No. 2 (1921) REMARKS ON CANNING ;T 



72. Clocks. — These are essential since the timing of the various 

 processes, ahiiost to the minute, is necessary, e.g., for brining, 

 exhausting, processing, etc., apart from the necessity for timing the 

 work of the operatives. Moreover it is advisable to have large 

 dummy clock faces placed at the autoclaves, retorts, or boiling vats 

 on which as soon as the pressure reaches the correct point or the 

 water boils, the hands are set by the maistry to the hour and minute 

 at which by the true clock the processing should cease ; this pre- 

 vents, or permits of checking, forgetfulness on the part of the boiling 

 attendant. Similar clock faces should be placed on the brining 

 tubs, in order to fix the time for removing the fish in each tub. 

 These dummy clock faces may be of blackened wood 8" or lo" in 

 diameter with white figures and movable hands. Large black 

 boards in every room are also necessary, on which the Superin- 

 tendent or maistry records the facts (nature and quantity offish, 

 time of receipt, etc.) of each batch of fish and the instructions 

 for the operatives in charge of each important operation such as 

 "brining, drying, frying, preserving, etc. 



73. Labels. — This accessory is of the first importance ; the public 

 judges — somewhat rightly — by appearance, for good appearance 

 in usually means good method and good attention to details which 

 turn connote good results. Moreover a neat artistic package 

 argues superior supervision ; a crude, glaring label or decoration 

 suggests — not of course necessarily but it suggests— crude, poor- 

 class ideas on the part of the Superintendent. During the war, 

 labels had to be improvised from available material, but this was 

 only accidental. In some canneries cans are made of ' decorated ' 

 tin plate on which while in the sheet, the required ornamentation 

 and legends are printed; this gives a very neat and desirable 

 appearance, while there are no labels to be lost or torn or fouled. 

 These are mostly used for tinned sardines and the method can 

 hardly be used for solderless plant. Hence, with the above 

 exception, plain cans with labels are generally used, the cans being 

 protected from rust and given a more or less attractive appearance 

 by coloured lacquers. The labels may be of foil or glazed paper ; 

 if of foil they are either of a soft, very thin, flexible brass or of a 

 flexible metal foil washed to look like brass. These on tin plate, 

 whether polished as in soldered cans or matt (dull) as in a solid 

 drawn can, look very neat, and if properly affixed are seldom lost, 

 being protected by the overlapping edges of the cans. Paper 



