The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-06-27
HAVANA CIGARS,
How the Favorite Weeds Are Manufact-
ured-Some Interesting Items of Infor-
nation.

ured-Some Interesting Items of Infor-
| nation.
MIR. F. H. Meyer, formerly a cigar
maker in Havana, gives considerable
interesting information concerning Ha-
vana cigars and how they are made.
Mobile, although so near to Havana, is
very different in her cigar-making meth
DDS, and Mn Meyers statements will
doubtless be read with interest.
ANY person may become a manu-
facturer in Havana after obtaining a Ii
cense from Che Government. Each man
ufacturer has trade mark, OF as MANY
trademarks as he wishes, but he alone
is entitled to use them. Small manu-
facturers have no brand or trademark,
but work for the other manufacturers.
When brand is placed upon the mar
ket it usually goes for a very small price,
but as it increases in popular favor the
price rises rapidly. Immense profits
are made by the owners of well-known
brands. If manufacturer of a we'll
known brand desires to retire he can
dispose of the brand at a considerable
price. Sometimes, however, he prefers
to furnish poor class of cigars at high
prices until the brand falls into disre-
pute 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 negroes.
Many of the latter are slaves, but there
is not much profit in their labor, as
good slave cigar-maker costs from 500
to $1,000, and he must be fed and
clothed. Sometimes he is i'll, of course.
and at other times he runs away and his
master never sees him again. As a
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 a
way to manage the men properly, as a
great, want of workmen is felt. If. on
the other hand, tho crop is poor, there
are plenty of hands, and with the re-
duction of wages they become tractable.
In flush time. the manufacturer who
offers the largest advance of wages
obtains the greatest number of hands
The system of making advances is also
of great damage to the manufacturer,
as he loses large sums in that way The
cigar-makers who can not or will not
repay are thrown into prison. Some
times so many men are thus locked up
that the scarcity of hands is severely
felt by the manufacturers. Another
nuisance consists in having to
pay off the hands three times a day,
at breakfast, dinner, and night.
''Ihe most renowned manufacturers
chiefly make their cigars smaller than
the standard sizes. The cigar-maker,
when at work, has before him the
wooden model of the cigar he is ex-
pected to make. He has also a flat
piece of wood with a hole in it, through
which the cigar can be drawn. In
making a cigar the workman takes two
or three pieces of leaf and places them
flat in his left hand; he then takes as
many smaller pieces as may be required,
rolls them all together in the hand, and
finally applies the wrapper. His chief
aim IS to cover the veins or place them
all on one side By success in achiev-
ing this the good operator can be recog-
nized. The heads of the cigars are not
fastened with gum or any other similar
. sticky substance. but simply by wheat
bread. This bread the workman car
ries with him. The taste can hardly be
noticed in the cigars. The most skill
full hands use nothing at all to fasten
the ends, but secure them by many
twistings that wind into each other.
This requires 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.
quenty coming in contact with the
spittle and naked feet of the workmen,
you would feel strong desire to let the
cigar alone.
"All persons employed in factory
smoke as much as they want In the
evening the workman takes at least six
cigars home with him, and these SO
taken are not the worst, as YOU NAV
imagine. None of them consider it
stealing to take cigars or tobacco with
them. Although large thefts often
occur, the police do not 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
discovery 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 day. winter
and summer. Every fifty cigars made
by workman are bound together, the
finest cigars being placed on the out
side, 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. "-M0bile
Register.