Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1881-01-21
TOBACCO INSPECTION.

The Westminster advocate of a late date
contains well-written and pointed ccm-
muDication from B. d. Bond on Tobacco
Inspection, from which the following ex-
tracts will doubtless prove interesting to our
readers:
That an inspector cannot justly be held
responsible for the accuracy of his samples,
if they are picked and manipulated after
they pass from his hand, think all men
will agree. If Gov. Hamilton can devise
ways and means of putting stop to this
practice Of picking samples, he will do much
towards establishing the tobacco trade of
Baltimore upon fairer and more satisfac-
tory basis, and relieve the inspectors of the
necessity of bearing other peoples SINS
But you will observe the changing of pub
lie inspection for private inspection would
not at all remedy the evil. The samples
drawn by a private inspection could and
would be picked as readily as if drawn by
public inspector The private inspector
would be driven TO selecting the worst bun
dies he could find as samples, in self defence.
Another great cause of embarrassment to
the inspectors and of complaint from Eu-
rope, is that many of the small tobacco
growers of Maryland, people who do not
make more than one hogshead, from neces-
sity pack it, bright and dull, long and short,
second and tail-ends, all in one hogshead.
Now neither public inspector, nor private
inspector, nor Governor or any other living
man can sample such a hogshead with GER
taintv. All that an inspector can do is to
guess at it, If he guess too low and under
samples, the buyer pockets his gains and
says nothing about it, II he guesses too
high and oversamples, the buyer comes back
on him with reclamation. If he under
samples nine hogsheads 10 the extent of
twenty dollars each, and oversamples one
hogshead to the extent of ten dollars, the
buyers may demand of him ten dollars and
say nothing about the other nine bogsheads
The only remedy that | can see for this
state OF things Is mot TO confiscate the TO-
bacco us was proposed some years ago) but
TO require the inspector 10 stay all hogsheads
so mixed that he cannot sample them with
certainty. Let the tobacco be shaken out
and carefully assorted; the number of
pounds Of each kind and quality of tobacco
ascertained and noted-then let il all be re-
packed into the cask. The buyer would
then know exactly what he was buying and
the inspector would be relieved of the task of
doing an impossibility. As the owner would,
believe, always get more for his hogshead
when its contents were certainly known, he
would be gamer and not loser by the OPP
Grafton.
The people interested ia TIE private ware
houses at Locust Point and Canton are NOV
ing heaven and earth TO break up the State
system Of Inspection, and have the public
warehouses sold. Whyg Because so long
as the State warehouses store tobacco gratis,
they are forced TO store II gratis also. Old
Shyloca said that Antonio, the Merchant,
by lending out money gratis, had Numbered
him (Shylock) from making half million,
and he hated him.
The owners of the private warehouses at
Locust Point and Canton can say, as well,
that the state warehouses by storing tobacco
crates, have hindered them from making hall
million also and they hate IL. If our pres
cntsystem OF storage is maintained these peo-
ole will never make any money if IL is bro.
ken up they will make their half million,
and II will come out of the pockets of the
planter.
To show You how much cheaper tobacco
Is handled in Baltimore than in any of the
other giaai tobacco marts, / have but further
20 quote from papers before me. In New
York the cost Of inspection (what we would
call outageli is % per hogshead. The charge
sor storage Is, as | have said, forty cents per
month, except the first month, which is
free We thus find that the cost Of inspec-
ton and storing a hogshead Of tobacco in
New York for one year is $40 while in
Baltimore II is just $500
The cost OF inspecting a hogshead of TO-
oacco In Cincinnati varies from So 10 S.
The charge for storage is fry cents per
month; three months being allowed free "a
the planters, but 20 BUYERS only seven DAYS
We thus find die cost Of inspection and
storing hogshcad Of tobacco In Cincinnati
Cor one year Is $40 10 $le, while In Balii.
more il Is only ~.
am In favor of the old Democratic doe
tsine 81 local selfgoycrment ! am in favor
u granting local seli-goycrment 10 all the
States, and 10 all sections Of States having
peculiar local Interests ] think that al
laws touching the inspection end storing 81
our tohaioo should be len entirely 90 ihe o.
baeco growing counties
Whatever my admintion for Mr. EyaIt,
and the L. 3. Consul M Bremen, and fol
Dutchmcn generally, still there u one thinl
which believe even they cannot DO The,
cannot legislate ~ intelligently ior the 10
bacoogrOwing counties 81 Maryland ~ W.
can foF ourselves. am told that the whole %
Western Maryland l. sold in favor of frct
inspection. / nave q great admiration lQl
our friends Of Meaefg Maryland. admir-,
their indom8tablc energy. their rich friends
and their big red barns, bat SUI there Is one
khing which even they cannot do. tbcy can
mn legislate a. inielligcntly for the tobacco
planters II Maryland a. We can Cor ourselycf.
simply iof ihe reason that we understand our
avn business beat