The department of the "Bremen Cotton Exchange" which deals with questions relating to actual cotton, has a staff of sworn classers. It is their duty to fix, with the aid of the various standards, the class of cotton, or to pronounce an opinion on it, or to settle the disputes between buyer and seller, as far as they refer to the quality of cotton.
American cotton is divided into a number of classes, and each has its standard. Originally, these standards were obtained from Liverpool, but later on, Bremen produced the standards independently. There are original standards and standard copies; the former, remain unchanged, while the latter are renewed every year, because, through constant use, they are liable to deteriorate. The freshly made up standards are subject to the examination and approval of a Committee, elected for that purpose, and which consists of Members of the Trade and the Industry. The sworn classers are nominated by the directors, and concern themselves solely with the classing and arbitrating of cotton. They have sworn a solemn oath, to conduct their office with absolute impartiality; this is further safeguarded by the fact, that the names of the parties interested are kept strictly secret. If a party consider, that they have a right to complain about the verdict of the classers, they can appeal against the decision. The verdict of the appeal is given by Appeal Judges, who are appointed by a Committee, elected for that purpose. They are selected from the merchants and spinners, and great care is exercised that they possess the necessary expert knowledge. The names of the interested parties are also withheld from the appeal judges, nor are they informed whether buyer or seller have appealed. It is of great advantage to the whole arbitration system, that the appeal judges are actively engaged in the cotton business, by this means a bureaucratic verdict is avoided. Up to a point, the arbitrators and appeal judges work together, and thereby, the former remain in close touch with the general business life, which is of importance for various reasons. It is not sufficient for a correct verdict, to simply compare the cotton with the standards, the judges must know, how the difference in the quality is to be valued; and how far the character of each crop is to be taken into consideration, etc. etc. It is therefore apparent, that the judging of cotton requires a certain connection with the actual business activity, and, it is certain, that only the commerce itself can produce and educate the individuals, who are chosen to pronounce an expert opinion upon questions of such importance and difficulty.