Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1890-02-22
WHAT " NEED.
ROANOKE SHOULD HAVE A
TOBACCO MARKET.
4 LONG N GJEctED INDUSTRY
The Rich Tobacco Sections Which
VIII be Penetrated by she Roanoke
and Southern. A chance for Our
Business Men

The voting of the appropriation OF
100000 for the construction OF the
Roanoke and Southern railroad has
given Roanoke the prospect Of a still
brighter future The push and almost
irresistible progressive genius OF our
citizens, com bined with the capital of
Northern men, will make Of Roanoke
in short space OF 4lme one of the
largest and most magnificent indus
trial centres in the New South.
One OF the important industries
which has been neglected to u great
extent within the past few years, in
this city. is the manufacture and sale
of smoking and chewing tobacco, and
now that we have Il city of SO much
promise. it would be we'll for those
who are acquainted with all the
details of this business, to again turn
their attention to the development OF
This Important interest.
Seven wears ago there was in Roam
oke four warehouses for the sale OF
Leaf tobacco, five factories for it's
manufacture besides a large number
of other leaf dealers, employing in all
over 500 hands. About that time
nearly one million pounds of tobacco
was worked up" every year and
about two million five hundred thous-
and pounds were sold on the market.
at that period Roanoke contained
about 5000 people Let contrast
he made between that time and the
present: Now Roanoke contains
nearly $4,000 inhabitants and there is
not q single warehouse within the city
limits for the sale of THE weed" and
only one tobacro factory, that con-
Quoted bv Mr.. R H Fishburne.
y hat is the cause of all this?
The principal reason for the
decline in the tobacco industry
here IL that when Big Lick" was first
struck by the mighty boom" fever,
in the rush of business tn ct followed
and the excitement incident to in
vesting in real estate, which has not
abatrd one whit. the Tobacco" interest
was neglected and forgotten by the
manufacturers, who had their time
taken up with other pursuits in which
there was more ready money TO be
made. Then. too, there was great
scarcity of Wrappers which was
another reason for the falling OH in
The trade A sufficient quantity OF
filters could always be obtained, but
the farmers did not raise very good
grade of wrappers, and in order to
secure this it was necessary to go to
Lynrhburg or some other market for
them.
To obviate all trouble az to secur-
ing anv kind of tobacco. q market
should he established in Roanoke.
This will be made more feasible when
the Roanoke ,and Southern railroad
is bnilt. MS then Roanoke will he
given transportation facilities with
Franklin and Henry counties, which
raise the finest tobacco Of any section
Of the globe, and also with Danville
and the bright belt" of North Caro-
lima all of the tobacco that is ship
ped to Lynchburg from the first
named counties, has to go over twof
roads. and it takes about four das
for farmer to make trip, dispose of
his crop and return home, whereas.
when the Roanoke and Southern is
built, the distance to our mar.
ket will be very short, and
the farmer can sell his tobacco
and return in one day. This is an adj
vantage that would soon be availed
of Then, again, Roanoke would get
large share of the tobacco that now
goes to Danville.
Roanoke is now in direct railroad
communication with Mercer, Monroe, Nc
Dowell, Tazewell. Floyd, Montgomery
and other counties in Virginia and
West Virginia that raise the finest
quality OF bright tobacco, but their
crops all go to Richmond. Lynchburg
and other points owing to Roanoke's
not having a market. If market is
started in this city and conducted on
n proper scale, we vii, get
all or q large portion OF
the crops raised in those sec
tions, as we'll as that from the counties
south of here which have already been
mentioned. Roanoke is ffty-six miles
west of Lynchburg. one hundred and
twenty-five from Danville AID over
two hundred from Richmond, and it
will be at once apparent that this city
could be made the largest tobacco
market in the state west Of Rich
mond. az 1t i in the very heart OF the
tobacco growing section.
Within eighteen miles OF this city
is the famous Goose Creek district, IN
Bedford county, that raises q dapple
wrapper that stands at the very head
of the market. This AL goes to Lynch
burg now, but if a market is estab-
lished it will doubtless come here.
A tobacco market established here
would add greatly 10 the financial re-
sources of the city, as it would bring
thousands of dollars here that are
now needlessly going to other places
To illustrate the fact more clearly:
Last year there was sold in the to-
bacco market of Lynchburg 10000, 600
pounds of tobacco On this the farmers
mad to pay weighage of 10 cents per
100 pounds. amounting to the sum OF
$4,000 The commissions at 8 per
cent. on the sales of this tobacco,
Flowing that it brought So per
hundred. which is not high estimate,
will amout to $4,000. Again. the cost
of drayage. repacking and other
necessary expenses, WAS about 5000
iuOTe, ludhiuS Sldhu IOo1i Va eso"A'
S2U0, 000 which was disbursed in
Lynchbure during the year.
Everything is in Roanoke's favor
and if the Roanoke and Southern rail-
road is built, q market should be
established here so that some of this
large amount of money now going
elsewhere might be distributed among
our people. A Lynchburg tobacco
man informed Times reporter yes
terday that be saw no reason why
Roanoke could not have as fine a
market as his city in a few years. The
reporter also called upon a number
of old tobacco men and inquired OF
them what they thought Of the plausi-
bility ofthe idea. The plan seems to
meet with general favor from all.
Mr.. w. &. Andrews, who was for |