The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-12-10
TO REGULATE COTTON GRADES
SENATOR SMITH HAS IMPORTANT
BILL PENDING.
south Carolina Senator Expects His
Measure. II Passed, to Give Farm.
ers Valuable Information.

Washington, Dec. 6.--"At the last
session Of congress-" said Senator
smith today, IL introduced an amend
ment to the agricultural appropriation
Dill, carrying an appropriation of
$46,0O0, for determining the relative
value OF the different grades Of cot
ton, that Is, what each grade is
worth as compared with every other
grade. The present method Of de-
termining the price of the different
grades Is to compare each Of them
with the middling grade. If middling.
say is IL cents. strict low middling is
SO many points, or SO much less in
price. than midd!ing. Low middling
Is still lower, strict good ordinary still
lower, and good ordinary, of course,
still lower. Above middling, strict
middling Is SO many points higher,
good rniddling. strict good mddling,
and middling fair each one higher as
the grade Is better. There was no
definite knowledge as to the real diff
ference In the actual value of these
different grades. Sometimes good
ordinary would be as much as SIS or
$40 less per bale than middling. The
what Is the real difference In the ac-
tual worth Of these grades. II good
ordinary would make as good yarn
and bleach as we'll as middling. and
hence, make as good cloth as mid
ding. there Is no reason why good or
dinary should not bring as much as
middling; and IL the yarn and cloth
made from middling were as good as
those made from middling, fair there
is no reason why middling should
not bring as good price as middling
fair.
Now the only elements by which
the graes have been determined
were color and trash. or what We call
foreign natter that is, other things
such as trash and leaf in the cotton
The claim has been made that the
fibre itself Of the lower grades when
cleaned Of this foreign matter was not
as valuable as that of the higher
grades. This element. that Is the
strength Of the fibre, is now being
tested. When completed, I shall have
something to say in reference to that.
up to the present the amount Of
loss in the different grades, by TAX
ing out the trash and the consequent
loss In weight Of the different grades.
has been completed. The department
has had a careful test made to aee
how much loss there Is in cleaning a
bale Of each grade-that Is, a bale
each Of middling fair. good middling
middling, low middling. good orai-
nary. The amount Of loss In mid
ding fair was 320 per cent. good
middling 1874 per cent, middling 5.02
per cent, low middling 6.69 per cent.
and good ordinary 1904 per cent
Mid|.ling Is the basis Of comparison.
The price paid on our platform is
based on middling. Therefore, II the
waste from the different grades was
all that determined the value OF the
different grades, good ordinary would
be worth as much less as the amount
OF loss was greater than middling.
Now the difference between the loss
In good ordinary and in middling Is
the difference between SOC per cent
and 12.04 per cent. therefore. the
difference would be 7.02 per cent.
That is. there is 7.o2 pounds more per
100 lost because Of trash and
waste out Of q bale OF good ordinary
than there is cut OF a bale of mid
ding. Expressed In pounds there
would be 35 pounds more lost out Of
a bale OF good ordinary than there
would be out Of bale Of middling
Therefore. the value Of that bale Of
good ordinary would be worth the
value OF the bale Of middling less 35
pounds. II middling is worth IS
cents. good ordinary should be worth
is cents less 35 pounds, or about
$3.50 per bale less.
Now. In place Of there being an
arbitrary reduction on the part Of the
trade OF froi, ono and one-half to 3
cents per pounI--the difference be-
tween middling an2 good ordinary
there shoul only be the reduction Of
the actual loss which have indicated
previously.
'In addition to this. they are taking
this waste. which consists OF short
nbre and other fibre lost in the manu-
featuring processes. and determining
it's value and as far as they have gone
they find practically no difference In
the commercial value Of the waste OBJ