SHEARING CLASSES AT TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 136, 25 May 1911, Page 5

SHEARING CLASSES AT TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

The following letter has been re-; c.eived by Mr. Chas. Douglas, sec- 1 retary of the Hawke’s Bay A. andP. Society, from Mr. James G. j AA’ilson, President of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union:— “I take the liberty of writing: you on the subject of classes con-) ducted by the Technical Schools ! for Shearers. Every year our' shearers get scarcer, and we are ‘ largely dependent upon the Aus-' tralian shearers, who may or may: not come. Shearing is so easily learned and so well paid for that * there should be no difficulty—if the opportunity were given—to get many young men in town to' learn and so benefit themselves by: getting work at shearing, and be j to the advantage of the sheep-' owners as well. Such classes have) been started in Christchurch, and were quite successful; where, by , the generosity of the A. and P.) Association, of owners, and thej Sheep-breeders’ Association, the' funds were provided. I w’ould urge your Society to go into this matter) and try to get classes begun dur-i ing next spring, as it is .of great) importance that such an opportu-; nity should be afforded to learn) shearing. Learners, now that) machines are being so much used,; are‘almost a thing of the past in) private sheds. Hitherto the' ‘fleece-ohs’ were able to learn by ; shearing a sheep in the ‘smoke-ohs’. and during meal times. This is' impossible now, as the engines are) not then going. I would therefore, ask you in the interests of the) workers and the sheep-owners to’ try and secure shearing classes in; connection with your Technical: Schools.”