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65
disinfector is made here (a point of much interest to us), and this
apparatus is installed in many hospitals and disinfecting stations
throughout the Empire.
Another industry which has just begun here is the production and
making of gramophone records, of which more will be said below.
There is a large and well-equipped laboratory in the factory where
research and experiments are carried out in connection with various
metals and alloys; but we did not press any questions here as each
firm has its own trade secrets. Some of the metals produced here are
so hard that steel tools will not touch them ; the necessary machinery
of the castings is made by special grinding.
Hygiene. The foundry and workshops are spacious and lofty and
are well lighted and ventilated. The smelting is carried out in cokeheated
(with hot blast) cupolas placed at the end of the casting shop.
From these the molten metal is conveyed in ladles, carried by an
overhead travelling crane, to the moulds prepared on the ground in
various parts of the shop. There are 50 men on an average employed
here for whom there are four w.c.'s of the trough pattern with one
urinal enclosure. All these are well lighted and ventilated. Though
clean and free from nuisance the trough w.c.'s are rather out-of-date
and one would prefer more modern conveniences. We have, however,
no sanitary grounds for requiring this alteration.
Gramophone Records. The rooms used for the production of these
are a joy to behold. Placed at the end of the factory they form really
a factory within a factory. They comprise a machine room, a studio
for the various artistes and a piano, and a recording room where the
sound waves are actually recorded by the machines. The walls and
ceilings of these rooms are constructed of composition slabs presenting
a clean and smooth surface, while the floor is of cement. The whole
presents a clean and most hygienic appearance. There is ample
window space provided for lighting, while portions of the windows are
made to open for ventilation. The sanitary accommodation is quite
new, to enter which one passes from the machine room through
ventilated lobbies. There are two w.c.'s and a lavatory basin for
women, and one w.c., one urinal and one lavatory basin for men. The
enclosures are constructed of impervious slab partitions with cement
floors. There is provision for washing the floors, while lighting and
ventilation is very good. As we were able to see rlightiy into ;he