Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-30
EXPORTS MAY GAIN
BY LAvAL'S VISIT
Premier's Assistants Dis
cuSsed Grain and Cotton
Prices While Here.
ny LOUIS z. VAN NORMAN.

One Of the practical results OF Pre-
mier Lavals visit to this country may
be q stimulus to Americas foreign
sales of wheat and other agriculture
staples.
During the conversations between
President Hoover and other American
officials and Premier Laval, the eco
nomic advisor to the French premier
took up with the Federal Farm Board
the question Of export credit looking
particularly to the purchase by France
of American wheat and cotton. France
is said to be in the market for upwards
of 100000 bushels of wheat from
abroad, her domestic crop having been
damaged by unfavorable weather con-
ditions.
Government rs Agent.
Further negotiations are now in prog
reSS. 1t Is believed that in this matter
the French government is merely act
ing as agent between the French millers
and the Farm Board, while the millers
themselves will be the actual pur-
chasers.
Now that the "stabilization" stage of
the Federal farm activities has adj
mittedly been passed, the function of
the board as a salesman for American
agricultural products all over the world
is becoming more and more impressive.
During the Spring the board began
q program OF bartering with foreign
governments for various commodities,
paying with surplus American wheat.
The first deal was with the government
of Brazil for $4,000 900 bushels of wheat
in return for 1.275,000 bags of coffee,
of which Brazil has an enormous sur
Plus. This week the president of the
Grain Sterilization Corporation an
nounced that 1000, 900 bushels of Farm
Board wheat had been delivered and
that 100000 pounds of coffee had
been placed in elevators in this coun-
try by the Brazilian government. The
Farm Board, however, will hold the
coffee of the market until September.
1892.
The next grain bargain" was with
China. Negotiations with the Ma
tionalist government completed some
weeks ago. provided for the purchase
by China OF approximately $4,000, 900
bushels Of wheat, most of which the
Chinese authorities say will be used for
the purpose of relieving distress caused
by the flood in the Yangtze Valley. OF
the total, l,750,000 bushels were deliv-
cred to China during September.
Following the Brazilian and Chinese
transactions, there were negotiations
with Germany and France. Early in
September the German government
purchased 200, 900 bushels Of American
hard Winter wheat, and 1t Is believed
this will be the first Of number Of
such transactions
Imports Planned.
The governments Of several other
European nations have taken steps to
import wheat There seems to be q
general tendency for Eastern European
and Balkan countries to establish grain
monopolieS in the present situation of
poor harvests and, in some cases, of
insufficient stocks. Such monopolieS, in
more or less modified form, already cx-
ist in Rumania, Jugoslavia and Bull
garia. Other countries need wheat
from abroad, including Great Britain.
which, it Is reported, has been negoti-
ating with Russia It Is also reported
that the Norwegian fish monopoly, one
of the most powerful food enterprises
in the country, is seeking offers for
nearly half million tons of Ameri-
can wheat for delivery next year.
While che Farmers Grain Stabiliza-
ton Corporation, through which the
Farm Board operates, has authority by
its charter to arrange for long-term
credits in the sale of the wheat and
cotton 1t holds by purchase with Fed
eral funds, it is believed the board will
not be averse to having private finan-
ciers cooperate in arranging a credit
pool for export purposes OF grain other
than that 1t now holds.
Copyright, 1917