Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1896-04-30

grades u
enabled to prac..-
he would not have been TEN,
inaugurate the era of cheap plu,
and to go to war with his competi-
tors for trade, wholly and solely on
the ground of the remarkable cheap
ness of his product. Their trade
on standard brands Jagged greatly
because of the economy enforced
on the industrial and agricultural
population, incident to the "hard''
times, and because of this fact, and
the cheap material at hand, they
fell in with or were forced to the
idea of increasing trade by Offering
unheard of bargains" 1.-THE spirit
of the times, by the way, in most
branches of trade) and, as is well
known, it is much harder to in
crease prices than decrease them
if you wish to hold your trade.
This Tobacco manufacturers find
out.
Cheap Tobacco meets the views
and necessities of the great body
of consumers, and manufacturers
being now committed to it, they
find it hard of their own vOlition
to make a change, fearing the re-
suit on their business. If they
could be certain Of unity of action
on the part of all manufacturers IL
would be comparatively easy. But
Tobacco growers can assist them
and at the same time assist them
selves, by resisting the temptation
to put out large acreage this
year, and devote their efforts to
quality instead of quantity.
Certainly the prices many grow
ers received on their 1894 and 1896
crops did not pay them even mea-
ger wages, let alone a profit, and
there is hardly a business man that
would attempt to carry on a bust.
ness or line of policy the third
year that Melted him loss for two
years preceding; to carry on the
same policy for the third veal
would be only to heap additional
Goals of fire on their heads, and
that is not what they are in thi:
life for-to make martyrs of them
selves in a bad cause.
The New York Leaf has an arti.
Gle on this subject, and it is vel
meant. but the trouble is it does
not adhere to facts in its argu-
melts, and it is liable to do more
harm than good. 1t is not neces
sary to exaggerate to make plant
ers understand the necessity fo1
restricted planting. They neeC
not be told that the average pric,
obtained in Cincinnati and Louis
vile so far this year is less thar
five cents and even less for the 1885,
crop, for the record of the Cincin
natl market shows that the averag
ibid" price so far is 81 cents OF
old and new and 1-6 cents on new
crop, while there is no record t
even approximate the average a
Louisville.
These prices are certainly Low
enough, when transportation ant
selling charges are taken out anC
while there is no question but tina
another large crop of low grades
would demoralize values still fur
Their, there is no probability of To
bacco selling at rs per cent. of thu
cost of production.
| Another fact that must be re
membered is that if the manufac
turers wanted to put the standard
grades of plug more generally oil
the market, they could readily fint
plenty of medium to good medium
Tobacco, but the fact is, as We stat
ed before, they are afraid to dro]
their cheap plug, knowing full wei
that the average consumer want
it, and is not in the least firing o
it, but it is the manufacturer tina
is growing weary, and the plante
and members of the Leaf Tobacc'
Trade generally, ald there is N
better way to help all Interests thai
for planters to largely restrict thei
planting this year, and aim TO
quality particularly-take vaca
ton for a year at least so far a
common Tobacco is concerned, wit
the deliberate object Of cutting OF
the manufacturers supply, an
thus aiding him to escape a fat
which he appears not to hav
enough strength to evade.-West
ern Tobacco Journal, Cincinnati, Q