Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-01-02
TOBACCO NEWS.


CONDITION OF THE HOME MARKET
Trade Dull and Dealers Nervous-New York
ana PnilsdeIphia Markets-The Su-
matra Scare.
The condition of the Lancaster market
is practically unchanged. There are but
few foreign buyers here and transactions
are comparatively light. The sales in this
city for the past week we're between 200
and 800 cases of 1880 and 1881 leaf. 1t is
reported that Mr.. A. Collins. cf Marietta.
has sold his packing of 1890 to Messrs.
Spingarn. on private terms. These are
the only sales that have been reported.
During the late term of damp weather
our farmers took from the poles large
half of the crop was taken down, and 4
goodly proportion Of it has been stripped.
They are waiting for customers. but the
gress is going to do relative to removing
the revenue tax from domestic tobacco
and placing high import tax ON foreign
tobacco. Our home growers and dealers
are especially nervous regarding Sumatra
tobacco, and many of them insist that a
prohibitory tax shoulu be placed upon it.
The sentiments contained in the memorial
presented by the tobacco dealers of this
city arc largely shared by dealers and
growers throughout this county, and indeed
interested parties in all tobacco growing
sections. They fear that the fine Sumatra
leaf will drive tho ccaIser American leaf
out of the market. fIammerstein, of the
New York zobtcco J0uraal is the leader
in the crusade against Sumatra. In 4
speech made before the New England
tobacco growers and dealers at Hartford.
last week he said
"And now that the old time duty Of 10
per cent will be done away with in January
next, the inportatiuns of Sumatra already
designed for the United States in the
month of January next will perhaps be no
less than 10, 600 cases. Small, flimsy and
diminutive looking as this Sumatra looks
it is strong enough To strangle the tobacco
culture of the United States! You will
be naturally eager to know:
why has Sumatra tobacco taken such
firm hold in this country and
"What means must be adopted to crush
its approaching supremacy i'll the lcai
trade?
" The causes which brought about the
success of Sumatra in this country were
|. Its fine colOrs and fine texture.
.. Its cheapness compared with fine seed
leaf wrappers, one pound of the former
being equal to four of the latter.
3. 1t needs no resweating.
4. 1t is bought reweighed.
D. 1t saves wages.
"But this tobacco has no quality. Its
good looks sell it. The American smoker
as a whole is totally obvious to the quality
Of a cigar. IIc smokes because he is used
to smoking. He is nervous and restles s
by nature. When he eats he eats quickly
aud without enjoyment he smokes ner1-
ously without pleasure. Therefore as long
rs cigar looks palatable and does not
cause him any Inconvenience, he is salts.
fed. A good looking bad cigar attracts
him bad looking fine cigar he abhors.
Give him handsome cigar and tell him
it is imported and he'll go into extacies
over it, though the cigar may have been
made in Kalamazoo with mustard seed
for fillers.'
The New York Tobacco Leaf takes a
much more hopeful view Of tho situation
After summing up the importation OF
Sumatra tobacco for the past year it says:
'The aggregate of these figures is a tritle
over d million pounds, and we appeal tG
growers if it is not ludicrous to be con-
cerned about such a small item in view OF
the fact that cur cigar and tobacco manu-
facturers are annually using about 80,
600, 600 pounds of seed leaf. Multiply the
comparative wrapping capacity Of Suma
ira by three or four, as may suit, and what
does tho whole thing amount to: Why
the talk and scare seem absurd to rationa
people.
60 on with your work of raising gooC
seed leaf, gentlemen growers, and you
need not trouble yourselves about any
foreign ompetitOrs-Sumatra, Havana,
Mexican or South American. Keep to-
gether in the association you have formed
and you are and will bo masters of tho
situation against all comers.
we judge Congress will be reluctant tC
pcrpetrate SO gross a breach of interna'
tional comfy as to levy a duty of one
dollar pound Oh tobaccos coming from
other countries than Cuba, and leave the
Cuban tobacco duty at thirty-tive cents a
pound. National legislation must be con-
sstent.
'In the internal revenue taxes the grower
will find rather than in competing tObac-
cos, the main source of their present
grievances. The demand for their pro-
duct the past year has been unsatisfactory,
not on account OF Sumatra tobacco, but
because of tax burdens, apprehension
and agitation, because recent growths
have not been quite up to trade require
ments. and because, moreover, this has
been the regularly alternating off year in
the tobacco markets of the world. Last
year seed leaf sold in New York to the
text of $50, 99G cases this year the sales
will not exceed, probably, $4,000 cases,
and the records hele for the past ten years
show similar fluctuations
Cans Report.
Sales of seed leaf tobacco reported by j.
S. Cans Son & Co., tobacco brokers, No.
131 Water street. New York, for tho week
ending Jan. 1, 1888:
1900 cases 1880, Pennsylvania, st@14
$50 cases 1881, New England, 15020 ;
200 cases 1881, Ohio, 1907; 100 cases sun
dries, 34W1S. Total, 1850 cases.
NEW YORK MARKET.
For the Week Ending Saturday, December
80, 10 A. NJ.