Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-01
An Answer to Farmer.
To he Editor of 1e DlsDdfch:

10 dt' I<NtOf W S>t Des0"rF''
Farmer" in the Dispatch OF January
goth, writing from Cherry Manor, Va, COM
plains of want OflegislatiOn to make tobac-
co more profitable. That class of special
legislation and protection is what all the
BUYERS, dealers, and manufacturers also
want. each after their own art and KIND
and condition. The Legislature will have
its hands full making such laws dovetnll
to suit all tho tobacco interests. "farmer"
wants the internal-revenue tax of. The
trade of Richmond have sent delegations
and petitions, one after another, 20 wash
ington TO this effect. Wedoubtif Farmer
or the Alliance have done as much collect
ively III this direction. With regard 10
charges for selling tobacco On which an
not in the least interested, az Farmer" ISL.
! will state thai tobacco rates and charges
of handling and selling are less, III proper
ton TO bulk and weight, than any product
the planter makes. Let Farmer" figure
out the proportionate expenses On corn,
hay. cattle, wheat. ETC., etc.
As regards 8 per cent. being too high q
selling commission. Farmer can get ample
proof that this charge is lower than tho
western markets. Kentucky and Ohio and
Missouri, leading tobacco States, or
New York. Let him try their charges or
their market prices for his tobacco, for L
take it for granted Farmer makes tobacco
that is hardly worth hauling, and that had
better stay on the farm, for we do not hear
such complaints from successful planters.
The seller Of tobacco. in case of loose as IL
now being daily sold, provides room for
man and beast and the floor for sales,
hands for careful handling, superintend,-
ents, clerks. auctioneers, weighing and
guaranteeing weights, insurance, ETC.,
without which the farmer can't sell at public
auction himself. The Changers tried 1t at
reduced cost and failed The alliances arc
giving in other parts OK Virginia and North
Carolina reduced schedule trial, and
that remains to he seen how it works. but
they do charge ~ per cent. on sales. ana !
the Alliance stockholders run the risk OF
losses by sales. etc. SO Farmer 10 more
radical than the alliances. Furthermore,
the commission-men have TO pay city,
State, and internal-revenue taxes and
licenses, and keep accounts of oil such
sales Of tobacco. They pay the planter be-
fore the money is collected, make his ac-
count of sales out, and often advance him
money for this per cent, besides the
work alone. The charge for weighing to-
bacco is cents per hundred. and not 10
cents per hundred; So ibis is just one half
of what Farmer stptes. SO he has this per
cent. without knowing It. He can't be much
of q tobacco-man. If Farmer can make
money at weighing tobacco at cents per
hundred pounds and run warehouse, he
can beat the boots off all warehousemen
in this city. There is only one man sell
ing loose even at 8 cents and charges:
Let Farmer figure out his, rent ana
expenses, and prove his charges are
sufficient. | can give the exact num-
Der of pounds sold every year for years
passed as basis. If there were fortune
in warehouses, Richmond would likely own
more than enc loose warehouse. would
guarantee If Farmer tries his low-prlce
schedule he won't find o man, be he
planter or merchant, to back him with
money to do il on long. The commission
of 2lS per cent. on tobacco anG produce
sales has been uniformly established in Vir-
GINA and almost in all parts of the world
as the minimum safe-selilng charge for
hundreds of years, and as the. January
LIST Dispatch has it, 1t was always rs
per cent. at least in Virginia. The cut
charges sometimes INDUCED III by few
firms TO get trade generally ended in burst
ing themselves and their patrons. II al
most always fostered dishonesty. The false
INSTRUMENTATION charges made demoral-
lied shipper and seller, one suspecting
the other, as well they might, of making
up the cut-prices otherwise. As an old
observer of our market would like to ask
"Farmern how many commission IN
Richmond in the twenty-five years past
have grown rich at so per cent. commis,,
sion, taking the most economical andtrugai
and largest firms, or any?
The warehousemen here tell us that what
in Lynchburg. Danville, and other places
the planter has to pay 15c. per hundred for
weighing, is divided between the. buyer
and seller here at SC. per hundred each,
while on any pile, however large or small,
here the auction fec is only l5c., or two
piles for 25c.; whereas the larger the pile
the higher the fees are in other places.
DIAMOND ID.