Page 26 Advertisements Column 1

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIV, Issue 35, 24 December 1886, Page 26

WHOLESALE BOOT FACTORY, South Dunedin. . Retail Shops, main street, south dunedin. Suburban Notes, bt " Rusticus." When walking into town on Friday morning I met Mr. Roughton, boot and shoe manufacturer, Blain Koad, South Dunedin, and after complimentary greetings, he enquired how I found business, to which I made the usual stereotyped reply that the very name of business in these depressed times was only a sham, a delusion, and a snare, and as a matter of fact there was none at all, when he replied, " Come in here," nointing to his manufactory, " and I will show you how the depression, as you call it, affects me." We walked in, and found ten girls as busy as bees, some at sewing ' machines, stitching the uppers of boots of , every kind, t-hape, and size, and others at dif-, ferent kinds of work. From there we went into another room, where a half-dozen young men and kds were also busily engaged at dif- 1 ferent j arts of boots : from thence into an- 1 other, then into a fourth, thence outside intoj a shop where one •' gany " were at it, and then| into another shop where another batch of busy! hands were toiliug away. Mr, Roughton in- j formed me that besides those tha' I saw at work he has fully 20 more working at their own homes, and that he finds constant employment to nearly 70 hands all the year round. On ray asking him how be managed to keep always busy when other factories had their seasons of slackness, and work short hours, his reply was that he was a thoroughly practical workman himself, that he personally superintended the whole business, made it his sole endeavour to supply a first-rate article at such a moderate price, and of such a superior quality, that they advertised themselves, and kept his expenses down to a minimum. Every one on the premises had bis work before him. There were no drones or idlers there, nor would they be tolerated. Of course the newest and best of machinery for cutting and rolling the leather is utilised, and everything in the whole establishment seemed to me to be in apple-pie order, Casual passersby would never imagine, looking at the plain, unpretentious shop, that there was such a hive of industry within its walls. If, however, they would step inside and enquire for the courteous principal, I am certain he would with pleasure show them over the whole of i the premises, and explain to them all the mysteries of the art of boot and shoe manufacturing, as carried on in these latter days ' of ours. I have mentioned before that Mr. Roughton said he kept his expenses down to the lowest minimum. I do mcm by that that he pays small wages, on the contrary, I believe that his tradesmen earn very good wages, fully equal to, if not better, than those paid in other factories, and I also know that ; the utmost pood feeling exists be' ween him j and hiseraplou *, assome of them have been in his service for yeais, and others who previously had left and gone to Victoria and New South Wales are back again with him. I would like to see some more factories employing as many hands in full swing amongst us, and if a little more protection and encouragement were given to local industries, they would soon spring up, and then the depression which we hear so much of at present would take unto itself wings and flee away ; let us hope that tbe day :8: 8 not far distant when sach ' will be the case ; in the meantime let us wish ' more success and business to the enterprising ' proprietor of the boot and shoe factory in Dunedin. And at THE Al BOOT SHOT. Georgi: Street, DuNtuix (Next Carter .V Co., I irapers). iS RAN CI P MX E N A N WINE AND SPIRIT MERCHANT, Wholesale and Retail I'uODUCE AND PROVISION MERCHANT Great King-strket, Dunedin (Opposite Hospital), f a<*h buyer of Oats, Butter and Potatoes. HARP OF ERIN HOTEL 1 QUEENSTOWN. ' Mrs. M'Bride ... Proprietress. The above commodious and comfortable Hotel offers first-class accommodation to Tourists and others visiting the Lake scenery