FOR CLASSERS

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32321, 12 June 1970, Page 8

FOR CLASSERS

A symposium will be held in Dalgety and New Zealand Loan’s wool store in Christchurch next week for professional shed wool classers and farmer classers under the auspices of the New Zealand Wool Handling Committee.

Early this week it was reported that more than 40 classers would be attending, including 16 who have already qualified for registration.

The aims of the symposium are to acquaint the classers. from all parts of the country, with the present requirements of the industry, and consequently to give them an appreciation of the standards laid down by the Wool Handling Committee for registration of dassers. At the same time it is hoped to bring home to classes the role they have to play in the industry and the Importance of having competent classers in sheds.

Discussions between the Wool Handling Committee, which includes representatives of the Wool Board. Department of Agriculture, Wool Commission, New Zealand Woolbuyers’ Association, New Zealand Woolbrokers’ Association, and the Federation of New Zealand Wool Merchants, and all sections of the wool trade in 1967 resulted in the establishment of a register of woolclassers. The scheme has-as its objective that classing in farmers' sheds should only be done by qualified classers. There is no compulsion about this, but it is believed that it is in the interests of all competent classers to apply for registration to protect their livelihood from the actions of those who are not so competent

The committee sets standards of competency for those seeking registration, and approves registrations after considering reports on applicants’ work. It also has the power to revoke registrations where classers’ work does not come up to standard.

The Department of Agriculture is responsible for inspection of shed management; the New Zealand Wool Commission is responsible for the inspection of clips of applicants in the brokers’ stores for standard of classing and it also receives reports from the Woolbrokers’ Association on the standard of their work; and the Wool Board keeps a register of registered classers and also issues to approved classers a stencil brand for use on bales that they class. In addition the classers’ registered numbers appear against the clips that they have handled in the brokers’ catalogues, so that buyers can tell at a glance what wool has been classed by registered classers. Classers can be registered for one, two or three categories crossbred wools; halfbred and Corriedale; and Merino wools. While certain qualifications are required to be met before an application for registration will be accepted, the scheme is open to professional shed classers

and farmers who class their own wool Further details about the scheme can be obtained from the secretary of the Wool Handling Committee, P.O. Box 2298, Wellington.

Next week’s course will run from Monday to Friday, and is being supported by all sections of the trade including the Wool Board, Woolbrokers’ Association, Woolbuyers’ Association, Department of Agriculture, Wool Commission, Lincoln College, and manufacturers. The symposium will be officially opened by Mr J. D Fraser, general manager of the Wool Board, who is chairman of the Wool Handling Committee. Practical wool handling will be a feature of the course, and up to 250 bales of wool will be available. This part of the symposium will be under the direction of representatives of all interests on the Wool Handling Committee, and, in this, emphasis will be placed on the importance of customers’ requirements and the basic importance of quality, yield, style and length. To give an air of realism to the course, Mr L. Galloway, sheep and wool instructor of the Department of Agriculture, is setting up a mock woolshed lay-out in the store. Sheep will be brought In to be shorn and the classers will be shown what should and what should not be done in the process of handling wool in the shed.

The work done by classers attending the course will also be appraised and they will be advised whether it comes up to the required standards. A series of lectures will be given during the course, between practical work, and members of the staffs of brokers’ stores will join in this part of the proceedings. Speakers will include Mr K. J. Fulton, a member of the committee of the New Zealand Woolbuyers’ Association; Mr A. McKechnie, representing the woolbrokers, who will look at the problems encountered by brokers with wool classed by professional shed and farmer classers; Mr P. Nicholls, a woolbuyer, who will deal with the requirements, uses and premiums for specialty wools; another woolbuyer, Mr B. Redding, who will discuss the importance of the basic elements of wool classing to the buyer; Mr L. Tattersfield, a carpet manufacturer, who will speak on classing in relation to particular end uses; and another speaker, Mr E. Bingham, from the Wool Board. A visit will be made to the Wool Research Organisation at Lincoln during the course, and Mr M. Agar will talk to the classers about micron measurement in relation to the New Zealand clip and the work of the wool classers. At the course the classen will be introduced to the proposed national wool standards for fineness and description prepared by the Woolbrokers’ Association, the Wool Research Organisation and Wool Commission and each will be given a copy of these standards. The course will be held in a completely wool atmosphere, and the displays will include finished products made from wool.