The times., 1898-09-04
THE. TOBACCO TRADE.
Cigar Mnnufacture Look for n
Great Revival

| war mas ceased. Inere are NUMBER VI
American buyers now in Cuba to secure
tobacco for this country. The changed
conditions which will follow the war
promise to make the tobacco situation an
| interesting one.
A leading importer of Cuban tobacco, in
| speaking of the outlook said:
with Cuba as part of the United States
| the world would have to come to Ameri-
| can manufacturers for cigars. This coun-
| try has been the greatest customer of
Cuba. and the cream of Cuban tobacco
| has been brought to the United States
The reason of this is that American smok-
ers demand the best and American manu-
facturers pay the highest prices for Gu
ban goods. 1t has been said that the best
tobacco has been kept in Cuba and not
exported. This is wrong, as the Cuban
manufacturers VIII not pay the price that
may be obtained by sending the superior
| tobacco to the United States.
England comes next to this country
in buying the better class of goods, fol-
lowed by France and Germany. The poor
er grades are bought by Spain. English
| syndicates control many of the best fac
| tories at present in Cuba, and about egh-
| teen or twenty Of the best-known factories
are in the hands of English owners
American capital going into the manufac-
turing of cigars in Cuba would have to
compete with them.
These factories have established
! brands and the American manufacturers
would have to put up a cigar as good
| at a little less money to capture the
trade. OF course an advantage will be
/ in the superior ability of the Americans
| to sell goods, and it would probably not
take long before the expert statesmen
frem this country would establish rep
utation in the markets of this and other
countries for the goods from American
factories. Cuba has upheld the reputa-
ton of her cigars by prohibiting the
| importa ton of tobacco from any other
country. This policy was modified. for
while under Weyler. who. when Cuban
tobacco began growing so scarce that
| its expectation was stopped, permitted
/ the Importation of tobacco from Porto
Rico. This went on for about two years.
| bul lllt lIHpUIldllOIS were SiOppCd loSt
| January.
On my last visit to Cuba l noticed the
/ unusual thing of consumers in buying
cigars specifying from which factory
| they wanted them. Investigation showed
! that they had called for cigars from fac
| tories which were not using Porto Rico
! tobacco. in order to be sure of getting
| the purely Cuban product. If Porto RicJ
| becomes part of the United States the
tobacco grown there which Is OF fair
character, will come into competition
| with the American product in our home
markets. l am not sure that this VIII
affect the American grower as with the
! enlarged trade which our manufacturers
will get with the world, there may be
ample demand for American-grown to-
bacco. With Cuba as part of this coun-
try and the old law of excluding out
/ side tobacco wiped out there would be
good market in that country for Amer
| lean tobacco TO be used for cigar wrap
! pers
The consumption of Cuban tobacco In
this country is now about one-fourth of
what 1t would be under normal condi-
tions. The causes are high prices, the
scarcity of the goods, owing to the war.
and the conditions which have prevail
ed IN Cuba for several years, decreasing
production. There has been as a result
| a corresponding increase in the con
sumption of American tobacco, which
has been substituted for the Cuban pro-
duct.
While the advance in the price of Gu
ban tobacco has been about 90 1-3 per
cent. the American tobacco has increased
in price from 50 to 100 per cent There
was time when pure Cuban filler was
placed in scent cigar, but the domestic
tobacco has taken the place of the i'm
ported article. The proportion of Cuban
tobacco has been lessened in many lines
of high-priced cigars. High prices in
Cuban tobacco are likely to continue for
several years to come
Next month is the planting time, and
some decided improvements must be
made in the conditions of the planters if
they are to set out an increased acreage
If they can make the proper financial
| arrangements, they may be able to put
out 50 per cent crop. This is provided
the Spanish soldiers have not destroyed
tobacco houses and ruined plantations
during the war with the United States
Santiago where the fighting has been
going on, is not much of a tobacco-grow-
ing section, and the damage done there
would not affect the crop. If in the to-
bacco-growing sections the destruction
ceased during the war, then the planters
will be in shape to put out 50 per cent
! crop IL tney can make the necessary
financial arrangements.
'The last crop was about a 20 10 o.
per cent crop. and was harvested in Feb
ruary This would mean about 125,O00 to
| 10000 bales, and of this number about
| one-third, or $4,000 bales. would be fit
for the American demand. But this will
not be ready for use for some time, as
1t takes about two years from the time
| of planting before the tobacco is in shape
although under pressure it may come in
| to the market earlier.
| After the tobacco is cured and dried
it is baled. and then has to go through
the ageing process, during which fer
mentation goes on, which perfects the
| tobacco for use. 1t will thus be seen that
| for some time to come American to-
| bacco will have to be depended upon
| largely as a filler.
The first cargo of tobacco and cigars
to arrive in New York from Havana since
the war reached that port Thursday in
| the steamer MatanZas OF the Ward
Line. 1t consisted of 1.257 bales of to-
bacco and 301 cases of cigars trifle
more than one-half of the careo-7a5
bales and 167 cases-is consigned to the
| steamship company and is probably.
therefore. only in transit.
The officers of the steamer said thai
the cigar industry was the only one in
Havana that they did not find paralyzed
1t was explained to item that the cigar
factories had an outlet for their goods
at port on the south coast or the island
which was not blockaded, and that there
was at no time during the war and inter
ruption of manufacturing
|
Slight Hope for Miss Davis.
| Richmond Va Sent "A faIaura w,