The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-09
BY THE MILLION.
SAVANNAH AS A MANUFACTURING
CENTER.


If It Were Correct Savannah is
Nearer the Sea than Jacksonville or
Tampa-Sayannah's Trade Demands
$4,000 Cigars Annually-Expert
Tobacconists Say that the Lowlsnds
OF Georgia Are Well Adapted to the
Tobacco Prospects for In
cooperating Cigar Manufacturing
Companies Here
Savannah does not take enough interest
Ia encouraging factories" said an observ-
ing citizen yesterday. and the decadence
of the cigar manufacturing industry is an
example" The gentleman went on to say
that at one time there were nearly 100 men
engaged In cigar making in Savsn-
nah and now there are are less than twenty
A MORNING News reporter made the
round Of the few struggling factories and
found only two which employ as high as
four hands. Three employ two each and
the remaining two are their own cigar
makers These seven small factories make
about 425, 900 cigars annually OF he %, 000-
600 that are estimated as the annual de
mand TO supply the local and distributive
trade Of Savannah
The cigars that are manufactured in
Savannah are generally straight grade
Havana filters. with Havana seed wrap
pers, made 10 retail for 5 and 10 cents,
although some Little Dutch" tobacco,
which is a native tobacco approxlmatlng
the Havana flavor, is used by some OF the
manufacturers for wrappers. The bulk of
the tobacco is brought from New York,
the manufacturers paying, per pound, for
Sumatra, 81 Is to 50 90; Havana Vueta,
s. Is to 81 IS; Havana Remedius, 81 10 10
81 Is; Connecticut Havana seed, for wrap
pers, IS TO 20 cents, and Little Dutch is TO
IS cents. An effort has been made TO in
troduce the Florida Havana seed here, but
manufacturers have fought shy of it, Mr.
Herman Myers, president Of the E Modelo
cigar manufacturing company says that it
has been tried in their jacksonville factory
as an experiment, in very small way, and
he has found the favor and quality good.
sAvAYNAH's CIGAR INDUSTRY.
The cigar manufacturing industry in Sa-
vannah began TO decline II 1869, and has
dropped from about seventy cigar wrap
psrs then TO about sixteen now. There are
enough cigars sold here annually to keep
two or three large factories employed, and
not single manufacturer was found who
did not express the belief that Savannah is
Just as favorable locality for the manu-
lecture Of cigars, up 10 the very finest, as
Jacksonville, Tampa or even Key West. In
fact. while all c1ntended that the theory that
good cigars can be made oaly in near prox-
unity TO salt water is q fallacious one, yet
they cited the fact that Savannah is nearer
the ocean than either jacksonville or
Tampa are.
Mr. Herman Myers said that there is a
growing demand for fine cigars, and be
knows no more desirable place than Savan-
nah for the location of a factory. The to-
bacco could be brought here from Cuba as
cheaply as to any point in Florida, and if
tobacco culture in Florida is going to result
In product like the Cuban article, Savan-
nah is close enough to the Florida tobacco
fields. He thought, too, that the cultivation
of tobacco in this section could be con
Quoted as proftabiy as in Florida, and the
standard of the product kept Just as high,
and he alluded to Hutchinson's Island as
very alluvial spot to try the experiment.
TWENTY-FIVE MILLIONS OF CIGARS.
Mr.. Myers estimated that it required from
20,o00000 to 100000 cigars annually to
supply the trade of Savannah, and be knew
of no better distributing point. Four or
five big factories could live here if they
were able to sell cigars, of equal grade, as
low as the northern factories were supply
ing Savannah jobbers, and he could see no
reason why they could not do so.
His Jacksonville factory, Mr.. Myers said,
manufactures only the finest brands, en-
ploying Cuban labor, from $50 to 800 hands, |
but it was a great mistake if any one
thought Cuban labor is cheap, for it is not |
The Cuban cigarmaker makes from $25 to
$40 a week. and rolls all the cigars by hand |
That there is room for more such factories
Mr.. Myers gathered from the fact that in
four years his firms trade has increased |
from 100000 to 1000 900 cigars annually, |
and they are unable to fill their
orders He said that he has dropped
the words Key West" from the labels, |
although they had right to use it, because
he did not believe that Key West is better
place than Jacksonville and he considers
Savannah just as desirable point as either |
but Savannah, if it wants to encourage
the location of manufacturing industries,
must show some interest, y said he. Tampa
offers $4,000 bonus to every large cigar fac
tory that will locate there, and that is why
the town is growing so rapidly
sAvAENAH's CHANCE.
Ferdinand Kolb lameuted the falling off
in the cigarmaking industry Of Savannah.
From 1869 to 1872, he aud Mr.. Spiegel en-
ployed twenty-five hands in a factory
located where LiYingston's pharmacy now
is. MIR. Koib saws that Hqtchfnson's |
Island ana all the lowlands Of Georgia are |
excellent tobacco lands, and that tobacco |
equal 70 the Cuban article can be raised on
them. He planted a quarter Of an acre in |
1856, and, he says, the experiment was sue
cessful. The tobacco was all that ne could |
have desired. he worked it up and found |
no complaint among his customers.
Dir. Kolb says that 80 years ago the |
products Of this part of Georgia were to- |
bacco indigo and silk, which were profta- |
bic industries. "Hutchinson's Island" he
said, would produce two or three crops Of
tobacco without fertilization, and the
island II cultivated in native grasses could
be made the garden spot Of Georgia"
Mr.. Kolb believes the Florida tobacco
will prove all that is expected OF it, and that
IT wiz largely displace the imported article,
but he thinks as good grade can be raised
here from Havana seed, and with proper
cultivation, as in Florida,
GOOD LOCATION.
Mr. Eugene Labiche, who has been cigar
maker since 1857, says that it is all humbug
to say that IL requires a location near the
coast % manufacture good cigars. The salt
air moisture has nothing to do with it, he
thinks, and he cited the fact that some
years ago Charleston manufacturers
used TO send their cigars up to Columbia
TO dry out, 10 be returned for SALE He
thinks Savannah is remarkably we'll adapted
for tho manufacture of cigars, for import
ing tobacco in bulk and distributing the
cigars TO the local and tributary trade of
the city. Binghanton, n. Y, the third
largest cigar manufacturing city in the
I'll =.