Nelson's Biggest Wash

Monday may be washday for many Nelson housewives, but every day is washday for the staff of the Nelson Public Hospital laundry staff. And what a wash! The laundry, with its staff of 19, handles 140 different classes of linen and on an average day washes and dries 9000 pieces, or 195,000 pieces a month. As some indication of what this staff puts out, here are the February figures: uniforms and coats, 9681; quilts, 279?J sheets, 18280; blankets, 1528. These are the major items. There are thousands of smaller ones.

The present hospital plant is working to full capacity and until recently the laundry held the New Zealand record for the lowest cost of processing each piece. Plans have been drawn up to reconstruct the laundry and install more modern equipment, but as yet no final go-ahead has been given.

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It all starts here, where "Bronc" Hancock loads up a couple of trolleys for the washing machines.

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Washed in a machine which can clean 300 lb of dry cloth, "Bronc" and Bert Philp empty the dripping pieces into wire trolleys

Practically every article made of cloth used in the hospital is made in a small sewing room by four women. During a year they make as many as 2000 uniforms (11 per nurse), all pyjamas, baby gowns, dressing gowns, curtains, sheets, pillow cases, laundry bags, napkins and cushions, as well as handling all repairs.

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Vonda Clarke is here operating one of the two steam pressers in her care

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In the sewing room, the superviser, Maude Sloss, prepares to cut out uniforms.

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Wini Peacock (forewoman) and Bert Eyles, laundry manager, have a look at the plans for the reconstruction of his laundry.

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The staff in the sunlight was all smiles