The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-03-09

AGAINST THE WATSON BILL.

Proceedings of the Meeting Of Ware
hOusemen, Leaf Tobacco Dealers.
Manufacturers and Farmers, Held
at Marlborough House. Raleigh. n.
G.. February q, 1898.
At meeting of warehousemen. leaf
tobacco dealers, manufacturers and
| farmers, representatives Of the follow
ing tobacco boards of trades and mar
kets of North Carolina, viz: Wins
ton, Durham, Greensboro, Milton,
Henderson, Oxford, Warrenton. Louis
burg, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Tarboro.
Reidsville, Roxboro, Burlington, and
Raleigh, in conference, held at the
Marlborough House. February q, a
committee composed Of members from
each tobacco market and section repre-
sented in the conference having been
appointed to prepare a suitable express
sion of the sentiments of said tobacco
markets and sections in regard to
House Bill No. 1906, entitled IAN act
to license tobacco warehouses in this
State, and to protect tobacco growers
from fraudulent combinations to reduce
the price of tobacco sold in such
warehouses;:
We, the said committee, beg leave
to say that, while no doubt the bill is
intended for the good of our people at
large, and our farmers especially, yet
when we come to consider its practical
workings we are forced to the cOnclu-
sions that its ultimate effects will be to
defeat the very ends which it was
intended to accomplish. and to prove
really disastrous
LIST. BY diverting the trade from
our home markets to the markets of
Virginia, thereby causing not only
great loss Of business in many of our
towns, but also subjecting the producer
to increased outlay and Inconvenience
in marketing his crops.
Cd. By Withdrawing capital now
represented here by brokers operating
for many manufacturers i'll this and
foreign countries.
Sd. By defeating the main object of
the North Carolina State Tobacco
Association in endeavoring to establish
and build up the name and reputation
of North Carolina bright tobacco,
which has hitherto been too long
credited to our sister State of Virginia.
4th. BY tending TO break up The
small markets and to foster the GEN.
tralization Of the business in centers
outside Of the State, thereby causing a
depression in real estate in our own
tobacco towns; and
5th. By tending to drive away in
dustries now operating in this State
and which furnish much needed labor
and employment to many of our
citizens, and further, by encouraging a
largely increased growth Of tobacco in
new territory, such, for instance, as
South Carolina and Georgia. To
illustrate, we have now in the State
representative companies buying in all
the chief markets Of our State many
grades of leaf tobacco atpublic auction,
and Of course as the highest bidders.
But for these bids every pile of these
tobaccos would go at less price than
now. These purchases in the aggregate
amounting to many million pounds an
nually, and consequently causing our
farmers to profit by the differences
between what these tobaccos were
purchased at and what they would
have been bought at had these repre-
sentatives not been on our market.
Now if you drive such buyers from
the State, you simply transfer them to
the principal markets of Virginia and
thereby causing much Of the trade Of
our towns to be transferred also to
Virginia at the expense Of the towns of
your OWE State.
AS further practical illustration we
refer you to the history Of what has
occurred in one of our sister towns,
Reidsville. Twelve months ago there
were no agents of our large consumers
buying on that market, and their
grades of tobacco were selling at a
discount as compared to the neighbour
ing markets. Seeing that they were
rapidly losing trade, their tobacco
people took steps to have an agency
established there, since which time the
market has had its due proportion of
prosperity, and their people only wish
the agency had been established
sooner.
We do not pose as champions of any
corporation or firm doing business in
the State, but if any or all buyers of
any or all firms or corporations are to
operate anywhere in the United States
we think we can derive advantage from
them as buyers on our respective
markets than as opponents to us in the
Virginia markets.
%
petition from any tobacco market in
North Carolina asking through their
Board Of Trade or of representative
growers of tobacco, for the enactment
of any such law seeking to prevent any
buyer or firm or corporation from bid
ding on tobacco at public auction
therefore, in view of the aforesaid pro-
visions, be it
Resolred l, That we most emphati-
cally pronounce this bill as opposed to
the best in terests Of the State, and
especially to the tobacco growers; that
earnestly oppose any legislation that
tends to build up markets outside of
our State in preference to our own
markets. and we therefore respectfully
yet earnestly ask your honorable body
to disapprove Of this bill.
G.. E. Webb, Winston, n. c., E. &.
Edmunds, Winston, n. C., A. B. Cor
rell, Winston, n. c., T. j. Brown,
Winston, n. c., L. L. Vaughan,
Winston, n. c., E. j. Parrish, Dur
ham, n. c., Jno. r. Hutchings, Dur
ham, n. c., Jno. w. Pope, Durham,
n. c., Jno. S. Lockhart, Durham, n.
CD E. Lyon, Durham, n. c., Albert
Kramer, Durham, n. c., Samuel
Kramer, Durham, n, c., J. r. Black
nall, Durham, n. c., V. Ballard,
Durham, n. c., Jno. H. Redd, Reids-
vile, n. e. j. H. Womack, Reidsville,
n. c., G. A. Coggeshall, Oxford, n.