The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-24
DUTY ON sUMATRA LEAF.
Cigar Manufacturers Want the Nc
KinIey Tariff Slashed.


/ Washington, Nov. 23.-The sessions of
the full democratic membership of the
ways and means committee were sus-
pended to-day in order to give several of
the subcommittee opportunity to revise
some of the schedules, which had been
ordered by the main committee to be al
tered.
Several hundred petitions to-day mum
dated the committee from tobacco manu-
facturers of the United States, asking
that the Mckinley tariff import duty of
81 per pound on leaf tobacco suita-
duty of 30 cents per pound be
imposed on all leaf tobacco. The
memorial says: The 81 duty on leaf
tobacco suitable for wrappers. imposed
for the first time in the tariff history of
the United States by the so-caIled Nc
kinley act of 1890, has increased the eX-
pense of manufacturing a thousand cigars
by 50. The cigars smoked by the masses
are retailed either at cents or 10 cents a
piece. On these prices, which have become
a current custom since the estab-
lishment Of the domestic cigar industry,
the consumer will not stand any raise.
You can readily perceive the inconVen-
fence which would be caused to the con
sumer by charging him 6 cents for a
nickel or IL cents for dime cigar, an in
convenience to which even the hardest
smoker would not submit.
THE RECOURSE OF THE MANUFACTURER.
The manufacturer cannot bear, himself,
the increased expense of s. on a thousand
cigars, as it would wipe out not only his
profit. but also cause him actual loss on
certain grades, and hence drive him
either into bankruptcy or out of the
business. Most of them have. therefore,
been compelled in order to make both
ends meet, to cut down the cigar makers
wages and to deteriOrate the quality of
the product. Consequently the So
duty has done great harm to the
wage earners, and is daily still
more impoyerishing them, and it is also
doing injury to the consumers, who have
o tpay the old price for d vastly inferior
article. But even after reducing the wages
of his wOrkmen and furnishing the consul
meri a poorer cigar, the manufacture
cannot realize profit, as the increase by
the 81 duty of s. on thousand is too
great to be overcome by such means. The
retention is therefore, bound to either
bankrupt or drive out of the business the
great bulk of the cigar manufacturers all
over the country and mOnopolize
the entire cigar industry in the hands
of very few. 1t is for this reason that
the very largest manufacturers are in
favor of retaining the 81 duty. BY kill
ing off the competition of the many they
would have a monopoly of the cigar in
dustry, and put the cigar makers on
starvation wages.
MUST HAVE THE sUMATRA LEAF.
"Our cigar industry cannot be success
fully conducted without the use of the
Sumatra leaf. 1t has become an absolute
ly essential factor in the manufacture of
wholesome cigar. Therconsumer wants
it, and the manufacturers must have it
on account of its perfect reliability.
There is no substitute raised in
this country, nor can there be.
We have neither the soil nor the
climate to produce any leaf as
suitable for wrapper for wholesome 5
or 10 cent cigar as the Sumatra leaf.
Hence our prayer to you to give us a duty
on leaf suitable for wrappers not to exceed
30 cents. And we pray for uniform and
specific rate of duty because any advaIo-
rem rate of duty on leaf tobacco would
both demoralize the trade, by giving
every possible opportunity for fraud to
the dishonest importer, and would deprive
the government of very considerable
share of its just revenue"
1t appears to be the intention of the
committee to reduce the duty from 50 to
about 81 per pound, as it is felt that the
present high duty is great hardship on
small cigar manufactures.
secretary of the Treasury Carlisle is to
meet the democratic members of the
ways and means committee tomorrow to
go over the bill in detail.