Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-03-01
The Bill to Establish a Tobacco
Warehouse.

- hanson, tDe columbus correspondent
of the Cincinnati Gazette, in, scne Of his
letters, last week, presents some inter
esting figures respecting the tobacco
business in Ohio. Here is an extract
from his letter of the 10Th:
/ turned to tobacco, and polled the
House on Mr.. Watson's penting bill
"TO establish a tobacco warehouse and
create the Office of State Inspector Of
Tobacco" The Committee on Agricul-
ture, Mr.. Cowgill, Chairman, which
has done q great deal of good work this
session, reported the bill back, without
recommendation, feeling delicate on
the point of creating another State Off
Ger, and the bill comes up for third
reading and discussion next Thursday.
The first fact that strikes one is that
this tobacco business is a much bigger
thing than people generally fancy, and
that in the present condition of the law
Maryland gets from $40, 600 to 500, 900
a year which Ohio ought to have in the
way of fees. About 10000 hogsheads
per year of "fired tobacco" go from our
Southern counties to Baltimore, aud
the laws of Maryland make important
distinctions in favor of her own citi-
zens. The ''Outage fee,o SC called, Is
50 per hogshead, which the Ohio. man
must pay; all other fees com Dined
range from 81 10 50. so there is paid
from 50 to s. on each hOgshead, which
would be paid out in Ohio il we had
the warehouse and inspector. Per con-
ira there is the awkward fact that the
bill asks for SAC, 900 to start on to erect
a warehouse "at some poiRt on the
Ohio River" The inspector is to take
his salary out of the fees, and all above
his $1,000 year is TO 90 into the State
Treasury. The trends OF the bill are
confident the cost of starting the system
would be refunded the State in COM
paratively short time; but whether
they would give bonds to thdt effect,
they haven't said. -.
The largest yield thus far reported in
Ohio, Was in 1873, when 43, $50 acres
yielded SO, ,572 ,55S pounds of tobacco,
which sold at five cents per pound and
upward. The smallest was i'm 1874
when u, 439 acres yieled 9,245, $50
pounds. But the estimate that year
was made far late in June, after two
thirds of that planted in the spring had
been plowed up, having proved total
failure. 1t was the worst year for to-
bacco since Sir Walter Raleigh first
patrOnized the business. Montgomery
county produces twice as much tobacco
as any other, but it Is OF the heavy
grade, which does not go abroad. The
''fired tobacco" is produced almost ex-
clusively in Guernsey, Belmont, Noble,
Washington, Meigs and Monroe coun-
ties, and nearly or quiet all of it goes
abroad by way of Baltimore. The
average being 10000 hogsheads per
year. The fees amount to something,
and it is claimed that we have, in the
last twenty-five years, paid Maryland
over one million and three-quarters
dollars in fees, which might as well
been kept iD Ohio. Counting only this
sort that goes abroad, 1t brings into the
State nearly one million dollars per
year.
West Virginia has followed the ex.
ample of Maryland and created an In
spector, with warehouse to be erected
at Parkersburgh. This bill proposes
that our Inspector shall be appointed
| by the Governor, and, as might be sus.
pected, the people of the above coun.
! ties are unanimous in its favor. In
! 1878 twelve counties produced over 9
million pounds each Of tobacco, which
returned an average of $45 per acre
Baltimore men estimate that the ship
ments of "fired tobacco" from Ohio
this year will aggregate at least 25,00t
hogsheacs averaging 800 pounds each
total 2,000, 900 pounds. This of the
crop produced in 1876. Such are the
arguments advanced in it's favor; these
against 1t will readily suggest them.
selves, especially the creation Of q new
Office and expenditure Of $40, 900.