The Australia Times - Australian Made magazine. Volume 1, issue 1

THE

AUSTRALIA

TIMES

AUSTRALIAN

MADE

Vol. 1 No. 1

September 8, 2013

INDEX

AUSTRALIAN MADE

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We aim to inform, entertain, teach, encourage, educate and

support the community at large by facilitating communication

between all Australians. By providing the opportunity for all

opinions to be shared on a single website.

Front cover photograph: Courtesy of F. W. Gregory—Private collection.

Back cover: Humphrey Law Socks Specialty

Editor:

DAVID M. ABOUAV

Contributor:

HUMPHREY LAW

WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR 5

EDITOR’S NOTE 6

HUMPHREY LAW 7

COMMENT

ARCHIVE

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WELCOME

to TAT AUSTRALIAN MADE Magazine from The Editor

The Australian Made magazine serves a special

purpose. It is a reminder to all our readers that

the lucky country we live in must not be taken for

granted.

There are rights and obliga-

tions that come with living

in the lucky country. One of

these is to ensure it remains

the lucky country for genera-

tions to come.

To ensure the economy of

the lucky country is on an

even keel our exports have

to exceed our imports. It is

very simple.

To do that we need to manufacture and grow more

at home and export as much as possible. Imports

can be reduced by consuming more home made

and home grown products.

Inside the TAT Australian Made magazine, you

will ﬁnd news, features and articles on this subject.

Including feature articles about manufacturers who

deserve our support.

Buying Australian Made and Grown Products bene-

ﬁts everyone involved in the transaction chain produc-

ers, resellers, the consumers

and of course Australia!

The beneﬁts are many in a

number of areas. Health,

and the economy are two

that are immediately noted.

As proud Australians we

are ﬁrst to cheer our sports

men and women and con-

gratulate them on their

achievements. Manufacturers are our often forgot-

ten unsung heroes.

The Australian Made magazine is a responsive pub-

lication and we encourage consumers and manufac-

turers alike to share your interests with us. Feedback,

suggestions and contributions are welcome.

DAVID M. ABOUAV

Buying Australian Made and

Grown Products beneﬁts

everyone involved in the

transaction chain. Producers,

resellers, the consumers and

of course Australia!

Click here to join our community to participate in and

contribute to the creation of this exciting publication.

Click here for a free lifetime subscription and other beneﬁts.

Click here to tell your friends about us!

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EDITORS NOTE

In this edition of the Australian Made magazine,

we feature HumphreyLaw the Sock Specialist.

In the welcome message on page ﬁve, we have

brieﬂy touched on how important manufacturing is

to our economy.

Every time we purchase an Australian made item or

Australian grown produce we beneﬁt the entire coun-

try including ourselves. That money stays in Australia

and works its way many times through the economy

as wages, investments, operating expenses.

That is the money that allows people to shop in our

supermarkets, and purchase their homes and cars.

The country is like a supersized house budget. If

there is no income we go broke!

THE EDITOR

We are awaiting the appointment of a permanent

AUSTRALIAN MADE magazine editor. If you are

passionate about all things Australian please apply.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

In the 2013-14 Budget, the Government has pro-

vided $113.1 billion to Defence over the Forward

Estimates, (Defence Budget Overview 14/05/13)

Much of this is for purchasing hardware that was

good for ﬁghting a previous war. We will shortly

feature an article demonstrating how by adapting

for the future, we can create a great industry, and

be better prepared to meet our defence needs by

spending the money right here in Australia.

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HUMPHREY LAW

the sock specialist

INTRODUCTION

In 1947 Sidney Humphrey and Albert Law formed

a partnership to make socks in Australia. They built

a factory on land that had been a lemon orchard

in the bush at Heathmont about 20 miles out of

Melbourne. At that time about 500 people lived in

Heathmont. The railway station had been opened

in 1926 and there was a single train line through to

Belgrave. The now six lane Canterbury Road was

an unsealed two lane track through the gum trees.

The Dandenong Creek regularly ﬂooded stranding

residents or causing them to bog their cars.

Mr Law, an engineer, commenced knitting socks

on two machines he installed in the dining room

of his cottage up the hill from Armstrong Road. He

then built a small ﬁbro factory at the front of his

block and moved the machines there as Business

improved as a result of Mr Humphrey’s successful

sales activity. That factory still exists, although it

has been considerably extended, and while the

original partners have died, sockmaking contin-

ues there under the management of Albert Law’s

children Rob and Elizabeth. They, along with their

brother Richard had worked with their father, in

this truly family business for many years.

