with those boilers.

Then Mr. Roberts, the manager of the factory, took us m hand, and themarvels commenced. First of all we saw. the largest cake of soap m New Zealand — the company makes its own soap, and the six- ton .chunk we saw looked good enough to eat — -pure and glistening , and white as driven snow. The battery, of washing machines then engaged our attention. Large gleaming brass affairs, the clothes are placed m them, what time they whirl round to the accompaniment of superheated steam and are so ingeniously constructed inside that no harm can come to the fabric. Taken, out of tho washing machines the water is extracted from the clothes m other machines by centrifugal force. At thi3 Btage the clothes are separated. Woollens, etc., go to the drying rooms, where they hang on racks m a steamheated atmosphere and dry without any danger of shrinkage.

Clothes other than wearing apparel, such as table and bed linen, towels, etc., are taken to the mammoth* ironer, or super-machine — steam-heated, of course, and of massive proportions, which' puts the domestic washlady right

BACK TO THE STONE-AGE

for efficiency. We saw deft damsels feeding thousands of articles into this machine, and at •'the other end, damsels just as deft, receiving them, ironed, aired, spotlessly clean and ready to be returned to. the customer. The Victoria Laundry Company collects laundry, from hotels, institutions, shipping, etc., twice a day, arid returns the articles, ready for re- use, the same morning or afternoon. Can you beat that?

However, let us on. We were only able to give a glance at the steam damper, for damping down " clothes, and the crimping machine, which irons the fancy tucks Into fancy thingummy bobs and what-yotf-may-call-'ems, with lightning speed and mathematical exactitude, for the collar depart-, went was calling us. Let us say right here that the Chow is not going to murder our collars any more after this. The collar-finishing machinery is surely the last word ih ingenuity. Sonsie lassies nonchalantly feed the

ctean. but limp material, a dozen at a time, under a clever machine which reduces first one side and then the other to a state of starchy whiteness, flawlessly glossy. Turn-down collars require to #o through twelve operations before the Victoria Laundry Company is satisfied. The centre seam is treated to prevent rough edges, due to cracking, and then another machine moulds the collar to, the neck, conferring upon it a comfortable rounded-top edge. Finally, the collars go to the airing machine and thence to the sorting room. The company handles 15,000 collars <per week. The sorting department, large; airy, bright and spacious, like, the rest of the plant, rather reminds one of a section of the G.P.O. Here, by systematic handling, the parcels are made up for despatch to the company's many depots m the city. A special section, whose motto is "quick and busy" caters for hotel guests and travellers whose washing comes m and goes out the same day. Leaving the laundry we passed to the dye-house. This is run m conjunction with the company's up-to-date hat-blocking and dry-cleaning plant, m charge of Mr- W. Wills. The dry-cleaning process really deserves a column of descriptive matter alone The word "dry-cleaning" is perhaps a. m'snomer, for the process commences by placing the suits, coats, costumes, etc., m a benzine washing machine. Here for an hour and a-half they are revolved until every stain and particle of dirt has been removed from the garments. The proof of this is the color of the once-transparent benzine as it leaves the machine. It is then inky black. While the benzine goes 'away to be redistilled to purity, the garments are placed m an extractor, whicft, by centrifugal force, removes all the benzine. Then they go to the tumbler, where they are "tumbled" to the accompaniment of

1 A BLAST OF WARM AIR, and this removes all trace of smell ■of the cleaning agent. The clothes are then trucked to the renovating department, where a staff of expert tail - oresses examine them and effect any repairs. (This department is now being', used by many of Wellington's leading tailoring establishments.) Everything made ship-shape, the garments go to the pressing departments, where they are introduced to the very wonderful Hoffman presses. Briefly, the garments are placed between two superimposed surfaces which come together 1 at the pulling over of a magic lever, i the while jets of superheated steam rush through the cushion- iik«s surface of. the press, and through the garment. Then, before . the pressure is released, a vacuum is created and the steam vanishes, likewise every particle of fluff and dust or germ that may still , be m the garment, even supposing any of such could survive the hour-and-a-half m the benzine washer- The splendid finish the Hoffman press gives to a garment can be best

;'•■■{! by the big business the company has done since these clever machines were installed. Everybody who has a suit dry-cleaned by the Victor! x Laundry Cp/s process becomes a walking talking advertisement of its Virtues. After a garment passes through the hands of the skilled . operator at the Hoffman press it looks a^ good as new — some say better.

. The hat-blocking department, m the same building, is another branch of the company's business which 1b kept very busy. Hats are not only reblocked, but, if necessary, re- shaped.

The hats arrive m dilapidatedlooking heaps, most of them hardly appearing to be worth the proverbial ''cuss". They go out unrecognisably spick »'and span. After being drycleaned the leathers are examined and renewed if required — the company is the only one m New Zealand which manufactures its own hat-leathers. Then skilled blocker9 remould them "nearer to the heart's desire," fecalcitrahtly limp brims are made to buck up and keep their shapes and the contour of the crown is also made to behave itself. Under steam" treatment the nap ia made to form fours and march m line again with a glossy sheen, and, hey-presto! there you are. It should be mentioned that the.company manufactures its "own boxes on the premises, so that altogether . the Victoria Laundry Company can pride itself on being a self-contained industry. The company affords facilities to customers who live outside Weir lington. j&ranches and depots have now been opened m several other North Island towns.*