Industrial and Commercial News of Interest to Importers

Small boats that can hold out however bad the weather

The British Warwick "Ambition" Company has selected a type of small boat made of a light-weight metal. Its design was drawn up especially for use by the armed forces in the tropical zones and in all regions with bad weather. The boats are fitted with two-cylinder engines and run on gasoline. They cover 14.4 km an hour and consume one liter of gasoline for every 8.4 km.

A modern precision screw-cutting lathe

The Gauge and Instrument Company of Coventry has announced the invention of a modern screw-cutting lathe of first-class precision workmanship. It is so precise that in use it turns out screw threads less than 1/1000 of an inch in thickness, and it is therefore very well suited to the production of such articles as lead screws and the like.

The machine is made in three sizes, and it includes a device for setting graduated speeds from 7 to 70 kilometers an hour.

Woolen covers (blankets)

The result of the showing of the new woolen blankets at the London exhibition was that orders poured in from all parts of the world to import large quantities of them. Their chief distinction is that they are light in weight and very warm: a single one weighs no more than 33 ounces, or half the weight of the famous "Witney blankets," yet they are warmer than these. These blankets were made especially for travel by air, but it is expected that they will meet with great favor for household use, and particularly for use in children's beds.

There are other kinds weighing between 51 and 53 ounces, in no way inferior in merit to the kind just mentioned. One London company owns the only machines for the manufacture of these blankets, which are also distinguished by beautiful designs made by hand.

Among the exhibits at this show were also silk covers (blankets) known as "Gossamer blankets," which are painted by hand. On the whole, the exhibition gives us an idea of the fine workmanship of these new covers.