The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1900-11-09
THE
Wisconsin Tobacco Reporter,
Edgerton, Wisconsin.
NOTE BOOK SIX ETOHES.

NOTE BOOK KETOHES
The conditions of trade that effect the !
price of tobacco was never more marked |
than the changes that have occurred IN !
the demand for low grade cigar leaf the |
past two years. It is noticeable coin |
cidence that while the better grades |
have continued to advance in price the |
filler and low grade tobaccos have stead |
ily declined Up to little over year |
ago this class of goods have readily been !
bringing six cents or better either for |
export Or domestic uses. Lately the de-
mand for low grades seems to have drop |
ped off and filler grades are slow sellers |
at about half of former prices. The con-
dition is partially explained in the fact
that the export market wants a better
class of goods. The question of price
has given away to quality and the Euro
pean trade is willing to pay more for bet
ter tobaccos. But for domestic uses
also cheap tobacco are not bringing the
usual price. It is an singular market
condition which frequently occur IN the
tobacco trade. This will, in part, &C
count for the unwillingness of buyers to
pay more than cents for green filters of
the new crop.
The effect Of prosperous times is no
where more apparent than with the to-
bacco trade. AS a witness of this fact
was the parade of the leaf tobacco sound
money club of New York on Saturday
last when several thousand business
men and employees of the tobacco IN
dustries were in in the republican parade
composed of more than 100000 men.
The day was holiday in the down town
leaf houses and factories and sedate
business men marched five or six miles
in a pouring rain storm. Men who had
not walked that distance in years were
out under these discomforting condi
tions to show that they stood by the
present administration.
*.*
A farmer addressed letter to the
Commissioners of Internal Revenue and
| asked if he was not privileged to buy his
neighbor's tobacco and afterwards to re-
sell the same without restriction. He
was informed that if he purchased leaf
tobacco he was not authorized to resell
it unless he qualified as dealer in leaf
tobacco at some particular place and
paid special tax, and would then be re-
quired to confine his sales to three
classes of persons; that is, he could only
sell it to other qualified leaf dealers, or
qualified manufacturers of tobacco or ci-
gar, or to some persons who are known
to purchase leaf tobacco in packages for
export.
The United States during the last fis-
cal year collected from inland taxation
almost sixty million dollars revenue
from tobacco produced more than 65O,-
100000 pounds of leaf tobacco and dur
ing the calendar year of 1899 exported
more than one-half of the entire quantity
produced, free of tax. The United States
not only derives an annual revenue of
sixty million dollars from taxation i'm
posed on manufactured tobacco products,
but in addition to this large revenue
collects more than thirteen million dol |
lars by tariff duties imposed on imported !
leaf and manufactured tobacco products,
swelling the annual revenue to more
than $73,OOO,0O0 There is no opportuni |
ty for any political party to make the
tobacco question national issue so long
as the rates are not excessive and bur-
densome; and although the industry
was taxed full measure under the war
revenue bill, the Commissioner S report, !
not yet published, will show that the |
production of chewing and smoking to- |
bacco, snuff and cigars exceeds that of
previous years: and it is a matter of |
common knowledge that farmers gener
ally last year received better prices for
their crops than the previons year. The |
individual transactions in leaf tobocco |
at large tobacco centers, last year eX |
ceeded in number the transactions of |
previous years. and this fact shows a |
good healthy condition of trade.
*x*
From present indications the historic |
perique tobacco industry, which was |
threatened with extinction last year. ow
ing to reduction of prices, is in fair way /
to get upon it's feet again. In 1899 but |
very little perique was grown, and many |
of the former plantations were either al
lowed to lie idle or put into sugar cane
and garden truck. The total crop is es-
timated at less than one-fifth of the nor
NAL output, and numerous small plant
ers announced that they were out of the
business for good. The price had at
that time gone down to % cents pound,
and they said they could not clear ex
penses at such a figure. The crop in
the past usually averaged about 10000
pounds, and last season it was less than
5000. There is a good demand for this
seasons yield and next year most.of the
farmers will cultivate as much land as
they formerly did. AS most people know,
perique tobacco is raised exclusively in
Ct Topnc, vanish To Whap tho rop1 |