The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-06
FOR HOMEMADE CIGARS.
An Effort to Revive a Sadly
Decayed California In
duStry.
The State League of Cigar-Makers
Organized to Appeal to Every
Smoker.

The State Convention of cigar-makers
will this morning perfect organization and
proceed to business which will, in effect,
be a consideration of the following two
questions:
What is the matter with the cigar-mak-
ing industry in California? How can it be
stimulated?
The condition of this industry in Cali
fornia and the proceedings of the State as
semblage of workingmen that will con-
slider it are of large indirect interest, be-
cause a parallel with other industries ex-
lists and because the purpose of this con-
yention is to stimulate the encouragement
of one home industry and so is in line with a
great deal of talking that has been done
lately.
The one important purpose OF this con-
vention and the organization that will fol
low is to get more California-made cigars
smoked in this City and State and so better
the condition of the people interested in
making cigars here.
To effect this object the California State
Label League will be organized to-day
under the laws of the International Cigar
makers Union. Ten similar State leagues
have been organized during the last two
wears. On Saturday permanent organiza-
ton was effected by the election of Presi-
dent T. F. Burns and other officers who
are to constitute an executive board for the
management of affairs of the league.
The constitution will be reported to-day.
It will provide for monthly assessment
of 81 on each union member in the State,
which will yield about $4,000 year to sup
port the work of the league. Another i'm
portant feature will be provision for
sending out workers to appeal to organ
facturers' Association and the public gen
orally to support home industry in this
line.
Resolutions declaring the condition
and needs of the trade and appealing to
the public for support in driving out CHEAP
Chinese and Eastern tenement-made goods
and giving employment to men and
women engaged here in the trade will prob
ably be passed.
The questions of why more California
cigars are not made and smoked, why the
business has been going down hill for years
until it is nearly killed, and how things
can be changed are large and interesting
ones. President Burns partially answered
these questions last night and gave some
information about the condition of the
trade. He said
During the past ten years the cigar product
OF the first revenue district of California, which
IS mainly San Francisco, has decreased one
hall. l have no exact statistics here, but ten
years ago about lao, 600, 900 cigars were made,
ana now the product is about 90 100000. The
money values are about $3.50 900 and $27O 600.
RMS decrease has been most marked during the
last four years. The condition of the industry
all over the State is about the same. Ten years
ago there were nearly 700 white cigar
In this district; now there are about 300 anu
about 500 in the whole State.
During this time wages have decreased-not
In actual price per thousand, but in the aver aver,
age earnings of cigar-makers, which have oeen
reduced from $l2 to 81 week through I'M !.
steady employment, the greater exactlons Oh
employers, etc.
OF the 800 cigar-makers here go are out OF
employment, 140 are working for wages any anu
about 100 have tried to live by starting Iilal '
factories of their own, but having niue eaPital
poor market and bad trade condltlons tney
are about as badly off as the working tourney
men: OF the cigars made here many are na .lS
by Chinese. They complain OF Duh tlmes, ana
there are probably 800 OF them at WoIk.
Twelve years ago there were 5000. Judge