Making cordite, Commonwealth Explosives Factory, Maribyrnong

Unidentified men and women working in the propellant section press room at the Commonwealth Explosives Factory in Maribyrnong. The charge women standing before the press receives the cordite from the chute. With great precision she breaks it into lengths. Her assistant, receiving an end of the strand, quickly spreads it to the far end of the table. The cordite is cut into equal lengths on the table and is then taken by the girls to the side benches where the bundles are shaken to separate the strands. The heavily padded press is worked from both sides by two men standing on raised platforms. A safety sprinkler is suspended above the cordite issuing from the chute.