HEMP GRADING

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 104, 1 April 1926, Page 4

HEMP GRADING

MILLERS’ EXERCISED. A COMMITTEE SET UP. lu accordance witli notice, the chairman of tho New Zealand Flaxmillers’ Association, Mr A. Seifert, at yesterday’s meeting, moved “that a committee be set up to supervise hemp grading, consisting of one member of the Department of . Agriculture, two merchants and two millers.” In a letter that he had sent to the association relative to the matter, Mr Seifert, in giving the reasons for his motion, stated that homp grading had not been giving satisfaction for some considerable time, and that the millers felt that t'nev were not in close enough touch with tno consumers of New Zealand hemp, as when complaints came forward the millers were not informed of the nature of them. There had been complaints that the standard of tho quality was not the same at all the grading ports. Personally, he was of the opinion that a committee as suggested would be in close touch with all sides of the industry, and that such a committee could meet once a month or every two months to consider all complaints and also endeavour to reorganise tho system if required. In a further letter on the subject, copies whereof ho had asked to bo sent to all members, tho chairman stated that it was hard to understand the frequent complaints that were made about tho quality of New Zealand hemp and the statement made by an English cordago manufacturer that the standard was not equal to that existing bofore the war. Howovor the whole question had to be thoroughly looked into by the millers with a view to getting the best possible grade of hemp on the markot to suit the trade. Most millers, ho know, wore strongly of the opinion that the best thing the graders could do was to stick to a fixed and rigid standard, and that it was tile duty of tho millors to dress the quality that suited the trade. In speaking to his motion, Mr Seifert stated that he wanted to make it quite clear that he was not against Government grading. At the present time too much onus was put on the grader, whereas more satisfaction would be obtained if his motion were given effect to. Mr P. W. Clinkard said that the Government grading system could be placed on a better footing. It seemed to him that it was almost impossible to lay down a standard for mixed products. Mr Berry thought that the graders were handicapped in their work through not seeing the whole of the bale. The chairman said that a point he made was that the brand of the miller was lost sight of in the pooling of the hemp. The buyers, however, had expressed themselves against the retention of brands. In his opinion, the cordage manufacturer would prefer to have the tails better cleaned, but the point that concerned the speaker was whether tho grading would go up correspondingly. Mr Cockayne ('Department of Agriculture) stated that the trouble with most millers was that tliov regarded the worst hemp of theirs that had got a grade as the standard. Millers ought to better clean the tails of the fibre and so endeavour to better the grading. More uniformity was needed, stated Mr Petrie, (Government grader) who oontinued that, as long as hemp was received in tho way it was being sent in, it was imposiblo to grade it in a way to give satisfaction to everyone. The chairman remarked that classifying at the individual mills would never suit the buyers, as there would be no uniformity. After further discussion, the chairman and Messrs Moir, Cockayne, Petrie and A. Boss were appointed a committee to report on the question of a central co-operative classification —not grading—by the millers.