The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-10
Does Not Share Cotton Plan
ter's Prosperity.
PRICES ARE WAY DOWN
AND FARMERS SAY THEY ARE
DONE WITH TOBACCO.
DON'T GET ENOUGH 10 PAY GUANo BILLS
A Compar son Of Current Prices With Those Of
Ten Years Ago Shows What the Amer
lean Tobacco Company has
Done to the Farmer.

Done to the Farmer.
The tobacco farmer is not taking any
part in the rejoicing of his brother who
banked on cotton at least the tobacco
farmer hereabouts is not. And he is far
enough from having any reason to re-
joiceunless years hard work gone
for nothing and guano bills and obi
cations for supplies unpaid can he con-
sidered food for merriment. Possibly
it is to the tobacco trust, since it does
not. hold the bills.
So miserably poor are the prices paid
for tobacco this year that many planters
declare they are done with the weed
and are going in for 7-cent cotton next
year. If their resolution holds there is
likely to be a large increase in cotton
acreage and corresponding decrease
in tobacco. A local warehouseman said
yesterday that he was advising his
friends among the farmers to quit to.
hacco. and when the warehouseman adj
yises Il cut i'll the crop things are in
Il pretty bad way. II own a tobacco
farm myself" he said, land my tenants
have not made enough to pay their guano
bills. There are plenty of others in the
same condition. | am done with tobac-
co growing"
What is the matter with the mar.
kett' was asked.
American Tobacco Company" was
the emphatic answer" They fix the price
absolutely. Whatever they wish to pay
the farmer gets, and no more. There
are few grades of tobacco which are
in demand for export chiefly, but even
this tobacco follows the price of the
grades desired by the trust in its down.
ward slide, if ii did not the export trade
would buy American Tobacco Co. grades
and use instead. Since it's purchase
OF the independent companies within
the last year the monopoly is absolute.
When these concerns were bought out
the American Tobacco Company found
itself with large stock of tobacco on
hand for which it had been compelled to
pay a comparatively high price in order
10 get the plants. Now it is slashing
prices to the bone to make UP for this
and to bring the average low. To tell
the truth the prices are so low now that
we are ashamed to announce them"
How do the present prices compare
with those of ten or twelve years ago."
They are about 80 per cent off on
this market, and, of course, elsewhere
since the markets range much the
same. Take the tobaccos according to
grades. The comparison of the prices
of ten or twelve years ago and now
would be about as follows:
Grades. Cts. per Lib.
Cutters, 10 years ago. -. .271aaCd37115
Cutters now ..............1 2126l20
Common Tugs 10 years ago. .10M12
Common Tugs now ............ 306
Plug wrappers now .......... .20GI40
Plug wrappers 10 years ...... .20040
Good filters 10 years ago ...... SM10
Good filters now .............. 4M5
But this reduction, which ranges as
you see about 80 per cent, does not
tell all the story. Even last year the
trust, which had then to bid against
independent buyers, had several classes
of cutters, the prices being about as
follows:
Glass "A .................. 171an25
Class - .12Cnto1112
This year. as the trust has things all
its own way, it has knocked out grades
a and b and reduced the whole for
purposes of purchase to Class CO and
pays only c. prices. For tobacco in
the old &C. class next to nothing is
paid"
My informant said that ten years ago
about 100000 pounds of tobacco was
sold on this market. The estimate this
year is for about 100000 pounds divid-
ed as follows: Cutters, 100000 pounds;
Tugs, 100000 pounds; wrappers, 49,
900 pounds; filters, 100000 pounds. If
this estimate be taken at the average
prices of ten years ago and 30 per cent
taken off to reduce to the prices
now the loss to farmers ON this
market alone through the trust reduc-
ton of prices will be apparent. 1t is
about as follows:
Lugs, 100000 lbs.M10 1890. $4,000
Cutters, 100000 lbs.M30. 49,. .S150,000
Wrappers, 175,000 lbs.M70 -. $4,000
Filters, 100000 lbs.M.O9..... $4,000
Total value ...... ....... S445,O00
Total loss go per cenD.... 222, 800
When a comparatively small market
like Raleigh shows loss to tobacco
planters through the trust of S222, 800
annually, those who have a taste for
figures can estimate what it will be
for the State. According to the report
Of the Labor Statician for 1898 the
total manufactures of plug and smoking
tobacco, apart from cigars and cigar
cites in the State, Was 34,9SS,412
pounds. This is, of course, only 1.-THE
of the total crop, since enormous guam
titles are sent out of the State and
much is made into cigarettes.
The figures above, taken from the
sales records here will serve to show
why the farmers are inclined to quit
growing tobacco and why trust stock
will absorb so much water and still