Pastures Past: Shearing in the 1930s

Blade shearing was a common method of shearing in the 1930s.

Kem Ormond takes a look at the world of shearing as it was in the 1930s.

Farming is an ever-changing occupation and shearing is no exception.

While shearers, both men and women are continually breaking shearing records, spare a thought for those shearers in the 1930s, many of them using hand blades and some only being paid just a little over three pounds per hundred sheep.

This is an occupation that deserves a lot of respect in my opinion.

It is back-breaking work, often performed in a hot woolshed, with heavy wool-laden sheep who are not keen on the idea of having their warm coats removed.

Let’s take a look back at how shearing was reported nearly 100 years ago.

Shearing by blade

Bay of Plenty Times, November 24, 1931

This year will probably see a greater number of Canterbury farmers shearing by blade instead of by machine.

The secretary of the Canterbury Sheepowners’ Union stated recently that it was their aim to keep enough trained blade shearers in the province so that there would be no need for farmers to use machines if they did not wish to do so.

Read more shearing and woolhandling stories here.

Machine shearing was almost universally adopted in Australia many years ago.

Its popularity spread to New Zealand, but many farmers in the South Island found that the climatic conditions were not always suitable.

A good blade shearer put through 100 to 150 sheep a day against 200 and over by machine.

Both methods of shearing were taught at the Christchurch Technical College, but only blade shearing was subsidised by the Sheepowners’ Union.

Shearing gang, Elmshill Station, Patangata

Shearing contracts: Rate sought too high

New Zealand Herald, September 21, 1937

Hawke’s Bay opinion

[By telegraph - own correspondent]

Hastings, Monday

The opinion that unless there is a considerable reduction in the rate of £3 18s a hundred proposed by shearing contractors very little shearing work would be carried out during the coming season by contract, was expressed this morning by several sheepfarmers.

“Unless it comes down to nearer £3, according to conditions of work and the term of the contract, then I can see little if any shearing being done by contract this season,” said one farmer.

Read more farming and rural stories on The Country.

Another farmer pointed out that it was almost impossible for one contract price to be established and to operate equitably over any one large district.

He pointed out that there were widely different classes of sheep requiring to be shorn.

Dates for shearing varied, and there were real differences in weather, and the size and locality of shearing sheds.

These and many other points, he said, all had an important bearing on the average daily and weekly output of the individual shearer and a shearing gang.

- Source: Papers Past