The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-06
THE TOBACCO MARKET.
What Should BE Done to Bring More
Loose Leaf to Richmond.


sir.-Au the tobacco trade I'm the world
combined would not make tobacco mar
ket. Rules govern a market after it is
established. Rules. ass rule don't bring
| back lost business, something more is
! needed. and that ls essentially such inves-
| ugluon that will lead tO a remedy for
| the business detected from our market
and that Will not only bring that back TO
us. but VIII bring us an hundred fold
more Cooperation is, therefore. necos-
sdry Organization of capital and cO-in-
teresteduess that VIII force tobacco by
the natural laws of trade 10 De sold here
at FIRST hands. in which there is many
times the popuiauus ana employing and
prontins power more than reslles Of to-
o1cco first sold in other markets and then
here. This is the whole problem.
The trade seeks tobacco from the plant
ers sales and we must have these or ever
Doe dependent on other ana many markets
for secondhand supply and wait for
speculative demand 10 help us out irreg-
ularly Every class of tobacco needed bv
our whole trade and AN the trade could
Doe turned TO Richmond by the same
means mat other markets get II and force
us 10 bug OF them. " we We're organized
ON capitalized warehouse basis to get
10. The largest loose markets are SUD-
Piled with tobacco from an average as
great or a greater distance than Rich
m0nd is from the various tobacco fields.
This proximity or distance IS. however.
no factor in The matter one way or the
other for Richmond suffers tobacco by
millions OF pounds tO eo from within a
radius ot 10 90 30 miles away from this
market 10 other and AN of these smaller
markets. Farmviue with three buyers
lf| rIr d I.IsIl.
of loose and sells it here and Blackstone.
lt Us said, nearly half as much. 10 say
nothing of Petersburg. etc. All this is
dark tobacco that naturally belongs here
ANA to which our trade is supposedly and
rofessedly best prepared % cater.
The same bright tobacco that comes
TO Danville from South Carolina and
Eastern North Carolina can be brought
here az as little expense as anywhere
and II 10 WAS more IL would be that much
nearer distribution facilities. There il
less and less wag0ned tobacco every year.
the many railroads do the business now !
SO that tobacco is prepared In hogsheads |
Tor shipment % be sold loose and ship I
pers do about half the loose trade and !
always ship in packages 50 that Rich |
m0nd Us as convenient as any point 10 an. |
With $4,000 or 10000 warehouse sys- |
TENS thorough business directory and /
with the best warehouse men paid By |
what they are worth. i'm two years Rich
mond would sell p 000 900 pounds or loose
and handle that much more hOgshead to-
9acc0 here surely and nearly every mor- /
chant here would almost double business
loo three years time, and instead OF our
people going away others would come
lne they would stay. Rents would go up
and tax burdens be lighter.
10 r.f.
merchant whore he sells is worth 20 that
ilace ten times as much as a mere COM
mission rate tobacco sale on shipped to-
'acco. The retailer. etc, gets 20 20 30
ler cent profit on his goods. which is
'ery much more than the tOblcconist
makes and therefore. the latter IS more
ceply interested IN = warehouse tobacco
ale here than any one else. our banks
nd our tobacco men nov build up all
ther markets. but their own and operate |
0ss.bly against r. The remedy is a to-
acco market at first hands OF our own,
Or which 10000 is as easily raised as
TO- n headed By the right parties The
obacco trade first and last is the very |
oundatiOn OF our whole business future.
rom the newsboy 20 the largest real
state owner and IL will perish unless a
'ader rises up 10 carry out a modern
'adership is lacking
Really $4,000 is ample capital 20 start
he warehouse enterprise. IL IS more fol
he sake OF earnest money that this fig
re even Is named and because single
rivate warehouses know this and more
hen there are five 10 ten on the mar
ets elsewhere. The main point is 10
low united action OF our buyers and
ade and people TO turn business this
ay
incidentally It should be said that this
the day when a city and community
IS TO fight unitedly for its rights or $
Sc II will De robbed right and left, and
III be left a by-wOrd and like n dry
'cked. orangc--that can be inflated In
~. but is hollow inside. S
Are new rules any remedy for our ret {
'grossiOn or still-stand. with market I
ID men leaving us and We helping others h
make bad worse? Is there no remedy | o
+ fifty markets building and Taking our
ade with our own help. while others | c
We shown ten-told progress? When the | q