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Story: Agricultural processing industries

Crowded mills

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Crowded mills

This view of the inside of Dunedin’s Roslyn Woollen Mill in about 1907 shows how crowded mills were, with young women working very close to each other and the dangerous machinery. Mills were noisy and often badly ventilated. Workers suffered breathing problems and were affected by the chemicals used.

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Alexander Turnbull Library, Labour Department Collection

Reference: MNZ-0704-1/4; F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Jane Tolerton, Agricultural processing industries – Wool processing in the 19th century, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/25166/crowded-mills (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Jane Tolerton, published 6 April 2010.