Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-02-03
Tobacco Packing.

D T0bQcc0 PACKING. $50 =
Hopkinsville New Era.
DEAR SIR.-A late communics
tion in the New Era signed j. wa
, read by US with pleasure, and w
thank him for the article, for tn
more the subject of fair packing q
our tobacco crop is discussed tn
sooner will the evils complained o
be corrected. We cannot, however
agree with j. that selling on tn,
head of the hogshead will correc
the evil. Experience shows tha
those markets that have that sys
tenn, have had more to contend
with in false packing tobacco thar
have even CArksvilie or Hopkins
4 ville-the form of nesting only il
changed, fair outside may be
presented when nearly all may be
rotteness within. The oldest tobac.
co market in the United States,
Richmond, Va, having tried ali
systems, has for years sold her
large receipts next in number to
Louisville and Cincinnati, } at her
Tobacco Exchange. Neither New
Orleans, Baltimore, New York or
the foreign markets have ever sold
upon the head of the hogshead, but
have relied upon their inspectors
furnishing them with honest sam
| piles. When buyers can see the
bulk and examine it the effect is to
relieve. the inspector of a portion of
the responsibility. Appeals may
be made for fair dealing, but it Is
the inspector only who can enforce
it. 1t is in his power fully. When
planters and prizers can stand by
and see an inpectOr break hogs
heads nearly always at the same
distance from the top, bottom an :
middle, and see him include no
short or inferior tobacco. from the
sides of the hOgsheads containing
it, certainly that sight IS not coficlu-
sive to fair packing. louisville
breaks were full of nested tobacco
during the war and for some years
afterwards, and though efforts were
made to correct the evil, it still eX-
lists there to some extent, and to
exist it must be profitable; asian
evidence that selling on the head
of the hOgshead does not correct
the evil, we quote. a recent card
published in the Louisville news
papers by a portion, of the buyers:
LOUISVILLE, KY, Jan. 8, 1885,
TO aChon9 ii may concern. Owing
to the vast amount of false packed
tobacco now being offered at our
daily auction sales if becomes nee
essary for us, the handlers, to pro-
tect ourselves from this nefariOus
practice. Therefore, we.i the under
signed, hereby bind ourselves not
to buy or bid on tobacco pronounce
ed false packed by the committee.
Any three of the undersingned1
shall constitute committee to say 4
whether or not a .hogshead or hogs
heads are falsely packed; same to
be done before the hogsheadS are
offered for sale. sHa, saE
III ALFRED LEWIS. .E. ssr /
-. w. S. MATHEWS &. Sons ]
w. Y. GRANT q: Co.
l'' w. p. CONRAD'&'S0NS. 9
ta. l7 ,G.--VAUGHAN d Co. '4sT
.t .a VIM. d C. ID. CAMPBELL.
A. REIsDOR. ,.-...;.. !
j. 5. THOMPSON. ~.
The condition of affairs IN the
Cincinnati tobacco market was de-
plorable for many years, and 1t was
openly asserted that not one hogs |
head in five was fairly packed.
The trade, after many meetings
an much discussion, finally Sc |
lected one inspector for the market,
and elected by a unanimous vote !
Mr.. +. A. Prague, who, in a year,
purified that inspection,
and during his inspection Cfncin- |
natl samples were recognized as |
true representatives of the hoga- |
heads in every market in Europe
us we'll as in this country, errors OF |
were remedied by
prompt payment Of reclamation, |
and Cincinnati speedily felt the |
good influence, by large increase of |
orders sent to that market. Mr.. |
Prague by his just course won the |
respect of priZers and planters as |
well as buyers, and when the in /
spection OF his market was fully es- |
he voluntarily. vacated /
his office. His name is honored I
to-day as being at the top of his /
of tobacco inspectors. |
We, individually, are welded to no
system of selling, We have bought /
under the various ways The |
Clarksvillt, trade seriously discussed /
the matter when they reopened the +
market afCer the war. and finally 1
the warehousenen were requested |
to take the sense of the planters up
On the subject, which they did, and /
it was so overwhelmingly against
the system at the hogshead that it |
was not adopted. ..... ..r..r I
We are respectfully yours,
NJ. II. CLARK q Bro.