The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-06-20
TOBACCO IN FRANCE.
state Monopoly. and Ono OF the Prlncipai
Snnrrna nf Ravenmn.


Visitors to France have noticed how
careful the customs officers are to see
that no one Is smuggling in matches or
tobacco. The importation of matches
is prohibited. aud there is very heavy
duty on tobacco. Any one who has
made the acquaintance of the French
match viii not readily forget il. Its
peeuliarity is that il is very reluctant
10 ignite, and it Is no sooner alight than
1t proceeds TO extinguish itself Matches
hnve hitherto been made solely by one
company, which paid the government
n large sum every year for the privi-
lege of supplying Frenehmen with bad
matches. As a proposal to continue
this system threatened to overthrow
tine Iirard ministry recently the gov
ernment has decided TO take the manu-
faeture of bad matches into its own
hands. The tobacco is made to suit
the matches. 1t is also bad and dear.
The tobacco business has long been
state monopoly, says the n. I. Sun,
and IL one OF the principal sources of
rexeuue. The latest report on the sub
ject shows that last years crop was
70 l75, 600 kiiootammes which was
valued at I6, 423. 600 francs. or q, 2S4,-
$50. This was a poor year. giving
only 9l5 francs worth per hectare,
while in 1887 the value per hectare
was 1.SIi francs. This was the home
production, but the government inl-
ports u great deal of American tobacco
in leaf. and manufactures it in France
The state gives the privilege of grow
ing the weed TO planters, and looks
after them with motherly care. lt
likes IN what departments tobacco may
be grown. 1t marks of the number of
acres 10 be planted Ii selects the
variety of plant and settles what num-
Der may be grown on each acre. Not
only so. but the army of officials, who
are always prowling about on behalf of
the state. count the plants in each acre
aud the number of leaves on each
plant. Should planter have less than
the inyentoried number of leaves when
the harvest comes the officials will be
down on him. A much graver offense.
however. is to have too many leaves.
This is regarded as an attempt to de-
fraud the state, aud unless satisfactorily
explained is followed by fines and inn
prisonnent. When he reaDs his crop
the planter has not the privilege of ask
ing a price for it. The price is fixed
BY the state. Tobacco is now grown in
twenty-e ght departments. There are
g.. PSI planters and 16,507 hectars of
plantations. There are tweniy-seven
stores Tor the reception of indigenous
tobacco, and stores at Bordeaux,
Dieppe. Dunkerque, Havre. and Mar
seilies Tor imported tobacco. The
state has twenty-one manufactures
The largest is that at Lille, which
turns out 8, 100000 kilogrammes of to-
bacco year. There are 20,s7l en-
ployes in the factories. of whom 2, 800
are men and 1881 women. This does
not include officials and agents. The
government does not treat lis employees
very we'll and strikes in tobacco factor
les are frequent.
All the tobacco stores in France be-
long to the state. There are over 40,-
GOO of them. The state does not sell
tobacco at retail except in three stores.
The others are let to widows of officers,
government officials, and sometimes to
the widows of senators. deputies. and
projects. They take the place of pen
slons. Ii the government grants pen
sion TO the wife of some man who has
died in the service of his country that
generally means that she gets to-
bacco store, or bureau as il is called.
As the social position of the pensioners
viii not allow them 10 run the bureaus
directly, they let them. The dealer Is
allowed 10 per cent profit by the gov
ernment and IS prohibited from selling
any tobacco except that supplied and
priced by the state. Neither must
they make cigarettes out of the gov
ernment tobacco. Every cigarette must
bear the official stamp. The state has
three bureaus in Paris where the best
quality of cigars can be obtained.
These are either imported or made out
Of imported tobacco.