TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3097, 23 July 1913, Page 3

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

INSTRUCTION IN WOOL CLASSING (From Our Own Correspondent.) WANGANUI, July 12. Mr Do Braik, director of education for tho Wanganui Board of Education, who has just returned from a visit to Australia, referred at the Technical School last night to the technical instructions given in tho Commonwealth. He remarked upon the vast amount of attention which was given in wool-classing, contrasting it with the attention which it received here, suggesttion that perhaps it was not the right kind of instruction. He said that several Japanese sent from Japan attended these classes in Sydney, and that there were also several students from South Africa. With regard to the proposed agricultural college in New Zealand, Mr Braik said that it would cost the Government £50,000, independent of the land, for each agricultural college erected. He said he based his figures on the Australian expenditure. It included a thorough equipment, embracing stock, instruments, etc. The matter of wool-classing was discussed at tho Technical School Committee meeting. Mr A. Robinson, a well-known sheep-farmer, said he thought that the reason why the wool-classing was not carried out more extensively in New Zealand was that sheep-farmers did not know whether it paid them to classify their wool or not. In Australia the bulk of the wool was of a fine sort, while that in New Zealand was of a coarser nature, so that Australians were forced to take up wool-classing more extensively. He had been classing his wool for 12 or 14 years, and did not know whether it paid him or not. Certainly he got a better price per pound, but he thought that if he sent his wool Home ‘'greasy” ho would get a better gross return for it. Ho would eliminate all wool-classifying charges.