the foreign flags, encased in thick paper bags. The name of the country is stenciled on the bottom. The remainder, including the flags for ordinary use, signal sets, the international code, etc., are not wrapped, but tied in round bundles and lettered. The pile contains 250 different flags, the regulation number every ship of our Navy has to carry, the material and making of which cost Uncle Sam just $2,500 for each ship. This sum, multiplied by the number of ships in the service, foots up to many thousands. It is necessary to equip them for all forms of ceremonial and official occasions, saluting and signaling, both at home and in foreign waters. With an extensive array of flags stored on board, the ship is prepared to meet all high-rank officials of any nation who may come aboard, or into

This flag manufacturing establishment is under the supervision of Mr. Thomas Maloy, officially termed Master Flagmaker, and Miss M. A. Woods, Quarter Woman Flagmaker. Besides critically inspecting the finished output, these officials also test all the bunting. This comes from Lowell, Mass., in lots of several thousand yards at a time. One day a sample lot of bunting is soaked and washed in soap and water. The next day the same process is followed with salt water. It is then exposed to the weather for ten days, thirty hours of which time must be in the bright sun. This is for the color and fading test. The last test is for tensile strength. For this test a strip two inches wide of the warp is placed in the machine, and must withstand a pulling strain of 65 pounds, while

The final sewing is done on the machines by the women. Each machine is swifly run by a small electric motor. Some of the women excel in sewing on the stars; others are skilled in finishing certain other parts of the flag. Nearly all have been many years in the establishment. The pay runs from $1.20 to $2 a day.

The thousands of white stars used on the flags are cut out by an ingenious machine, specially devised for this purpose, operated by electricity. Only a few years. ago, the stars were cut out by hand. Now a plunger, fitted with steel knives the shape and size of the star wanted, with a single down stroke cuts out from 50 to 100 stars at a time. Pressing the foot on a pedal operates the machine. Some eight different sizes of stars are used, each having a special cutting die. Running the machine for only an hour a day, furnishes enough stars for several days.

Two men sew on the flax raven heading and the wooden toggs to the finished flags. Afterwards the heading is stamped with the name of the ensign and date of contract.

The largest flag made is the United States ensign No. 1, which is 36 feet long by 19 feet wide, and costs $40 to turn out. The President's flag requires the longest time of any to make, as it