Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-23
CIGARETTE POOL.
ORGANIZATION OF WHAT IS REGARD
ED AS A MANUFACTURERS TRUST.
Certificate of Incorporation Granted the
American Tobacco Company In
New jersey.

lHt D7SpUm OF yeeteIuhy uhhoNhN'u e"O
organization of the American Tobacco
Company under the laws of New Jersey
and gave some details as to the capital
stock and division OF the shares. The fol-
lowing additional is from the New York
Herdlfs last issue:
gigantic cigarette trust has Just been
formed. IL il on the lines of the sugar
trusts and other big combinations, and
like them il has sought q charter beyond
the jurisdiction of the laws and courts of
New York. Those who are interested IN
the new scheme are a. yet keeping silence
as to its details and objects.
Counsellors Clarence A. Seward. Edward
Il. Bacon. and Charles NJ. De Costa filed
yesterday at Trenton, n. j., certificate OF
incorporation of the American Tobacco
Company. The corporators are Lewis
Ginter and John Pope, of richmond. Va;
George Arents and James B. Duke. of New
York city Benjamin n; Duke and George
w. Watts, of Durham. n. c.; William ii.
Butler and Charles G.. Emery, Of Brooklyn.
and William S. Kmball. of Rochester, n.
!. They ask to be permitted 10 manufac-
ture tobacco in oil its forms IN New Jersey
and elsewhere and to establish dep0ts IN
the United States and other countries.
The company has arranged to take in the
properties Of nearly all the large cigarette
manufacturers in the country. The prin-
cipal exceptions are s. +. Hess Il Co., of
Rochester, and the Lone Jack Cigarette
Company, OF Lynchburg, Va. Most of the
plants of the companies absorbed Will be
kept at work under the supervision OF
those identified with their control before
the consolidation.
THEY WANT A FOREIGN MARKET.
The principal purpose of the organiza-
ton, ii Is claimed. is 10 extend the market
for American cigarettes throughout all
civilized foreign countries. The charter.
under the laws of New Jersey, gives the
trust authority to carry on its legitimate
business as absolute owner OF the respec-
tive properties it has absorbed. The prln-
cipal Office Of the company Will be nOml-
nally at Newark. \. J.
| saw Mr.. Seward at his residence, No.
143 Fifth avenue. last evening, but he de-
clned even TO acknowledge that the COM
pany had been thought Of In answer TO
questions put to him his answer was: II
am not in the habit OF talking about my
clients business" At Allen h Ginter's
wholosale-house. No. % Warren street,
Manager George W Augustine declared
that he "knew nothing" about the new
company, and no one could be found at
D
who knew ANYTHING about the new project.
From a gentleman who could not with
propriety have his name mentioned IN
connection with the company | learned
that the garette-manutacturers interest
ed had been holding meetings for some
time back with their lawyers in room No.
II at the Fifth-Avenue Hotel. The con-
tract between tho parties comprising the
company was still undergoing the final
touches and had not yet been signed.
All the cigarette te-manufacturers belong
inc TO the company live ont of town with
the exception Of J. Il. Duke, aSd he was
not in when called at the factory. corner
Thirty-eighth street and Second avenue.
Manager d. o. Wright said that he did not
feel authorized TO speak about the new
company.
He did not think, he said, that the pres
ent rate Of two cigarettes for "a cent would
be increased, nor did he believe that the
formation of the trust would reduce the
price OF cigarettes to three for cent.
There was only a small margin OF proht
now. he said for manufacturers, lobbers, or
retailers. In the past there had been the
greatest Of competition between cigarette
manufacturers, and a. rule the best
advertised cigarette had captured the
smoker.
CIGARETTF-sMoRISG "a INCREASING.
Millions Of dollars, he said, are spent an
nually for advertising cigarettes IN tins
country, and as a consequence cigarette
smoking has increased enormously. IL ha'
become the fashion to smoke cigarettes
He thought that the advertising would
still have to be carried on TO some extent
or thepubic would resume smoking cigars
as they did in wears past. He lntimated
though, that there might be less adyer'
tising should all the cigarette-manutactu'
rers get together.
4 great export business in cigarettes Is
now carried on. Mr.. Wright said. and each
manufacturer is under tho expense OF send
ing agents to foreign lands. W. }. Duke 4
Sons have agents travelling in every civil
lized country on the globe. Their com
petitors IN foreign countries manufacture
their cigarettes mostly from North Caro-
lima and Virginia tobacco. and of course
are handicapped by the freights on the
leaf. There are very few cigarettes i'm
ported to this country. and they come en-
tirely from Havana and Turkey.
Acurious fact about cigarette-smoklng
he said. is that nearly double as many ci.
carettes are smoked during July, August
and September as during any other three
months of the year. Heaccounted for TIN:
bv the fact that cigarettes are smoked