TRIAL OF SHEEP-SHEARING MAOHINES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 2542, 28 September 1893, Page 4

TRIAL OF SHEEP-SHEARING MAOHINES.

The trial of sheep-shearing maohines ezoited great interest, this being the first real contest that has been held on the "Royal" ground. Hitherto the Wolseley shearing machine has held the supremacy, and, though there are several other shearing machines in use in Australia, it seemed as if the owners shirked a t6Bt trial with the old-established Wolseley. The new competitor is Ward and Payne's " Argentina," for which Mr T. K. Steanes, of Elizabeth-st., is the agent. Thoße who had the opportunity of examining this machine were much impressed in its favour. The shear is of moderate Bize, and can be held close to the cutter, which gives the shearer good command over it when working qniokly. The flexible steel drivingshaffi and tube were much admired. The core appears to be composed of spiral steel, which is jointed in two places. The tube is also of steel, and bo remarkably flexible that the shearer tied it in a knot after the work was over and it had been removed from the core. The overhead gear is simple, and is sat in motion by means of friction-wheels. It is claimed for this machine that it has fewer working parts to get out of order than any machine yet introduced; that all parts of the machine are interchangeable, so that if any portion is broken by accident it can be easily and rapidly reotified by the Bbearer ; and that no mechanical skill is required to erect or keep the machine in working order. The Wolseley machine has been so long before the public, and has done each admirable work, both on the sheep station and at public exhibitions, that there is no need to give any description of it. The conditions of the contest were that work should commence at 11 a.m., and that eaoh maohine should shear 50 sheep. The sheep shorn were large-framed fat crossbred wethers, furnished for the occasion by Messrs T. E. Bennet and Woolcook, and by Sir W. J. Clarke on his Bald Hill Estate. It was late before the men got to work, and from the preliminary trial on Thursday it was evident that the competition was to be the closest that has yet taken place in Australia. Both shearers appeared to be slightly nervons, but from the first it was evident to those who had any knowledge of shearing that the Wolsely machine had the great advantage of being worked by the better shearer. The sheep were turned off qaiokly, and the work was well done, but the sheep Bhorn by the Wolsely machine were more evenly shorn and the points were better trimmed than those ■born by the Argentina machine. In the time test the Wolseley maobine had the advantage, and when the judges stopped work at half-past 4 o'clook 46£ sheep had been shorn by the Wolseley maohine, while the Argentina maohine had Bhorn 44 sheep. The sheep operated on were of large frame and had heavy fleeces of wool, but they were in excellent condition and the wool was perfectly clean. After some consultation the judges awarded the prize of the gold medal to the Wolseley maobine. The silver medal was given to the Argentina machine, the judges recording that in their opinion the Argentina maobine was a very close and creditable competitor. The decision arrived at by the judges was generally endorsed by those who had witnessed the contest, but had the shearers been changed it is very doubtful if the awards would not have been reversed. — Australasian.