New-York tribune., 1891-01-30
TOBACCO AND THE TARIFF.
VAST BENEFITS TO AMERICAN INDUSTRY.
THE FIGURES FOR THREE MONTHS AND WHAT
THEY sHOw-TRADE BOOMING EVERY
wHERE-HIGHER WAGES FOR THE PRO
DUCER AND NO HIGHER PRICES
FOR THE CONSUMER.

The OutcTv that from tifce ON vi lhc NV
sections Of the )bacco industry when the provisions
Of schedule OF the Mckinley Tariff bill were made
public ha, scarcely had time to be forgotten The
manufacturers OF clear Havana cigars, cigars com
posed Of tobacco grown In Cuba, but MADE In ths
country by American wOrkmcn on the Cuban SYSTEM
loudly prophescd ruin and destruction to that Industry
II the bill passed with schedule + In that FORM Ihcy
foretod an increase in the cost OF production amount
ing 10 no less than $50 per 1000 and declared that
snch a. advance would drive ont Of the market the
most profitable sizes they made, and reduce their ont
mn, ~ a minimum Meetings were held IN all parts OF
! the countrv and delegates from Key west Tampa
and Ncw-York City were sent a. committee 10 Na'h
inCton 10 spare no effort to bring about some modlh'h
lion ~ thc objectionable clause. notwithstanding
tbcir cloouence they wero unsuccessful Ihc new
tariff has now in operation between three ana four
months and the records Of the Internal Revenue De
po,+mcnt show what its action has been upon the
trade for the three months Of october, November ana
| December, 1890.
one Of the first items to take especial note Of is
the decrcas the number OF cigars imported INTO th'
country since the bill went into force. 1t amounts
| :, M less than 97Gs 900 cigars deficit from the
record ~ the CORE spOndng three months OF lo7o
This becomes more striking when 1t Is seen that not
yithstanding this large decrease during the last fec
months Of the year the whole year shows an Increase
| over the record OF 1850 Of II 100000 Ihls gives
sone idea OF what the Increase would have been but
]
affected the makers of the class OF cigars IN tins
country made OF the same tobacco. by the same work
| men (ennobed by American dtzensmpl auu unucr
| exactly the same condition and mlhuuae! Inc Va
on has certainly smoked no less. and the output OF
Kew West and Tampa. with the second district of new
| York CITY, which may be taken a. covering the cFar
Havana factories of this country, shows an increase oi
product during that three months amounting 10 ABOUT
600 600 Of which no less than 100000 NAV he put
down 20 the credit OF Key West while the estimated
increase In the output OF cigars from Key Nest or the
calendar year Is Ii 100000. As for some time pr"
yious 10 the bill becoming law the factories were
running with largely increased forces. TO get out amt
tariff goods, at least nchall OI t"'s i''io''o - W
the new tariff regulations.
rh. othor dcpartment or section Of the cigar In
dustry NAV be ca,scd the seed and Havana and
the seed and sumatra" cigars. The former Is "
cigar made with an imported Havana tobacco hli'T
and A Sumatra wrapper; and the latter mas hler VI
domestic leaf grown in this country from lmport0i
Havana seed and covered with an imported suin"trd
wrapper large proportion Of the cheaper 3ocnt goods
bai,g covercd with domestic grown leaf. when the
new Tariff bill was introduced to public notice. the
oucry Of these manufacturers was scarceN ic'' 'h1
that Of the clear Havana manuiacturcr lh''
claimed that a. the law. a. per schedule r "pe''
",v hale containing wrappers" It would by reason
Of every bale Of Havana filler tobacco containing SUM-
few wrappcrs increase the cost Of production lust
600 nor 600 while the increased duty ON sunfitr-
,ould add Al lea 4 another - to this total making IL
an increase of 80 per 1000 on Havana hller goods
cov,sc with Sumatra. and - increase per I'''' va
those containing domestic hcrs. committee hrih'u
with these facts sought Washington ana were p"uen'N
hoard but with no avail The bill passed but "h''
has bccn the result The figure, Of the Internal
Rexenue Department shoS Increase In product i'F
october November and December. loJO over ihe COZ
responding months II l--0, Amounting 10 l"-o'"'V''
cigars. which with the -.o0o.o"O clear Havana IN
crease makes a total of 2OOOOOOoo, or to De eA"ct'
,o.s ircrcase Of 200 -g- 2l4 since the passage oi
the Mckinley bill NOt the least curious I''n "
note Is the fact that for the six months ending DC
ce,rber N 1880 there was universal boom IN the
cigar industry In all districts that only Three oi ue
sxty.two show any decrease whatever ana tHl' ~
comes more remarkable still when II i ocd odt Una"
- these New-Mcxco ceased tO produce llhghahDh
y Y ,reprc,ened by the twenty first Ne" loFAj' hau
prolonged strko and lockout, and the third Instance
{, the Flftb O, North Carolina. with small. uncN-
plained decrease Of 14772.
