UNIQUE SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 35, 10 August 1936, Page 16

UNIQUE SERVICE

TESTING OF FLEECES

WORK OF MASSEY COLLEGE

An important department of the Massey Agricultural College is that which deals with fleece-testing and the operations of this department during the year which ended on November 30 last are the subject of a report by the principal, Professor G. S. Peren.

The report states that the principal work of the department consisted in reporting to flock owners on the extent of hairiness in their sheep. A large number of owners availed themselves of the service,'which is carried out confidentially, the number of sheep tested being 8599, with a further 6680 booked, but not yet tested.;

The department so far has been selfsupporting, its. revenue being derived from the.charges for testing, and in some cases for,determining counts, together with a small return'.from-the sale of the simple-fleece-testing outfits and standard photographs supplied to sheep owners for.their private use. The total receipts'for'the year were £598 2s, and the expenditure £483 11s 9d, leaving a credit balance of £114 ids 3d. The largest item of expenditure was on account of wages, and the credit balance was due to their inI adequacy. A reserve fund, however, was felt to be necessary Li view of the possibility of lean periods, accompanied by a falling-off jn income. QUESTION OF STAFFING^ During the year, the first of the department's operations,-the staff was increased from, one to four permanent testers, and the principal expresses his appreciation of their work. He points out that require special training and experience, and are therefore an expense before they become selfsupporting. It is therefore: important for the future of the service 'that adequate remuneration should be found to stabilise the staff. If the funds were available, or a sufficient number of farmers were prepared to. pay a larger fee, the staff could be enlarged and reports given on features of wool other than hairiness. There it, unquestionably a demand for such a service, comments the report, but in the present circumstances, little, can be done to kieet it. The work being done by the departs ment is unique in the world, and has already produced, valuable data and indicated important avenues of research. The number of sheep presented for, testing has surpassed expectations, but only a small proportion of Romney and other stud sheep breeders have as yet availed themselves of the service,, as may be expected in the first year. In view, however, of the active organisations subsidised . and established for the improvement of wool and of wool substitutes in other lands, it' is definitely not in the best interests, either of New Zealand's wool industry, or of the Dominion as a whole, that the present casual method of progression should be allowed to continue.

The department is under the charge' of Mr R. Waters, and the report includes considerable statistical matter, graphs, and comment to illustrate what has been achieved and the methods employed. An effort is made to point the way along which a definite advance can immediately be made in the way of wool improvement, and Mr Waters expresses.his appreciation of those who have assisted him and his staff.