Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1881-02-04
MARYLAND Tobacco Inspections.
Continued from First Page.

employers. 1hey get a oollar uoSSheau ioi
buying. The more tobacco they by more dol
they have been cautioned to buy at prices that
will leave a good margin of profit to their en-
ployers. But they cannot always be sure
about this margin. If they give too much, in
their competition TO get tobacco, their employ
ers may blame and perhaps discharge them.
Therefore, it is their interest to pick the sam
pies sent to Europe and make them appear to
the best advantage. If they are blamed, they
can point to the samples and say, there l.
what bought by; the samples are worth more
than the money paid; it is not my fault; the
inspector cheated us"
i say that buyer can do this, when he il
doubtful about the margin; and ifsome OF then
do sometimes do it, why, it only shows tina
''the best of men are men at best There was
one rogue found even among the twelve apos
ties.
Gov. Hamilton can easily bring this matter
to satisfactory test. Let him go TO one OF th'
warehouses, and there himself inspect lot OF
badly stripped Maryland tobacco-tohacco
where good and bad leaves are mixed together
let him take care that it be fairly, justly and
righteously sampled; then let the samples go
into the hands of an expert to be picked and
manipulated preparatory to sending it to Brs-
men, After it has gone through this process,
the Governor won't know the samples he him
self drew.
And when the Bremen merchant writes back
that the Governor cheated him in the inspec-
ton, and demands of his Excelency the differ
ence in value between the picked samples and
the tobacco they represent, he will begin to
understand one of the causes Of so much COM
plant against the inspectors.
That an inspector cannot justly be held re-
.ponsible for the accuracy of his samples, II
they are picked and manipulated after they
pass from his hands, think all men will agree
| If Gov. Hamilton can devise ways and means
| of putting stop to this practice Of picking
samples, be will do much towards establishing
4-.L--.-h---~-..-l-of--p afsfu,Ss>-..>.->f~as s'
and more satisfactory basis, and relive thu
| inspectors of the necessity of bearing othe'
peoples sins. But you will observe that the
changing of public inspection for private inspec
ton would not at all remedy the evil. Th'
samples drawn by private inspector could ane
would be picked as readily as if drawn by :
public inspector. The private inspector wouit
be driven TO selecting TO worst bundles he coulc
find as samples, in self defence.
Another great cause embarrassment 10 th'
inspectors and of complaints from Europe !:
that many Of the small tobacco growers o.
MARYLAND people who do not make more thar
one hoCshead, from necessity, pack 1t. hrlgh
and dull, long and short. seconds and tai-ends
all in one hogshead. Now neither aPubli'
inspector, nor a private inspector, nor Gov
Hamilton or any other living man can sampi.
such hogshead with certainty. All that IN
spector can do,is 20 guess at ii. 1.-The gEesSEs too
low and undersamples, the buyer pockets IN
gains and SAWS nothing about it. If be guesse'
too high and oYer san pies, the huyer come.
back on him with a reclamation. II be under
samples nine hogshesds TO the extent OF twenty
| dollars each, and over samples one hogsheads Il
the extent Of ten do lars the buyer may demand
| of him ten dollars and say n~thing about th'
other nine hogsheads.
The only remedy that ! can see for this stat,
| of things is mot 10 cophsca,e the tobscco Al
| WAS proposed some years ago butt 10 requir'
| the inspector 10 stay all hogsbeads so m!xed
| that he cannot sample them with certainty
| Let the tobacco be shaken out and CAREFUL,
assorted the number OF pounds OF each kline
or quality of tobacco ascertained and noted
| then let il ali be repacked back into the cask
The buyer would then know exactly bat h.
was buy ing and the inspector Wou'd be relieved
of the task of doing an impossibiity. As th'
owner would, believe, always get more fol
his hogshead hen its contents was ceriainl,
known, he would be a gamer and not lose
by the operation. But have dvelt upon ,hi.
branch OF the subject in previous letters.
think the advantages accruiug TO the plan
| tiers from our present system OF inspection snc
storage is not generally understood in othe'
sections Of the State. By way Of illustration
will cite q case Some three years ago packed
six hogsheads ofvery inferior tobacce-,ohacro
not worth at the time more than - per hun
dred | ordered il to be stored away and held
for rise in the market; held il for three
years Las, August my agent sold it for s.
and 81 per hundred Now If had held this
tobacco in New York, under their system.
should have paid 10 cents per month storage
on each hogshead. III had held ii in Ci7cis-
natl, should have paid so cents per month
IfLouisville ffty cents per month II in New
Orleans, twenty-five cents per month. Bu, in
the public warehouse in Baltimore, belonging
TO the planters, could hold il at but little cost
Can you wonder that We are not willing 10
forego these advantages and 10 have the New
York or Cincinnati system forced upon US
The people interested in the private ware
houses at Locust Point and Canton are NOV
ing heaven and earth TO break up the Slate
sy stem Of inspection. and 10 have the public
warehouses sold Why? Because so long
the State warehouses store tobacco gratis, They
are forced 10 store il gratis also. old Shylock
said that Antonio, the Nerchs Mt, by lending out
money gratis, had numbered him (Shyiock
from making half million, and he hated him.
The owners OF the private warehouses 81
Locust Point and Canton can say, As well, that
the State warehouses by storing tobacco gratis
have hindered them from making half mil
lien also ; and they hate it. If our present,
system of inspection and s,rouge 10 maintained
these people will never make any money; if il
is broken up they will make their hslfa million
and it will come out of the poeke;s Of the plan
tiers.
To show you how much cheaper tobacco 10
handled in Baltimore than in any Of the other
great tobacco marts, In have but further to
quote from papers before me. New York the
cost of insPection (what we would call the out
age) is 50 per hogshead. The charge for
storage is, as have said, forty cents per month,
except the first month, which is free. We thus
find that the cost Of inspecting and storeng a
hogshead of tobacco 10 New York for one year
is 81, 40 while In Baltimore i, is jus, s. 90.
The cost of Inspecting hogshead Of tobacco
in Cincinnati varies from IS TO S.. The
charge for storage is fifty cents per month /;
three months being allowed free TO the planters
but the buyer only seven days. We thus find
the cost Of inspecting and storing hogshead
of tobacco in Cincinnati for one year is $40 to
Sl2, while in Baltimore it is only 81.
take these figures from reports made to 8
committee of the Maryland Grange, appointed
to investigate the working Of the system Of free
inspection in other States. They have been
published before, but never successfully con-
tradicted.
When tobacco inspection brings the State into
debt the other sections of the State have q
right to complain. This is very true. But !
doabt If even then Western Maryland should
complain. We have been taxed for forty years
for building works of internal improvement to
develop her resources. No! Western Mary
land, for very shame, should not begrudge help
to other sections of the State.
But tobacco inspection never brought the
State into debt until the corruptions produced
by the war had pervaded all things and all
places And it has been said further that il
never brought the State into debt except when
our Governors were themselves corrupt men,
or weak and inefficient The Governor APP
4ho; h. h; m ha