The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-02-27

TO Fight Tobacco Trust.

eeeeeeeoooeeeeeeeoeoee,
To the Editor: am in receipt Of 50
many inquiries concerning the details of
my plan adopted by the State Tobacco
Growers Association that / have con-
cluded to ask space in your columns to
give the public more of the plan in de-
tail than i have vet been able to do.
The plan provides for the organization
Of a company sufficiently strong imam
clally to buy the entire crop of tobacco
grown III North Carolina, Virginia, South
Carolina and East Tennessee for term
Of five years. 1t was impossible for the
State Convention III Raleigh to work
out and establish all the details for the
management OF gigantic organization OF
this kind. All that the convention could
do was TO get starting point, or rather
a foundation upon which 70 aG :G the
structure, and hence the adoption of .he
agreement whereby the farmers are to
receive not less than fifteen Ter cent.
more for the crops to be raised l.y them
during the next five years than they have
received for the last five years crops,
the farmers agreeing to take fifteen per.
cent of their crop ia stock OF chs CON-
pany. This means that tobaccos are TO
be priced according to grades. and not ac
cording to crops. 1t would be manifest
ly unfair to give the man who raises a
mean crop the same price the man who
raises a good crop would receive.
Should the farmers agree to go into
this arrangement and have organized
themselves III every county when ths.
time arrives for the permanent organiza-
ton of the company and the signing Of
iron-clad agreements, | do not undertake
to say that said agreements will be
drawn in strict accordance with the
agreement drawn in Raleigh. When ne
gotiations have reached this stage the
plan contemplates that a large board,
consisting CT rs many farmers from al.
over the. tobacco raising districts the
farmers themselves see fit to appoint 10
represent them, will meet like board
appointed by the parties who furnish the
money. 1t will be the duty of these
Joint boards to- mutually agree on all the
details for the mana cement Of this organ
izaton. This means that this board lis to
prepare the iron-clad agreement for the
individual farmers TO sign. and TO Tx tine
Ilice the company is to pay for each
grade of tobacco bought during the first
years business; a similar board to meet
each succeeding Year 10 fix prices fer
that year. When all this has been done,
and ninety per cent. OF the farmers, or
enough to control ninety per cent. Of the
tobacco, have signed the iron-clad agree
lnent. then the company will be organ. Zed
and ready for business.
As it takes all the warehouses, leaf
factories, storage warehouses, etc, on
the different markets to handle the crop
now, it Will be much cheaper for this or
ganiZation TO arrange with the owners
of the said warehouses, factories, etc, to
run them than it would be to buy them or
build others This being true and GOOD
business policy, We will take the ware
house first: the farmer viii take his to-
bacco TO the warehouse just as he always
has done. The warehousemen Will weigh
it and put it on the floor as he does now
Then instead Of selling it at auction, four
graders, consisting OF two farmers and
TWO expert tobacco men. Will say where
each grade belongs. For instance IT the
big beard above mentioned has fixed the
price Of the best grade of wrappers at 30
cents, the second grade at 40 cents, the
third at 80 cents. and the best grade Of
cutters at o5 cents, the next at 20 cents,
the next at ID cents. and on down
through all the various grades, It will be
for these graders to say where each
grade of each farmer belongs. In order
that the graders may be prevented from
showing any partiality. the warehouse
man will write and number the owner )
name in his book and put a correspond
ing number on the ticket on each grade.
so that the graders can never tell whose
tobacco they are grading.
After the tobacco has been placed OH
The floors and graded as above described.
then it IS necessary to provide for the
leaf dealer, any Who can re-dry
the tobacco. Very we'll. \ certain por-
ton will be turned over to a, leaf
dealer, i certain portion to &C. leaf
dealer, another portion to ID, manu-
facturer. or to any one else who has the
means OF re-drying the tobacco so that 1t
will keep These dealers Will recorder
the tobacco, pack it IN hogshead~ and
turn it back to the company. which wall
pay them their commissions. Thus the
company having paid the farmer for his
tobacco and the warehousernan and
dealer their commissions, the tobacco be
comes the absolute property Of the COM
pany and is placed in storage ware
houses. with each hogshead plainly mark
I'd as to grade.
AS soon as the company begins opera
;ionr under this plan 1T Is ready to deal
with the manufacturers. 1t can then
sell to all the manufacturers in the world.
on any terms it may deem proper and
best. 1t will be III position TO favor
the weak independent manufactures
without harming the strong. ard thus Ell
able all the independent manufacturers
to resume business. If no satisfactory
arrangements can be made with the trust
which now owns almost all the large
manufacturing plants in the country, the
company can supply all the independent
factories with material and build other
factories Of capacity sufficient TO manu-
facture the entire crop. This company
will, of course, supply all foreign de-
mandS of leaf tobacco Thus it Will ht
seen that warehouSemen. leaf dealers,
manufacturers and all branches Of the
tobacco business will be taken care OF
! AMI no one will he left out.
The farmer who takes stock IN TINS
| company, whether he pays for 1t III cash
: or tobacco. will stand on the Identical
foot in, 1xith the f.anita list 1Hhn raHS fOl