Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-03-26
The Tobacco Inspection Bill.

iull 'VAl vi tHG biil " tdC HIS Jt
ton Of tobacco, which has just passed the
Legislature. The chief amendments of
the old law contained in the bill are the
provisions requiring the name ofthe owner
to he branded legibiy GA each hossheaa
and the provision for board of arbitra-
tion to adjust reclamari ions and award the
proper compensation for erroneous in
spec ions.
The first Of hose amendments is aimed
at an abuse which is said to have grown
up among merchants and Others who buy
tobacco "ia transfer" who, it is alleged,
after packing it in not over careful! or
conscientious manner, are accustomed to
disguise their ownership OF the product
by shipping it in the name OF some third
person. The provision requiring the
owner to mark his own true name on each
hogshead he ships is apt to BRING about
more care In packing and, if enforced, will
in time identify such persons AS resort to
unfairness in packing.
The other provision in regard to ad-
jus ing reclamations from over samp ing,
by means of the award of board of ar
bitration, and for the settlement of the
award by the inspector making the faulty
inspection out of the revenues Of his ware
house, was incorporated at the express
solicitation of tbs Baltimore buyers. We
believe that such a concession was proper
and necessary. This will give a guaran-
tee to the State samples which they have
not hitherto possessed and will result in
giving greater sontiience on the part Of
the trade to Maryland tobacco and tend
to increase the demand for our product,
without, we believe, resultin. III any sp-
preciable draft ION the tobacco ware
house fund on account Of these rsclima-
tirns. 1t does not impress Us that tho
provisions regarding the evidence upon
which these boards of arbitration shs !
act in making their awards will be found
to be adequate or satisfactory; but the
experience of the two years which will
intervene before he next meeting Of the
Legislature will no doubt point our the
nature of the amendments in that regard
that will be touud necessary.
We had been all along under the i'm
preston that this bin contained more
rigid requirements in reg ara to the man
ner of taking samples, and that thsre W as
a provision for the taking Of duplicate
samples to he retained at the varebouse
until the period for making reclamations
had passed Such provisions were con-
tanned in tue draft Of the bill formulated
st ths meeting OF the producers aud buy
ers and we had always been informed thar
the bill pending before the Legis allure
was the same then formulated and adopt
ed. We perceive, however, that the pro-
visions in regard to sampling are the same
as heretofore, the same discretion being
lett to the Inspector as in the existing
laws.
Such provisions would in our Judgment
have been productive of good. 1t seems
manifestly proper that the Inspector should
break as c!sse to one be I'd of the hogs
head as TO the other in taking his sam
pies; but the paactice now. as We are in
formed, is to break much more to the one
han to the other, and lay this practice
much license is said 70 Le given To false
packing. Tho retention Of duplicate sam
pes would have been the best safeguard
against the practice Of picking the sam
pes, which is said to be prac'ictd 30 a
pernicious extent, fast by the sellers agea :
before sales and the buyers agents ait T
sales
These provisions wou 4 have been i dc
sirable improvement II the system and
should have been retained in tie bill The
bill as adopted, however, will result AL
vantageously to tAe tobacco growing ia
terests by giving grester confidence to the
foreign trade and establishing q better
feeling between the prod al con
sumers of Maryland tobacco.