Dodge City times., 1890-06-27
TOBACCO m FRANCE.


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. and there is = very heavy
duty on tobacco. Any one who has
made the acquaintance Of the French
match will not readily forget it. Its
popularity is that it is very reluctant
to ignite, and it is no sooner alight than
it proceeds to extinguish itself. Matches
have hitherto been made solely by one
company, which paid the government
. large sum every year for the privi-
lcge Of supplying Frenchmen with bad
matches. As . proposal to continue
this system threatened to overthrow
the Tirard ministry recently the gov
ernment has decided to take the manu-
facture 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. Y. Sun.
and is one of the principal sources Of
revenue. The latest report on the sub
ject shows that last years crop was
20, 175, 900 kilogrammes. which was
valued at 16, 423, 900 francs, or S. 284.-
$50. This was q poor year, giving
only 995 francs worth per hectare,
while in 1887 the value per hectare
was 1911 francs. This was the home
production, but the government inn
ports great deal of American tobacco
in leaf, and manufactures it in France.
The state gives the privilege ofgrow-
ing the weed to planters, and looks
after them with mOtherly care. 1t
fixes in what departments tobacco may
be grown. 1t marks of the number of
acres to be planted. 1t selects the
variety of plant and settles what num-
ber 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
and the number of leaves on each
plant. Should planter have less than
the inventoried 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 rs an attempt to de-
fraud the state, and unless satisfactorily
explained is followed by fines and i'm
prisonment. When he reaps 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
81, 2S4 planters and 16,507 hectars of
plantations. There are twenty-seven
stores for the reception of indigenous
and stores at Bordeaux,
Dieppe. DunkerIue. Havre, and Mar
seilles for imported tobacco. The
state has twenty-One manufactures.
The largest is that at Lille, which
turns out 6. OO0. 600 kilOgrammes of to-
bacco year. There are 2O,S7l enl-
pioyes in the factories, of whom 1850
are men aud 1881 women. This does
not include officials and agents. The
government does not treat its employees
very well and strikes in tobacco factor
les are frequent.
All the tobacco stores in France be-
long to the state. There are over 40
300 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
sions. If 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 it is called.
As the social position of the pensioners
will not allow them to run the bureaus
iirectly. they let them. The dealer is
allowed ~ per cent profit by the gov
and is prohibited from selling
any tobacco except that supplied and
priced by the state. Neither must
hey make cigarettes out of the gov
tobacco. Every cigarette must
bear the official stamp. The state has
hree bureaus in Paris where the best
quality of cigars can be obtained.
These are either imported or made out
# imported tobacco.