Add 70 this record Of the past that the iic"Ios do
still filled with orders and are away behlid. -"
every side the principal firms are eniaFSme tho"
factories or building new ones out oi town. St'""'
1. storm are now building new factory at quincy
Fla, with a capacity to double their output "hi'h
t wear was the largest recorded Kcrbs. Werihelm
A. schiller have opened IA branch factory at fe"A'HHI'
Charles C. Davis ~ CO. have ne" factory nj Nc"
Eruusvick: Powell. Smith a Go. are doubling 'he
c,nocity Of their Kingston factory .. Gutenberg a
pr,s have laid the foundation for new wing that
,rn ,ya employment to 800 more hands while hfty
,ey fact,rlc, are reported from different parts a.
opcuinc up durns the last three months.
Much has been said about the individual increases of
- -, the large New-York factories; Of these :. |
Gutenberg a Bros claim an increase Tor "o'oDef oi
"a rr cont for November Of 20 per cent and for De
ccrnber OF 80 per cent which "Aa the lull extent ="
their capacity. Kcrbs, Wcitheim * schiller claim l"
have made 30 900 900 during 1890. and estimate their
Increase M per cent up to september 30 ana at -
p,r cent during october, November ana DECEMBER
500 stralton Il storm have done all IN their power
10 prevent rush for good, untl their ne" factory j.
ready but still their increase IS verS large Ihcy arr
using largely domestic sumatra grown Oh their own
I.nd of ioporred sumatra seed IIemshclm d Co.. !
tbc largest cigar manufacturers IN the south state that
they made over - 100000 last year, and that, al
rough estimate they made II 100000 up to June 30
and over -O.VDOOOO in the last siN months
ID to the end OF the wear there Wa no increase 10
peat Of in prices but only small to cover the
increased cost Of labor This IS especially significant
i'm face OF the strenuous efforts made by some manu-
facturcr. to obtain unanimous advance in the trade
and hang IL Oh to the increase OF duty under the Ne
Kinlcy bill. one meeting was held 10y the New Yorh |
firms a second by the Philadelphia nras and third |
by the two combined. The secretary Of the Combined |
Manufacturer Association gave 10 the press thr |
resolution TO make general advance Of ~ per 1000 |
ON January l. Ic9I and its appearance In the daily |
papcrs caused such au outer! uom lohbers and dis
fr(nutor, I'm all sections, Of the gle wOrd, 40 |
trust--no commnc!7 that the resolution and mcctins
came to naugt. Wa, cApec ted by the leading rns,
haI( a DOZEN or 80 0f whom declined 10 attend ANY
way countcnance the proceedings. The Chicago meet
ng 10 ini,suratc an advance oi 10 per cent also fcll
thiolIyll There f. not now expected u be any al
vance I'm seed aud -UuatIa" good, during tlc pres
ent year. and two firms have notncd their customers
10 that effect.
SIDE by side with the immense increase In cigar,
comes the Increase IN Smohng tobacco. This shows
an Increase In ne Three domestic tobacco divisions.
aganst the great decrease In Imported tobnccO prod
acts. The other department, Oi domestic ndhua' tulr
,uuA ana cigarettes, which are not ancccd 10y the
tdfif. In manufactured tobacco for pipe and cigarette
-nOaine cc.. the total output for tile year 1850 Is
4.O,4 ii .63G pounds, the total Increase being l''-O,
20 pounds .'tc Increase rom June 30 To- December
81 being l1,l3O,GJ1 pounds or twOtIIds OF tln
whole. This also Is the result Of the Mckinney bill.
Another factpr OF vital importance Is its action up0n
mo domestic Industry of nine making. owing 10 the