The Portland daily press., 1897-01-05

were heard nef0re the com lnlbbee ouE"hJ q
and means this morning.
Michael Tobin of Baldwinsville. N. T.,
representing the New York State Tobac-
co association, said the tobacco growers OF
New York were badly in need of relief at
the hands OF Congress. The industry
throughout tho country he said, is in a
depressed condition as a result OF the
foothold gained by Sumatra tobacco in
the Cnited States. Mr.. Tobin declared
that it was unfair that their dangerous
rival, the Holland Syndicate, employing
labor at 10 or IL cents per day. should
be.allowed to ruin a domestic industry OF
such magnitude. He did not believe that
the rate Of 50 per pound on wrappers, as
fixed in the Mckinley act, would bd a de-
ouate to protect the domestic growers of
tobacco.
j, ). Vandeuser of Households, N. Y,
representing tobacco growers IN sou thern
New YORK and Northern Pennsylvania,
argued that So per pound on wrappers
was not exorb itant when tue difference
in the cost Of labor was taken into COLI
sideration.
Today Frederick A. Schroeder, ex-
mayor Of Brooklyn, recommended q
change Of duty on leaf tobacco from q
uifferen5ial of $3.50 per pound on wrap
pers and 35 ceIits pound on filters. to a
uniform specific rate ON all unstemmeu
leaf tobacco with reasonable addition
al, also specific, not exceeding forty per
cent on stemmed leaf He believed
rate of 80 cents pound on imported leaf
tobacco was all the trade uould stand.
The chairman called Mr.. Schroeder s
attention to the fact that the foreign
lrice on Sumatra tobacco had largely
gone up between 1893, when the duty
was 81 Il pound and 1896, when the duty
WAS 81. so ana asked whether foreigners
had taken advantage of the reduction in
duty to put up the price in a correspond
ing degree.
Mr. Schrneder did not coincide in that
visw, remarking that the increase in
ntic5 was larger between 1898 and 1884
IS cents o pound-during which period
the Mckinley act was in force. than be-
tween 1891 aud 1885,
Moses krohn, president of the National
Association Of Cigar manufacturers said
hat in the ssven years e1ded June ~
last the average duty on all kinds OF
tobacco was 81. 80 cents per pound, and
the average duty upon unstsmmed to-
baceu 2.35 cants per pound. The output
of cigars in the Unitsd States the past
fiscal year was 4.03a, 1877, S55. a decrease
of over 81, 10000 from the preceding
year. The output of cigarettes had in
creased nearly 49,, coo, 900. The business
of man ufacturing cigars is not increasing
or profitable compared with other in
dustries. He suggested uniform duty
of not exceeding 55 cents per pound
on all tobaccos unstemmed. A 55 cent
duty at the present average price of to-
bacco would he a protective tariff of
about seven hundred per cent. Manu-
facturers, he thought were entitled to O
protection of S. per pound and % per
cent. adyalorom on imported cigars.
Il. r. GuInby of Tampa. Fla, spoke
for the makers of clear Havana cigars.
He said il was true that only about per
cent. of the Havana tobacco imported
paid duty as wrappers. Ihess goods
W ere imported in bulk wrappers selected
after importation Until this tobacco
was 1npscked stripped and prepared for
use, 10 one could tell the wrapper from
the filler. If a high rate Of duty was
placed on this class of tobacco it would
prohibit it's importation and drive the
makers of clear Havana cigars out Of the
business.
l.. II. Neudecker of Baltimore, said the
cigar makers of his city favored duty
of SO cents PER pound and none other, on
all imported leaf tobacco
George Mitchellson, grower OF Con-
necticut tobacco advocated duty Of
So per pound on Sumatra tobacco. 1t
was, he said, an interloper and did not
belong here. He wanted to see it kicked
out If it could be kept out, the growers
of this country could make their bust
ness pay. In his opinion its execution
would advance the price of domestic pro-
duct to 80 cents pound. The commit
tee adjourned until tomorrow.