NEW FACTORY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 204, 30 July 1937, Page 2

NEW FACTORY

EMPLOYMENT FOR SIXTY. PREMISES NEARLY READY. Established in Palmerston North largely through the efforts of the 50,000 Club to promote the development of secondary industries at this centre, new factory premises erected by the firm of Messrs It. and \V. H. Symington and Co., Ltd., for the manufacture of underwear and corsets, are nearly ready for occupation and on Monday, August 9, will open under the supervision of English experts, who will train the staff of 60 or 80 girls required for the factory. Most of the employees will probably be selected from Technical School pupils. The brick-walled factory, with a frontage of 54ft to Grey Street, has a working space of over 4000 square feet, besides auxiliary features, and provision has been made for its extension when circumstances warrant. It has large steel-framed windows admitting the maximum of ventilation and light round two sides of the building and, with a special gas-heating installation, the best of working conditions are being provided. Machinery is now being installed, being mounted on the latest ball-bearing shafting, and for the operation of this there are 32 working spaces. Equipment to be used will include high speed plain sewing machines, twoneedle machines, high-speed over-edge machines for seaming, and elastic-fitting machines. The head office of Messrs R. and W. H. Symington, Ltd., is situated at Market Harborough, an « Old AVorld country market town in the heart of England, where corset manufacture has been carried on by this company since it started in 1856. To-day it employs 2000 people in its head factory alone, and also has additional factories at Peterborough, Rugby, Manchester, and Ipswich in which a further 2000 are employed. Owing to the increase in the firm’s business in Australia, and the desirability of starting manufacturing there, a party of pioneer workers went from England to Melbourne in 1921. After 15 years of successful business, the factory in Melbourne has increased to over 600 employees, and only recently further extensions- have been completed, making it one of the best equipped and most up-to-date factories in Australia.

Early in 1934 it was decided to open a factory in New Zealand under the direction of Mr G. F. Youngs, for many years the New Zealand representative of R. and AV. H. Symington and Co., Ltd., who had travelled to England to negotiate with the English directors and make final arrangements for the initial start in AA 7 ellington. In August of that year six expert girls set sail for AA’ellington, to be the nucleus of the factory staff there, and they have instructed New Zealand girls in the work of this constantly expanding industry, until to-day 80 girls are engaged in the factory in AA’ellington. Four months behind in the fulfilment of orders, owing to the pressure on its manufacturing facilities, the firm decided to establish another factory, and. after investigating the possibilities of several centres in the North Island, chose Palmerston North as the most favourable site, owing to its geographical position and rapid growth. Instead of returning to England in the meantime, the original six factory experts are remaining to instruct the Palmerston North employees in the manufacture of the firm’s products. It is a compliment to the industrial efficiency of Palmerston North that the firm has elected to begin operations here as the first centre outside of AVellington. Its activities will be an acquisition to the commercial life of the city, besides providing congenial and well-paid employment for a large number of girls, whose services are now being engaged.