Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-04-30
FEDERAL WHEAT
GRADES CONFUSE
NORTHWEST FARMERS NOT
CLEAR ON HOW REGULA-
TloNs APPLY TO WHEAT.
wheat DIRECTOR QUESTIONED
l. n. Barnes Endeavors to Explain
Rules Prevailing in Many
Foreign Ports--Farm-
ers Very Confused.

WASHINGTON.-F Oh the
northwest apepar to be much con-
fused over the question of federal
grain grades as they apply to wheat
Numerous inquiries come to Washing
ton from individual farmers and farm
ers' cooperative selling organizations.
These questions were propounded:
How far do our federal grain
grades follow out wheat in the ex-
port business?
DO our grain grades differ from
the Liverpool grades, and, il so, TO
what extent?
What are the Liverpool grades
| based on?
In other words, do the exporters
have to sell on the same grades that
our farmers do, and, if so, who sets
the Liverpool grades?
Explanation by Barnes.
Replying to these questions. Direc'
ter Barnes writes:
II think one thing is very confus
ing to the layman, and that is, that
wheat can not be treated solely as
wheat In the United States VIC
have seven or eight different varie
ties, and in a world market like Liv
erpool, drawing from Russia, India
Argentina, South Africa, Australia
the varieties, each with its owl
chemical properties are so numerou!
that no geenral statements or deduc
tions can be made.
"In Liverpool, for instance, the.
do not grade wheat. I think withOu
exception their entire purchases ar,
made on standard samples and sc
ries of discounts and premiums from
the standard, which differences ar
fixed by expert examination OF eacl
identical sample. This can be don
in consuming market in which tn
parcels to be examined arrive il
steamer lots, but it is impossible il
country like ours, where the whea
is originally bought in the wagon
load lots and in which ordinaril
eight to ten million wagon loads ar
graded from the farmer. This viii
show you that it is impossible t
compare the treatment of wheat Oh
grade between such market as Liy
erpool, with it's customs, and such a
American methods have by long eS
perience shown to lend themselve
most readily to quick and economical
handling
Liverpool Buyer Is canny.
On the other hand, the Liverpool
buyer soon learns to know what TIL,
american standards of grades mean
and they have an importing class o
buyers who will buy on the Ameri
can standards and largely guaran
tee the quality to the final miller
These standards they buy on are thu
American standards, under the super
vision of the bureau of marekts, tn,
same as the farmer sells under at in
terror markets; SO that as far as tn
American farmer is concerned, tn
grades sold under are fixed by Amer
can standards, and not by the British
: Now you will see that, with a
ocean voyage of two weeks, any fai
ure to hold the ocean shipment
from America up to recognized an
expected standards would soon b
demonstrated abroad and reflecte
: in lowering of the price relativel
Therefore it is of greatest impo
lance that the standard of grade
, across the whole country be mad
uniform, and that is the reason VIII
have always been in favor of fe
eral supervision of grades, and feder,
establishment of standards, for thu
has grown out of the result of 3
years of grain handling"