WOODEN TOYS IN FAVOUR

Southland Times, Issue 24573, 23 October 1941, Page 6

WOODEN TOYS IN FAVOUR

Factory For Local Demand In a month or two parents will begin to think about Christmas presents—something interesting and not too expensive—for theix - children. Never an easy problem to decide the choice has been made harder since the war began. Most of the little fancy novelties such as motor-cars, ships and aeroplanes with spring engines and the scores of variations on the general theme will be missing from the shop counters this Christmas. Consequently it has become necessary to turn to New Zea-land-made articles to fill the Christmas stocking. Wooden toys, it is said, are regaining the popularity they used to enjoy in the days when toys did not have to be complicated and up-to-the-minute contraptions to be received by children with shouts of joy on Christmas morning. It is to meet this demand that a children’s wooden-toy factory has been started in Invercargill. It is nothing pretentious, but the wooden rabbits and hobby-horses, locomotives and other presents it is turning out should delight the heart of any youngster. Painted in the bright colours that give toys- their glamour in juvenile eyes, they will help many parents to solve the gift problem. SOLID CONSTRUCTION The locomotives, fox - example, are solidly constructed and by the look of them should stand any amount of knocking about that must be allowed fox - in a child’s plaything. Finished in red and black lacquex - with silver - funnels, with a capacious if slightly unorthodox built-in tender to provide freight space, they run on eight strong wheels and do not need rails. Then there are hobby-horses in dappled grey, tip-lorries which really do tip efficiently, aeroplanes, handcarts, wheelbarrows and so on. The wheelbarrows run in sizes from 2ft to 3ft in length. The largest models could hold quite a lot of spoil and fathers who think their - offspring should help a little in the garden on Saturday afternoons may find it a good idea to hint to Father Christmas to drop one of these borrows down the chimney on Christmas Eve. The hopping rabbits are of simple yet interesting design. The front axle runs through holes /lot in the centre of the wheels and thus when the rabbit is propelled along his head bobs up and down. PATENTED TARGET GAME One of the most popular of the wooden toys will be a target game patented by the manufacturer. Skewerlike arrows are fired through a toy cannon by means of an elastic band, either at a single, plain target or at a target with a row of holes under each of which are the various points the competitor gets fox - scoring. Children’s cradles and safety swings are among other articles being made. The joiner’s moefern machinery makes short work of the hundreds of rabbits and horses’ heads and elongated bodies for hobby-horses and other designs. A few minutes with the power driven fret-saw and lathe and away goes the toy part to be painted with the spray-gun. Rows of rabbits, or other parts are placed in readiness and down the line goes the. man with the paint-sprayer and the job is done. The parts are painted first and later put together. It is interesting work and provides a sidelight on the ingenuity of local manufacturers to substitute for imported goods now unprocurable. The demand is growing. The manufactui’er says merchants and retailers and the general public are taking, all he can produce. From now until Christmas he will be hard at it, he says.