Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-07-02
HAVANA CIGARS.
How the Favorite Weeds are Manufac-
notwithstanding Information.

Ho" the rasorite weeds are Manufac-
notwithstanding Information.
Mr.. +. H. Meyer. formerly a cigar
maker in Havana, gives considerable
interesting information concerning
Havana cigars and how they are made.
Mobile, although so near to Havana, is
very different in her cigar-making
methods. and Mr.. Meyers statement
will doubtless be read with interest.
ANY person may become manu-
fscturer in Havana after obtaining a
license from the government. Each
manufacturer has n trademark or as
many trademarks as he wishes, but he
alone is entitled TO use them. Small
manufacturers have no brand or trade
mark, but work for the other manufac-
turers. When brand is placed upon
the market it usually goes for very
small price, but as it increases in pop
ular favor the price rises rapidly. I'M
mense profits are made by the owners
OF well-known brands. If manufac-
turer of well-known brand desires to
retire he can dispose of the brand at
considerable price. Sometimes, how
ever. he prefers to furnish poor class
of cigars at high prices until the brand
falls into disrepute and no one wants
the cigars.
The manufacture is chiefly carried
on in Havana, and the manufacturers
are Spaniards or Creoles. The cigar
makers are of all classes, Creoles.
Spaniards, colored people, and ne
groes. Many of the latter are slaves,
but there is not much profit in their
labor. as a good slave cigar-maker
costs from 500 to 1000, and then he
must be fed and clothed. Sometimes
he is ill, of course, and at other times
he runs away and his master never
sees him again. As class, the cigar
makers form the toughest and most
miserable of the whole population.
Their behavior is regulated by the good
or the poor yield of the tobacco crop.
If the yield is good and abundant, there
is hardly way to manage the men
properly, as a great want of workmen
is felt. If, on the other hand, the crop
is poor. there are plenty of hands, and
with the reduction of wages they be-
come tractable. In flush times, the
manufacturer who offers the largest
advance of wages obtains the greatest
number of hands. The system of
making advances is also of great dam
age to the manufacturer, as he loses
large sums in that way. The cigar
makers who cannot or will not repay
are thrown into prison. Sometimes so
many men are thus locked up that the
scarcity of hands is severely felt by the
manufacturers. Another nuisance con-
sists in having to pay off the hands
three times day, at breakfast, dinner,
and night.
1.-The most renowned manufacturers
chiefly make their cigars smaller than
the standard sizes. The cigar-maker.
when at work. has before him a wood
en- model of the cigar he is expected to
make. He has also flat piece of wood
with hole in it, through which the
cigar can be drawn. La making n CT
gar, the workman has two or three
pieces of leaf and places them Nat in
his hand; he then takes as many small
pieces as may be required, rolls them
altogether in his hand and finally APP
plies the wrapper. His chief aim is to
cover the veins or place them all on
one side. BY success in achieving this
the good operator can be recognized.
The heads of the cigars are not fasten-
ed with gum or any other similar sticky
substance, but simply by white bread.
This bread the workman carries with
him. The taste can hardly be noticed
in the cigars. The most skillful hands
use nothing at all to fasten the ends,
but secure them by many twistings
that wind into each other. This re-
quircs more time, however, and is
chiefly practiccd with fine cigars.
The smoker would hardly enjoy his
cigar if he were TO see it in process of
manufacture. Should YOU see the dirty
negro working amid the uncleanliness
of many of the factories, where much
tobacco is lying on the ground and fire.
quently oming in contact with the
spittle and naked feet of the workmen,
you would feel Il strong desire to let
the cigar alone.
'All persons employed in a factory
smoke as much as they want. In the
evening the workman takes Mt least
six cigars home with him, and these so
taken arc not the worst, as you may
imagine. None of them consider it
stealing to take cigars or tobacco with
them. Although large thefts often oc-
cur, the police never interfere. If the
proprietor makes complaint. he must
not forget to mention that he does not
expect TO have any of the stolen goods
returned, but only desires the discov-
cry of the thief. In case he should
wish to recover the goods the expense
would amount TO two or three times
the value of them. The working hours
are twelve hours n day, winter and
summer Every fifty cigars made by
workman are bound together, the finest
cigars being placed on the outside,
with the veins on the inside The
number of bundles depends upon how
many cigars man can make in a day.
The average is 200 to 250 Mobile
Register.