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130
through windows on the opposite side of the room. When the drying
process is completed, the finished skins are taken downstairs to the
ground floor where they are cut into strips of varying width, according
to the type of belting required. The lengths are spliced together to
form a belt of any length required. The cotton belt: the process of
cotton belt-making is carried out in one of the three-storey buildings.
The material is obtained from Lancashire, arriving as a canvas, in
bales. This is cut into the required width by machines on the top floor,
the width varying according to the strength of belt required, 1, 2 or
3-ply or more as required. This long strip material now passes to the
next floor, where 22 power sewing machines are installed. Here they
are sewn together in spaces about an inch apart. They are then
removed to the ground floor, where they are steeped in a preserving
coloured material. The belt is first placed in a large tank in the
coloured material, then passes through rollers, the pressure of which
impregnates the fibres of the belt with the preservative.
The lighting and ventilation throughout are excellent. There are
numerous windows, which equal at least one-third of the floor space.
The upper floors are lit by skylights, which are made to open to facilitate
ventilation. The same principle holds good in the one-storey workshops.
The general cleanliness of the workshops is excellent. The
workshop in which the wet process is carried out has a well-paved
floor, which drains into channels. No accumulation of water was found
on the floor. Ten w.c's. are provided for the male employees; these
are in one range in the yard and are of the trough type. This pattern
is, no doubt, obsolete, but the conveniences are very well kept and are
amply flushed automatically. The men's urinals are of slate, with a
tarred surface. Here, as in similarly constructed surfaces, we found a
heavy deposit of urates in need of treatment with acid, and this despite
the fact that the surface is washed every morning with hot water. The
female accommodation is situated on the first floor: it consists of three
w.c's. of pedestal type, each in a separate well-ventilated compartment.
There are two lavatory basins and one sink for the females. For the
office staff there is one lavatory and one w.c. for the females, and two
w.c's. and one lavatory for the men; all of these are of modern construction.
As a whole, the buildings gave us an impression of space,
loftiness and security : the doors of the different floors were approached
by wide iron staircases.