OUR GREAT ASSET—WOOL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 968, 8 November 1910, Page 8

OUR GREAT ASSET—WOOL.

TEE CLASSING OF THE PEODTJCT. STRONG MOVEMENT IN WELLING- ; ".■ ■: TON.' 7 . ;..', •■■.■•; One of tho first step 3 in the formation in-Wellington of. a wool-classing class was, taken last night, and'the indications were remarkably encouraging. The . occasion, being the eve of the wool sjJes. was well chosen.,- as there were a number of buyers in the city, and.all were invited to attend. - Tho addresses by the experts were of great interest. . The attendance was remarkably good, there being well over 100 present. Mr. David Eobertson, the chairman of the Technical Education Board, presided. In introducing Mr. W. Taylor, the instructor, the chairman dwelt on the.value of wool-growing to New Zealand. '• Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., speaking as a wool-grower, said that he knew from experience the value of the classing of wool. Mr. W. Allan, a member of the Technical School Board, also spoke, of the need for better classing of the wool clio. Mr. W. S. Eatrobe, director of tho ■Technical School, said that he expected there- would be good attendances at the classes from the local houses of business. •' ■

Mr. Walter Hill, of Christchurch, a vool broker, then delivered on address, in which he dealt with,, the' methods-of wool-classing. Mr. Hill said there was no doubt that the Technical School authorities were to be commended for the way they ,had taken up the teaching of v the classing of wool throughout New Zealand. : The farmers of the country seemed to know really little about wool-class-ing.- It should bo borne:in mind that wool could not be made more than it was, but it was desirable to make'the best of what one had. Too much- care could not be' exercised ■in handling fleeces. Anything under fifty bales would be considered a small clip, and it was necessary to have two methods of classing— one for clips of under fifty bales, and one for clips of over fifty bales. There; was only one way to class wool. First, take off all-the belly, and dirty wool. .Then class fpr quality. Eevertmg to the need for care, Mr. Hill 'said buyers were susceptible to appearance, and if wool attracted them they were likely,'to look further into it. And, further, if a farmer.wascareless with his wool, ho would be probably careless with his sheep, and all those things told against the sale of the clip. It had been said that tho care taken'was wasted. It may have been the case that buyers had paid as much for unskirted wool as for skirted wool. But if ' a buyer bought unskirted wool under i the impression that the contents of the bales were skirted,'he would fight shy of that brand in the future. Where the unskirted wool had brought as much as the skirted the conditions were not equal. As'to , .the breaking of fleeces—the sorting of wool—it would not apply much unless the student was going in for actual mill woTk.. '• ■' ' ' i ' . Mr. J. Dayey, a wool merchant from Bradford, said that an object should be to increase the confidence of the buyers in accepting wools as being just-.what the. vendors represented them to be. "There, is no wool which comes to Great Britain' which is bought with greater confidence in London or anywhere else than that which comes from New Zealand," concluded Mr..Davey. ■". ' Mr. T. O. Price, a buyer of the wool broking firm of J. W. Swift and Co., Dunedin, referred in complimentary terasto the "York'shire Wool Letter , ':; in yesterday's Do3nKioN,,..and said that some years ago it "was Tare to'get news-like that from practical'men. Mr., Bo'yce Isaid le would like to see Government'grading. of wool, just as there was State grading of flax., There was no reason why. the grading should come into disagreement with Bradford.

Mr. W. H. P. Barber, the chairman ol directors of the-Petpne Woollen . Mills) held that classing ''would- bestow- an- inestimable benefit on" the industry," and' said.that it was a hope of his that the ■wool experts of the future would be New Zealanders. He extended'to the students an invitation to visit the Petone mills, Mr. O. Turner, a- wool merchant from Bradford,, who had been "rooting about among wool a long time," said that twenty-five years ago he was .sorting., in a. Bradford mill, and making thirteen classes—there was not much of that now. There was room for much improvement in the classing of wool. The instructor, Mr. Taylor, said it had been a pleasure to him to listen to the wool experts. As to the classes, he proposed to start the students at the very bottom of the ladder. .' •■ .. ::.■'■: Mr. J. B. Fitzgerald, a member of .the Technical Education Board,. proposed a vote of thanks to the wool experts who had attended; and ■ had addressed the gathering. The proposal was'. , carried'to the accompaniment of three hearty cheers.