From the beginning, the aim of Humphrey Law & Co

Pty Ltd was to provide quality and value for money.

This has not changed. Today’s Humphrey Law

socks are carefully made with the ﬁnest natural

yarns - predominantly wool and cotton - and sold

at realistic and competitive prices.

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In 1984 Humphrey Law trademarked The Health

Sock

made without a tight elastic top which does

not restrict circulation yet does not slip down into

the shoe. Other manufacturers now label some of

their products as health socks but they are poor

attempts to reproduce the Humphrey Law Health

Sock

which is made only with healthy natural ﬁ-

bres, and to exacting technical requirements pro-

ducing graduated knitting from the foot upwards

allowing the sock to “hug” the lower leg.

Humphrey Law continues to make socks wholly in

Australia. That way, they can ensure their quality in

a way that is simply not possible for importers whose

manufacturing is distant from them. More importantly

Humphrey Law provides employment for Australians

and keeps some manufacturing capacity in Australia.

Humphrey Law has been accredited by Ethical

Clothing Australia conﬁrming that its workforce is

paid Award wages and provided with all other en-

titlements under Australian industrial law.

Humphrey Law is the Sock Specialist—they make

only socks. By concentrating and producing one

thing very well they continue to produce the very

best socks possible.

MAkING SOCkS

With over sixty years experience Humphrey Law are

at the forefront of global sock making. They under-

stand the importance of selecting the right combina-

tions of yarns for particular styles of socks, they invest

in the latest knitting technology and have the skills to

implement it efﬁciently, and they research and trial

sock designs aimed at providing ultimate foot comfort.

Some Humphrey Law socks keep alive the true art

of the sock maker. Their Argyle patterned wool/

polyester men’s health sock is an excellent exam-

ple of the traditional sock maker’s art involving a

Jacquard double-knit construction that leaves no

loose ends in the sock.

The journey from raw yarn to quality sock is

described below with photographs of Humphrey

Law’s Heathmont factory in action.

YARN SELECTION

It is vital to select the best yarn for any given sock.

For instance, a heavyweight nylon yarn would be

inappropriate to use in a ﬁne business sock, but is

vital in a worksock. Establishing the best yarn to use

can involve knitting a number of socks with differing

contents and subjecting them to wearing tests.

Humphrey Law specialises in knitting wool socks

and has considerable expertise with wool yarns.

Their ﬁne merino wool socks are knitted with yarn

expressly grown for them by the Wool Connect

graziers group in Booorowa NSW. That yarn is

long ﬁbre 19 micron wool and is ideal for knitting

socks. It falls between thicker wool yarn which is

used in carpets and ﬁner wool which is used in soft

ladies’ underwear and babywear.

Wool is one of nature’s great gifts. It is an entirely

natural ﬁbre grown year-round by Australia’s 70

HUMPHREY LAW

the sock specialist

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million Merino sheep, consuming a simple blend of

air, sunshine and grass.

It absorbs and releases moisture so insulates the

wearer from both cold and heat. A woollen sock

wicks sweat from the foot and that prevents bacte-

ria growing so the sock will not get smelly. The sock

keeps its size and shape when washed. Properly

processed wool such as used by Humphrey Law

resists pilling and will not prickle or itch.

And of course, wool is environmentally sustainable.

When it is disposed of, it naturally decomposes

back into the earth in a matter of years.

TWISTING YARNS

Many socks are knitted using twisted yarns which

means that different yarns are twisted together be-

fore the knitting process begins. The direction of

the twist and the number of twists per metre are

carefully calculated for various yarn combinations

that are required in the “recipe” for each sock

Style. Some of the “recipes” for twisted yarns have

been developed over sixty years, and their con-

tinued use indicates they are the proven best to

provide a quality sock.

kNITTING THE SOCkS

No decent sock can be made with only one yarn,

so appropriate combinations of twisted and un-

twisted yarns are fed into the sock knitting machine.

These machines knit the sock as a tube with up to

168 stitches in the circumference. The tube has two

pouches knitted in one side, one for the heel and

one for the toe.

LINkING THE TOES OF THE SOCkS

If the toes of the sock are not closed (linked) during

the knitting process, the sock needs to be “linked”

on a special machine by a highly skilled operator

who must align the stitches on each side of the sock

to produce a smooth seam.

