The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-02
WHICH MEETS ON 18TH
THE COUNTY WELL REPRESENT
ED AT THE MEETING.
FLANS FOR FIGHTING TOBACCO TRUST
Talk of Organizing Independent Factories With
Farmers as Stockholders to Handle the
Tobacco and Cut Trust Off From
the Raw Material

A number of tobacco growers of Wake
county met at the Department of Agr-
culture building at o'clock yesterday
afternoon andorganized a Wake county
branch of the Tobacco Growers Asso-
ciation.
Mr.. H. III. knight of Eagle Rock,
was made chairman, and Mr.. b. Hob
good, Of Garner, secretary. The asso-
ciation proceeded with the appointment
Of delegates to attend the North Caro-
lima Tobacco Growers Association,
which meets in the House of Commons
room, capitol building, Raleigh, ON Jam
uary 18th, 1900, at Z o'clock p. M.
The following were appointed and re-
quested to attend:
3. Hobgood, Garner: alternate, III. V.
Davis, Garner; DIR. j. M. Bell, Wake
field; alternate, Willie Green, Wakefield;
III. III. Knight, Eagle Rock; alternate,
Hines Scarboro, Eagle Rock; w. b.
Upchurch, Morrisville; alternate, w. II.
Yates, Ewin; Paul Lee, Raleigh: alter
nate, i. NJ. Franks, Raleigh.
These delegates or their alternates in
case they cannot attend, are requested
to meet in the Department of Agricul-
ture building, at 2 p. M, ON january
18th in order to prepare such matter
as may be agreed upon for presentation
to the general association that might.
Despite the severe weather the meet
ing was we'll attended yesterday and
there was a strong sentiment for the
adoption of some feasible and efficient
plan for fighting the trust when the
State association meets ON the 18th i'm
slant.
There are two plans that will perhaps
be presented for the consideration of the
tobacco growers, both based upon their
cO-operation-the plan of Mr.. j. +. Jor-
dan. of Greensboro, that the farmers
agree to sell their tobacco only to q
new company to be organized and capital
lied for the purpose, at q price to be
fixed by representative of the conn
pany and OF the tobacco growers, and
the plan that the farmers unite with
capitalists i'm the organization OF indie
pendent factories which shall handle all
the tobacco, cutting off the tobacco
trust form the market.
In favor of the latter plan it is urged
that one of the greatest items of cost
in the manufacture of tobacco is the
raw stock which the factory is compelled
to purchase during brief season for the
entire year, thus tieing up large amount
of money in that way. The cooperative
factory would have the advantage that it
would begin with its raw stock already
ON hand and so would not require so
much ready capital. Under this plan
also the farmer would share in the profits
of manufacture.
1t is, also, well known fact that since
the organization of the American Tobac-
co Company, otherwise the tobacco
trust, large numbers of men skilled in
every detail of tobacco manufacture
have been thrown out of work and the
securing of skilled labor to manufacture
tobacco would be one of the least of the
difficulties. In the sale OF tobacco the
same condition obtains. The travelling
salesman has been hit hard. Hundreds
who know the trade and the men in
the trade thoroughly have been thrown
out of work with hardly a days notice
and they would be willing to push the
product of the new concerns and would
do it as well as anybody in the en-
ploy of the trust
1t is further urged in behalf of this
plan that the cost of equipping the fac
tories would be comparatively small.
Il lit dlLOu-lt lOSI Ill any Wv IL =
county of the State in one year through
the cutIthroat prices established by the
trust would be more than sufficient to
erect and equip a factory with the very
latest improved apparatus for the manu-
facture of plug, snuff or smoking to-
bacco.
A gentleman engaged I'M the manufac-
TIRE of plug tobacco said yesterday that
a generous estimate of the cost of ma
cllinery for handling 100000 pounds
OF leaf tobacco annually is, for plug. So
GOO The building for such a plant, if
built of brick. 50x200 feet, he estimated
at $4,000, making the total cost of the
plant $4,000. BY trust prices the farmer
loses ON 100000 pounds of the most or
binary tobacco suitable for plug not less
than $4,000 annually.
For manufacturing smoking tobacco
or snuff the cost of the necessary ma
chinery would be vastly less than for
the making of plug. and the expenses of
manufacture and the risks would also
be less.
1t is expected that the State convention
Of tobacco growers viii canvass adj
phases of the question and something
de6nita will r4roha hlv he decided on.