SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 1975.
DOING THE WASHING CAN BE SO EASY
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THE PROSPECT OF WASHING OVER 50,000 POUNDS OF DIRTY LINEN EVERY DAY IS ENOUGH TO DRIVE EVEN THE MOST EFFICIENT HOUSEWIFE LAD, UT FOR THE MEN OF THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT'S LAUNDRIES IT IS ALL PART OF A DAY'S WORK.
LINEN RANGING FROM FULL-SIZED BED SHEETS TO THE SMALLEST OPERATION CAPS AND BABY NAPKINS -- POUR IN FROM ALL GOVERNMENT MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS EVERY DAY TO BE WASHED, DRIED AND IRONED. THE TOTAL LOAD COMES TO A STAGGERING AVERAGE OF MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION POUNDS OR ABOUT 2,500,000 PIECES EVERY MONTH.
BUT EVEN THIS LOAD BECOMES EASY WORK WHEN YOU HAVE SOME OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED AUTOMATIC LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT IN THE WHOLE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA TO HELP YOU.
WASHING DUTIES FOR THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT ARE UNDERTAKEN BY TWO SEPARATE LAUNDRIES - ONE IN QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL, KOWLOON, AND THE OTHER IN CHAI WAN, HONG KONG.
THE CHAIWAN LAUNDRY, HOUSED IN A TWO-STOREY BUILDING IN ISLAND ROAD, HANDLES HOSPITAL LINEN FROM ALL GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS, CLINICS AND HEALTH CENTRES ON HONG KONG ISLAND, INCLUDING THE 1,150-BED QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL AND THE KOWLOON HOSPITAL.
TWO FULLY AUTOMATIC TUNNEL WASHERS, EACH CAPABLE OF OPERATING CONTINUOUSLY AND WASHING SOME 1,000 POUNDS OF MATERIAL PER HOUR, HEAD THE ARRAY OF MODERN EQUIPMENT WHICH MAKES THE LAUNDRY THE MOST SOPHISTICATED OF ITS KIND IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD,
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BESIDES THE TWO TUNNEL WASHERS, THERE ARE SIX OTHER SMALLER WASHER/EXTRACTORS AND VARIOUS OTHER DRIERS AND AUTOMATIC PRESSERS. THE WHOLE SYSTEM COST MORE THAN $2.7 MILLION TO INSTALL.
ACCORDING TO A SPOKESMAN FOR THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT IT IS ONLY NECESSARY FOR THE CHAIWAN LAUNDRY TO RUN ONE EIGHT-HOUR SHIFT A DAY AT PRESENT TO COPE WITH THE EXISTING WORKLOAD. IN MAY THIS YEAR, IT WASHED SOME 870,000 ITEMS WITH A TOTAL WEIGHT OF MORE THAN 550,000 POUNDS.
HOWEVER ITS FULL CAPACITY HAS NOT YET BEEN REACHED AND PLANS ARE IN HAND TO INTRODUCE ANOTHER SHIFT TO DOUBLE ITS WASHING CAPACITY WHEN THE PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL OPENS LATER THIS YEAR.
+LINEN OF THE NEW HOSPITAL WILL HAVE TO BE WASHED BY THE CHAIWAN LAUNDRY BECAUSE THE ONE IN KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF KOWLOON HOSPITAL, IS WASHED IN ANOTHER LAUNDRY LOCATED AT THE BASEMENT OF THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL.
/+BECAUSE