Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1881-03-24
An Official Speculation.
Profits of the French Goceyn-
ment by ais Monopoly, Of
the Sale Of IobaccO,-


the Sale Of Tobacco
Bismarck, finding the monopoly
OF tobacco manufacture to boa.
prominent source Of prosperity to.
the French govern n.eht, proposes.
the same system for Germany. In
the seven.eeth century the French,
government assumed the right to.
control the manufacture of tobac-.
Co.. aud in 1914, transferred. the
monopoly of manufacture to com
tractors, who agreed to pay. fer.the,
privilege a sum. based. OF the prob
!, able earnings. This syetem. was.
in operation until the reign OF the
first Napoleon, when a commission
Fappeiptsd- by him reported the,
only way Of benefttfug both tho
Government and consumers would
be for the State to manufacture.
tobacco exclusively. The reasons
given We're that the work. being:
under one control would dispense.
with nine-tenths Of the general exs.
penses which would be incurred,
by individual manufacturers. The.
credit and capital of the State be
lug greater than that of any indi>-
vidual, it could make use of all
pew discoveries and n.achinss~for'
simplifying labor, and thus reduce
:he cost ;. it wouli abolish all exe
, penses OF show, advertising, high-.
priced stores, ETC., aud having no,
> interest in makiu g a. profit to tho
disadvantage of the. consumer.
, would avoid all adulteratioL g. The
} system went.into practice in 1910,
) aud has not since undergone any
p modiGcat;ons. Iu 1871 the sales
t raachsd over $4,000, 900. francs,
b the expenses being 81 100000 and
g the next profit being over 19,OOO,-
: 900. 10 1878 the receipts were,
over 397, 100000 francs, the expsu-
# ses about 65,000,00O and the net
J, profit over 332, 900, O,OOOJ In this
: sixty-seven years. the expenses
s were but little tsnore than doubled,
: while the net profit had increased
>. seventeen fold. AS cigars, which
II constituted the principle part of
q ! thV J1CuuCtlOD, dfo diUA4Wb
!, exclusively by han1, the reduction
II of expenses aud the great growth
9 of receipts were chiefly accounted
n for by the division in manuel labor
10 when united in large masses under
one administration. The manufac.
ture Of matches is also a Govern
-. ment monopoly, and the profit
= from it, added to that OIL tobacco
amounted to 34S,21O,ODO francs,
N or about $69, ,642 ,0u0, a.sum suf6-
"a cient at FIVE per cent. to pay inter'
n est on the five, thousand. million,
IS levied in 1871 by ,Gel many, and
w. leave an oyerplus for an O. ,tizatior
,S no which by compound interest calcu
;m latiop, would sink the " hoe deb
81 Of in thirty-six years. The average
ha wages paid by the Government
- to its tobacco laborers was si,
~ W. and one-hhh francs dag, Will,
;; jewelers., the highest paid o
French wolkmen, received from
W. private employers but aa average
- = of 5-l-7 francs a day. Ii addition
NJ ~ 10 paying the hlghest Of. ave,ag
~ wages, the Government gives to it
as M employees during sickness, or afte
,od I IA certain period Of service, pen
~as .'a sion SO satisfactory that q 4positio
'r1 in the, employ. of the State
'y eagerly sought for by. FTenc
a ie' workmen The expenses of man
oot om agement, clerks, agents, s:orag
of freight: etc reached in 1873. be
II. per cent. on the groi
receipts. French mauufacture
ardmercharts expend II to Ii ?,
,le- cent. for these items.