TURNING THE SOCkS

Socks are knitted right-side out then examined for

faults and turned inside out for linking. Some styles

are then dyed inside out and turned after dyeing

with a vacuum device.

DYEING THE SOCkS

Humphrey Law dyes all its socks in-house. Stock of

undyed (greige) socks is maintained for popular

styles to allow customers’ requests for additional

supplies of particular coloured socks to be quickly

supplied. Waste products from the dyeing process

are disposed of according to local water authority

standards.

PRESSING THE SOCkS

After the dyeing process the socks are pressed.

Pressing is the use of physical, pressure combined

with heat to set the socks ﬂat and remove any un-

wanted creases. Pressing is a critical activity be-

cause the socks must not be exposed to the high

temperature for too long.

HUMPHREY LAW

the sock specialist

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kNITTING THE SOCkS

No decent sock can be made with only one yarn, so appropriate combinations of twisted and untwisted yarns are fed into the sock knitting machine. These machines knit the sock as a tube with up to 168 stitches in the

circumference. The tube has two pouches knitted in one side, one for the heel and one for the toe.

HUMPHREY LAWHUMPHREY LAW

the sock specialist

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kNITTING THE SOCkS

circumference. The tube has two pouches knitted in one side, one for the heel and one for the toe.

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HUMPHREY LAWHUMPHREY LAW

the sock specialist

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HUMPHREY LAWHUMPHREY LAW

the sock specialist

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LINkING THE TOES OF THE SOCkS If the toes of the sock are not closed (linked) during the knitting

process, the sock needs to be “linked” on a special machine.

HumphreyLaw

the sock specialist

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DYEING THE SOCkS Humphrey Law dyes all its socks in-house. Stock of undyed (greige) socks is main-

tained for popular styles to allow customers’ requests for additional supplies of

particular coloured socks to be quickly supplied. Waste products from the dyeing

process are disposed of according to local water authority standards.

TURNING THE SOCkS Socks are knitted right-side out then examined for faults and turned inside out for linking.

Some styles are then dyed inside out and turned after dyeing with a vacuum device.

HumphreyLaw

the sock specialist

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QUALITY CONTROL Every pair of Humphrey Law socks is individually checked in the grading room to

ensure they have no defects and then paired.

PRESSING THE SOCkS After the dyeing process the socks are pressed.

HumphreyLaw

the sock specialist

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DESPATCHING THE SOCkS Customer orders are picked, packed and despatched promptly. Packing is

designed to keep the socks in the same condition as they leave the factory.

LABELLING THE SOCkS Pressed and graded pairs of socks are then labelled appropriately.

The “Australian Made” sticker is the last to be applied.

HumphreyLaw

the sock specialist

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DESPATCHING THE SOCkS Humphrey Law’s despatch operation and delivery performance is ranked

at the top level by local department stores.

QUALITY CONTROL

Every pair of Humphrey Law socks is individually

checked in the grading room to ensure they have no

defects and then paired. Some Humphrey Law grad-

ers have worked in the Heathmont factory for over

25 years and have developed incomparable skills.

While they have seen many technical advances in

sock production, nothing can replace the personal

inspection of every pair of socks that they undertake.

LABELLING THE SOCkS

Pressed and graded pairs of socks are then labelled

appropriately. The “Australian Made” sticker is the

last to be applied.

DESPATCHING THE SOCkS

Customer orders are picked, packed and

despatched promptly. Packing is designed to keep

the socks in the same condition as they leave the

factory. Humphrey Law’s despatch operation and

delivery performance is ranked at the top level by

local department stores.

IN CONCLUSION

Over the last 66 years Humphrey Law has built up

a loyal customer base who recognise and appre-

ciate a quality product at a fair price. Many cus-

tomers are also aware that by buying Humphrey

Law socks they are keeping a local manufacturer in

business. Humphrey Law does not have an adver-

tising budget—an example of a 1960s Humphrey

Law advertisement appears on page 18. It cannot

match the million dollar marketing campaigns of

large importers of cheap inferior socks, and some-

what depends on the testimony of customers to

spread the word. As word spreads, and as Aus-

tralians actively support their own, Humphrey Law

will continue to “stick to their knitting”.

HumphreyLaw

the sock specialist

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A POLITICAL VIDEO ON MESSAGE

Being the non aligned publication that we are we only felt comfortable playing the following political video,

AFTER the elections. Although it is a political video it is completely on message with the aim of this publication.

Promoting the Australian Made and Made in Australia labels.

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