The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-26
THE TARIFF ON TOBACCO.
Growers Want it Reduced Where it
Was Before the Mckinley Bill.


bacco Growers Association on His
Way to Washington to Present the
Matter Before the Sub Committee of
the Ways and Means Committee OF
the House-the Tobacco Mems
Claims.
Mr.. F. B. Noodle of Columbia county,
Florida, president of the Florida Tobacco
Growers Association, spent yesterday in
the city. Mr. Noodle is on his way to
Washington, where he will attend the con-
vention of the National Tobacco Growers
Association which convenes tomorrow.
He will also spend some time in Washing
ton urging the interests of the growers of
cigar wrappers before the subcommittee
of the ways and means committee of con-
gress.
The Florida tobacco growers are en-
gagged entirely in the production of cigar
tobaccos, and their grea test profits are in
the wrappers. They are now endeavor-
ing to have the present duty on wrappers
retained, while the manufacturers are en-
gagged in determined effort to have the
duty reduced to the same rate as was in
effect before the passage of the Mckinley
bill.
A FIGHT ON THE TARIFF.
The Mckinley bill raised the duty on
imported cigar wrappers from rs cents
per pound 10 81 90 per pound for I'M
stemmed leaf, and S2.75 per pound for
stemmed leaf There is bitter fight on
between the cigar manufacturers and the
Florida tobacco growers on this
point. The manufacturers claim that
their business is being ruined by the I'M
Just exactions of the tariff That the i'm
ported leaf is necessary for their manu-
features and cannot be replaced by the
home product.
The producers claim, on the contrary,
that the Florida leaf is in every way
equal to the Havana, and that it is Just
now being accorded recognition in the
markets of the world, and that if the old
rate on imported wrappers is restored the
prospects FOR a most promising and -four
ishing industry will be destoyed.
Mr.. Noodle called at the MORNING
News Office yesterday to present the
growers side of the question.
A GREAT INDUSTRY.
"The growing of cigar wrapper to-
bacco," said Mr.. Noodle, sis
now a promising industry in ali
the Gulf states and in Southwest
Georgia besides Very fine tobaccos are
now raised in Florida, Texas and South
west Georgia. There are some very
large tobacco farms on the Georgia
Southern and Florida railroad and that
road is now deyoting special attention to
the industry. The industry is of com
paratively recent growth and is yet in its
infancy, but is undoubtedly the most
promising money making industry in the
south. For long time the Florida tobac-
cos were dered by the trade and it was
declared that they would never
make first-class wrappers. It is only re-
Gently that the Florida tobaccos have been
quoted on the New York markets. The
way in which the attention of the north
ern buyers was attracted to them IS a
littlep peculiar. A few large buyers con-
-rol the Florida market, and, in fact,
have monopoly of the business.
THE REVENUE AGENTS DISCOVERY.
Several months ago the government
revenue agents discovered that the fac
tory reports showed that there were
more Havana cigars being made than was
possible from the amount of imported TO-
bacco An investigation was begun.
which resulted in the discovery that he
Florida combine was selling domestic
wrappers as Havana, and had done this
so successfully that there
| had been no complaint from the trade
This is against the revenue laws, how
ever, and the Florida firms were called
| down. The fact that Florida wrappers
had been successfully passed as Havana
| attracted the attention of the trade, and
they have since been quoted in the New
York market reports.
1.-The fact is that there is so much Florida
| tobacco sold now as Havana that it is i'm
| possible to make reliable estimate of the
Florida tobacco crop.
LAST yrAp'S CpOp
Last years crop is estimated at
about 100000 pounds Had it
not been for the apprehension that
| the democratic CONGRESS would
make horizontal reduction in the duties
this years crop Of Georgia and Florida
would have been fully 10,000,000 pounds
| As it is. the yield will probably amount
| to about half that.
with The present import duty offs and
| 50 rs per pound on Havana and Sumatra
| leaf there is demand for all that the
| Georgia and Florida gro wers can produce
IF the manufacturers demand is ac-
! coded to this industry will be destroyed
! The manufacturers are demanding that
! congress reduce the duty on imported
wrappers to 10 cents, the rate which ex-
| listed before the Mckinley bill went INTO
| effect, and they will endeav0r to prevail
| upon the ways and means committee
to go still further and reduce the duty to
| 50 cents, the rate upon filters.
WOULD DESTROY THE INDUSTRY.
"Such a rate would be destructive to the
| home industry. At the same time that
| the manufacturers are endeavOring to
! have this great reduction made in the
| duty upon the raw material they are
| seeking to have the nigh duties which
were imposed upon imported cigars by the
! Mckinley bill retained and to create the
| impression that these duties are not ex-
| cessive. The increase in duty upon i'm
| pol ted cigars was S24 per thousand above
! the old rate.
THE present tariff on imported cigars is
as follows: $50 per thousand on cigars in
voiced at $50 per thousands Sol. 80 on $50
! cigars and S64 on $40 cigars
| THE manufacturers ask that these rates
| be retained at the same time that they
| ask for rs per cent reduction in the
! import duties on cigar wrappers.
MEDIUM TARIFF.
what we ask for is revenue tariff.
not so high as to prohibit importations
nor 50 low as to prohibit home produc-
| ton The last two years have demon
! strated that. the present tariff on leaf
! tobacco is nothing more nor less than a
| revenue tariH, since impOrtations
| have more than doubled under IN
/ for eight years the average revenue on
| wrappers, al a tAX OF 80 cents per pound.
| was little less than So 100000 annually,