The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-03-24
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES.
Edgerton.

at last receded from It's SenSeieSS ofoh-
en- package" ruling, which called forth
such a storm of protests from the leaf
trade The commissioner doubtless DIS
covered that he had made a mistake
very soon after it was put into effect, but
he stubbornly stood by the error until
the united force of the tobacco trade
brought so strong pressure that he was
forced to recede. There was never any
lust excuse or warrant of law for the rul-
ing, and as the writer has previously
stated in this column, the order sooner
or later would have to be modified or
recinded. A united delegation from the
leaf merchants of the prominent markets
appeared before the commissioner last
week and presented Arguments SO potent
that this officer made complete back
down on the proposition and issued the
| following order:
| To Collectors of Internal Revenue
Existing regulationg, relating to the sale
| of leaf tobacco by qualified dealer IN
| leaf tobacco in quantities less than a
| hogshead, case or bale, are hereby modl-
fled, with respect to cigar leaf, which
| may be purchased by any qualified man
ufacturer of cigars from any qualified
dealer in leaf tobacco in quantities less
than the original package for use in his
| own mandatory exclusively.
| Such sales shall be entered by the leaf
dealer in the Government books, record
| 50, which shall show the date of sale,
| actual quantity of tobacco sold, name of
purchaser, his business, district and
State. No permit will be required for
the sale of cigar leaf tobacco as herein
| authorized.
The commercial usage of billing the
tobacco at the marked instead of the
| actual weight, will be permitted when
the bill of sale also discloses the actual
weight of the tobacco at the time of sale.
***
We have frequently called attention,
through this column, Of the dangers of
further increasing the acreage of tobacco
in this state An object lesson of what
ovefproduction means to the grower can
be seen in southern leaf sections where
an organized effort to curtail the acreage
I'm the coming season is now being made
1 and here are some of the arguments
4 urged by writer on the proposition:
/ Don't every grower know; hasn't his
observation and his experience taught
him beyond the possibility of a doubt
i that when we have short crop we have
! good prices; when we have overproduc-
ton we have low prlcess
i Is this not a plain proposition that
every farmer understands without any
controversy whatevers
What then, is the evident remedy for
the evil of low prices OF which we now
complains
1t is certainly plain enough. Reduce
the production. That is the remedy
Now, if we cam get all the growers tc
agree to this proposition and reduce the
crop, say, 80 per cent we can walk the
log, we can solve the problem We will
not have any trusts to fight, or ourselves
to fight, either, by seeing who can raise
| the most tobacco for the least money,
! but we will get oMr own prices
Don't every farmer know that when it
| gets too cold for the hens to lay, eggs be-
come highs And does not scarcity make
| it SO with every coanmodityp Don't the
| supply govern the edemand and don't the
| demand govern the prices regardless OF
trusts?
But the great question is, cam this re
| duction of crops be accomplishede 1t
| certainly can be.
1t seems to me the problem is simple.
It has been said that he that caused two
blades of grass to grow where lsut one
| had grown before, is greater than he
4 hot f1Iya 01fx In c,Ia
| be said that he that causes one stalk of
| tobacco to grow where two had grown
| before has reached the solution.
| The question, therefore, is not what to
| do but, how to accomplish the desired
end, which can only be accomplished by
/ thorough organization and cooperation
/ of all the growers, especially those own /,
! ing the land. And first of all the large
/ producers must take the lead in the mat
/ iters'
!, **1
Because of the great number of def
ciencies in manufacturers accounts, and
discrepancies which appear between
| their accounts of tobacco purchased and
| the accounts of leaf dealers of tobacco
sold to them, the internal revenue office
| is insisting on the strict enforcement of
the former ruling relating to the sale of
| leaf tobacco at actual, instead of marked,
weight The office advises that if a leaf
dealer sells tobacco to a manufacturer
knowing that the net weight marked on
| the package is not the actual weight at
| the time of sale, he must reweigh the
package and ascertain the actual guam
| tity of tobacco contained therein, enter
this weight on his books, and make the
bill of sale show the actual weight of to-
bacco sold. The amount reported sold
on the bill of sale, and for which the
dealer receives pay, must be accounted
for by the manufacturer in his book.
The bill of sale in such cases will be
taken as the best evidence, prima facie,
of the quantity of tobacco sold to and
| received by the manufacturers. The
written or printed instructions on the
i e 10,