HIGH-COUNTRY SHEARING

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27832, 3 December 1955, Page 7

HIGH-COUNTRY SHEARING

WOOL BOARD’S INTEREST New developments in high-countrx. shearing gear, designed and produced at the instigation of the New Zealand Wool Board, will be demonstrated at Irishman’s Creek, South Canterbury, on Saturday, of next week. The board’s chief shearing instructor (Mr Godfrey Bowen) who, 18 months ago , produced a new type of high-running ' shearing comb, or as it is more commonly known, “snowcomb,” has now designed a much improved version of this comb and also a special cutter to work with it. The new comb enters the wool much more easily than the prototype and, in the opinion of Mr Bowen, who has conducted private trials, does a better job on sticky sheep than the original snowcomb. The modified and improved snowcomb is basically the same as the first model, having nine teeth, five sledges (or runners) and four high teeth. Chairman’s Statement “When the Board announced last year that a new type of high-running comb had been designed by its chief shearing instructor it became clear that this was something for which many growers in the snow-country had been waiting and that they could now make use of the machine plants in their sheds, usually employed only at crutching time, for their main shearing,” said the chairman of the Wool Board (Mr W. Horrobin), yesterday. “The Wool Board’s interest in New Zealand’s shearing economy has taken a ; very active form during the last three years,” said Mr Horrobin. “In our national shearer-training scheme last year we were able to give instruction to more than 3000 Shearers and learner-shearers. Hand-in-hand with this instruction there has been constant tuition in the care of gear and equipment and an emphasis on the part the woolgrower must play in helping to improve shearing techniques by providing first-class amenities and assistance. While we can now regard the general shearing situation with some satisfaction as a result of this activity, the board is still anxious, where possible, to make the lot of the highcountry grower easier by designing shearing equipment which will meet his special needs and fit in with his particular conditions which are differ- ■ ent from those which generally obtain I throughout New Zealand. The new , snowcomb with its special cutter will, the Board believes, provide the man in ! the back-country who wants to shear • with machines the opportunity to do so. Use of Blades

"The Wool Board has no desire to undermine the use of blades in the South Island, or to urge their replacement by the new snowcomb,” said Mr Horrobin. "The board realises, and fully appreciates, that the blades have a recognised place in South Island shearing practice. The new snowcomb has been designed to do the same job as the blades, not to replace them,” he said, pointing out that the newlydeveloped gear left half-an-inch of wool on the shorn sheep, giving it protection against the sudden cold weather which made high-country with conventional machine equipment so undesirable.

“So that the new comb and cutter may be fully examined by South Island high-country growers and its work on the sheep critically appraised by the men who have the directest interest in snow-country shearing techniques, a special demonstration of the comb and cutter will be held at

Irishman’s Creek in the Mackenzie Country on Saturday, December 10. Mr Godfrey Bowen will give this demonstration personally and it will be conducted under the auspices of the Wool Board, in association with South Canterbury Federated Farmers. Demonstration Vital

"Such a demonstration is vital if growers and shearing contractors are to satisfy themselves about the new equipment before the next wool season. If, as the board believes and,

indeed, has proved from last season’s interest, many high-country sheep farmers wish to order the new type of comb and cutter for next season’s shearing, they will have to study it and its work at first hand. The only opportunity which South Canterbury and North Otago growers will have for doing this during the next six months will be at Irishman’s Creek on December 10,” he said. The board hoped that woolgrowers and shearers would test the new equipment themselves as soon as Mr Bowen had finished his demonstration, said Mr Horrobin. The board announces that the new comb and cutter will be available commercially to interested woolgrowers in June-July of next year.