New Britain herald., 1916-05-23
TRANSFER EMPLOYES
 TO LOCAL FACTORY
ROCkWell-Drake Co. to Have About
 75 W0rkmen Here Monday
GIVE UP HARTFORD BRANCH
Over Twenty People Now Employed in Towns Newest Manufacturing 
 Buildings iIs Short Time.


 Activities at, the local plant of the Rockwell-Drake company are to be entire force now employed in the Hartford factory is to be brought here to begin operations in the building on Woodford avenue, which has recently been constructed and which is being rapidly equipped. While two of the department are the formal opening of the plant will take place next Monday, the officials having decided to discontinue oper- ations at the shop in Hartford, trans ferring all it's employees to Plainville.
 Although officers or the concern were not certain this morning as to how many hands will be employed at the start they estimated that there will be about seventy-hve people working in the different depa Mments Monday.
 Work of installing the machinery and other equipment has been in progress for several weeks and a number of the lathes and presses are now in position ready to be operated. The preliminaries have been attended to under the direction of A. J. Brault, the cOmpanys construction superln- tendent. He is at present supervising the work in the factory but after Monday he expects to give way to Hugh Rockwell, president of the company, who has been in charge of the Hartford branch.
 The tool and automatic rooms are now running and over twenty hands are employed in making ball bearings, which is to be the concerns chief product. The equipment of the plant is now sufficient to permit of a fair production daily and within a short time it is expected that the output will be materially increased.
 Plans have been made for other buildings to be erected on the com pany's property but one of the off, cials said today that definite action as to when the construction work on the additions is to be started has not been taken. The ROckwell-Dral1 people, in common with other manu- facturers of ball-bearings and similar products, have more orders on their books than they can attend to under the existing conditions. They hope to gradually increase the size of their local plant and if business comes up to their expectations a large part of the property purchased for them by A. F. Rockwell, head of the Marlin Arms and Bristol Brass com panies, will be covered with buildings before a great while.
 Many of the employees of the Hart ford factory are living in the capital city and it is likely that they will re- main there for the present, commut- ing daily, because of the lack of available tenements in Plainville Eventually dwellings will undoubted- ly be supplied and the population of the town is bound to achieve a very healthy growth during the next few years.
 Twenty-eight Take Degrees.
 With nearly three hundred mem bers and visiting guests present, Court General Lawton, F. of A., last evening fittingly celebrated the doubling of it's membership, using both the Town and Grange halls for the exercises attending the obser- vance. It was one of the biggest af- fairs ever held under the auspices of Plainville fraternal order and it will be recorded in the history of the local court as the most memorable event in it's career
 The result of the weeks of work required for the arrangements was made apparent and there were many expressions of surprise and praise from the visitors on the excellent man. her in which the plans had been pre- pared.
 The celebration marked the first public appearance of the Foresters national degree champions, the team of Court Schiller of Meriden, since it's return from California, where it was awarded the first prize for gen. eral excellence, and there were repre- sentatives of various courts through out the state in addition to officers of high rank to take part in the cere- monies. Plainville achieved the dis tinction of being the first court in the state to double it's membership in the past year, and the degree team came here to recognize the feat.
 In the Town hall, before a large assem blaze, the team conferred the degree on twenty-eight candidates, subsequently, putting on the drill which won the prize at the California convention. The drill was admittedly the best thing of it's kind the Plain- vile Foresters and their guests had ever Witnessed, and they were loud in their praise of the efficiency of the Meriden team
 After the drill, adjournment was taken to the Town hall where a group of young ladies had laid covers for nearly 25O. They served a most ap- petlzing repast which the visitors ue- clared was one of the best banquets ever prepared for them.