The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-10-09
FRANCES TOBACCO TRADE.
The Government Has a Monopoly
Of the Business.
An Interesting Report From the
United States Consul at Iyons-Re-
tail shops Generally Kept by Wild
ONys of soldiers and Omcerrs.

( John G.. Covert. the United States Con-
sui at Lyons has just sent 10 The State
Department most interesting and ez-
haustive report on the tobacco business
in France he says
The tobacco business in France is a
monopoly Of the Government. no iudivid-
uaI having the right to make or sell
I cigar or 20 sell tobacco in any form with
/ out permit.
The retail shops are generally kept by
B women. the widows OF soldiers or officers.
. often 10y old soldiers themselves. I am told
/ that the widow OF an officer of high rank
] sometimes dnds il necessary to petition
/ 70. permission To keep a retail tobacco
[ and cigar store. which she places in the
/ care of an agent. and her connection with
/ it remains entirely unknown In all tho
! large cities Of France. there are also es-
/ adjustments called -abacs de luxe, where
! the finer kind Of cigars and tobacco are
! sold and imnorJcyi-- TGay are owned by
/ the Government, are in charge Of men
/ appointed by the same. and are not per
miJted to retail. as the State is not sup
/ posed to compete with the indlvldua
I whom it has authorized to open cigar
/ stores
To have the right 20 keep "A retail to-
| bacco and cigar store is considered priv
ilegc worth working for, and il is said
/ that every change of ministry is sure 60
! give an opportunity to the exercise Of the
/ appointive power Of the Government,
I which auEmeuts the number Of retail to-
/ bacco dealers
The tobacco sold in France annually
! aggregates to the State about S39I31,l5I
| The expense TO the State in buying raw
/ material labor freight, etc, is $l4,535&2i,
| leaving the very handsome profit Of S6i-
| Ggl Sl3. The State factories use 5J.0-6.3z5
| pounds Of domestic tobacco and 33,Jlj,eJo
pounds Of imported leaf The domestic
| costs S17.27 PR z20 pounds. and the i'm
! ported $2IsS per ~ pounds. 2S.665.O)J
/ pounds OF the imported tobacco comes
! from the New World. mostly from the
/ United States, and the largest quantity
I Of this. called Burnley. is from Kentucky
| The director OF the works in Lyons
| gave me particulars about the business
here and in other parts Of France There
are twenty factories in France-three IN
| Paris. and the others in the large cities
| TIA le9 they employed lilSt hands. l9.t5-
OF whom were women and girls Besides
these. there are IA persons employed as
directors, OverSeerS. rCTemen. etc Next
year the factory in Lyons will make IS,
/ 5J1 pounds Of fue-Cut chewing tobacco,
1900 rounds Of common smoking t0bac-
co, 10000 pounds Of pure Maryland, 5000
pounds superior composed Of a combi-
I nation Of Kentucky. Maryland. and the
best domestic. and 2530,0J9 pounds OF
I common called -Scauerlati' cheap
/ co is used on the frontiers. where snug
J Cling Is prevalent. 10 meet the COmpeu-
I ton OF the contraband article Large
quantities are also sold 20 the inmates Of
! iufrmarieS and pOoThOGses-
/ The state tobacco factory at Lyons
| viii next year manufacture 5JUU.0J0 CT
! gars that sell for cents and l.25J.pJ0 /
/ cent cigars, 100000 cigars 10 sell at II
cents, and many millions Of cigarettes
! Tobacco is grown in France. but large
! quantities are imported from the United
/ States. Brazil, Cuba, and Java. OF the
| imports from the United States. that from
I Ohio is the favOrtte as regards packing
| and general preparation Maryland stands
| highest for cigarettes and Kentucky IS
| pronounced good for strong smoking to-
/ hacco. this being imported IN larger guam
| titles than any other American tobacco
! As far as / have been able 20 learn. no
l one here knows anything about the fine
Connecticut tobacco, so popular IN Ameri-
I ca with all genuine lovers Of good cigars
/ [ feel confident that IL an effort were
I made, "a good market for IL would be
I found in France Inc Connecticut wrap
! per and seed aller ought also 20 De popu-
| lar among the cigars de luxe IN France
/ As the cigar business in the United
| States. especially outside the large cities.
| is carried on largely IN small shops and in
! families. a description Of the workings
I Of the factory in Lyons may prove inter
I csting and perhaps useful The factory
Z Is a tOur-SIOry DIloInE covering tnFte
| acres or ground The first thing done TO
/ the tobacco. preparatory 10 its trdnsfor-
| nation into cigars is TO soak IL in sailed
Z water Then. instead Of pressing the
| weed 10 free 70 from its strong. rank
I oG0r-contrdcted largely while being pack
[ I'd during snipmC nit is dried IN a hOl-
/ low iron wheel that revOlVes 100 times per
minute. After the tobacco is stripped. the
| stems are placed into large watts, under
] pressure, "A stream or watt 2ercolatlng
1 sl1rsly through them, and the juice thus
I expressed is sold for Is cents per quart
{ Last year the Lyons factory realized near
/ ~ $50 from this source one quai OF this
juice contains i1 grams OF nlcotne-7oine
I times high as 90 grams IL IS sold 70
veterinary surgeons. who use II upon ami
/ mails afflicted with the itch or other skin
diseases Large quantities OF II are eN-
ported 70 BuenoS Ayres, where am told
/ il is regarded as cure Tor sheep S itch
I When cut and ready for market. tho
/ tobacco rs packed by machinery, the labor
| Of three girls contributing 20 make each
| package. ore places the wrapper around
| IN. tin frame. another places this IN a
/ wooden urifice and fills IL with the to-
! baCCO which has been weighed by third
/ person. 4 slow hydraulic pressure IS then
| brought down upon the tobacco. slightly
/ reducing %, when the tin forms are
! handed back 20 the first person who I'm
| ishes the packing and prepares another
| form. The girls work very actively; three
| OF them pack I2.5O1 packages day; their
| wages being respectively. On, ID, and -
| cents per dav. Thus $3.50 packs OF to
| baCCu are done UP for about H2t5, not
| counting the use Of the machinery.
| NO one but women and young girls are
/ engaged In making cigars. cigarettes. and
| filters. and IN cutting wrappers The work
| is all done on the principle OF a division
| of labor. the cutting Of the wrappers. the
| breaking Of the filters. the rolling Of the
latter up In the wrapper. and the putting
| OF the little kiuky head on the cigar all
| of which Is done by one person IN the
| small shops 81 the United States. is done
| by five din, rent individuals in the State
| tobacco factory ia this city. The woman
/ who cuts the wrapper does 10 with a little
| revolving wheel blade on the end OF a
handle instead Of with the usual cigar
! makers knife
she cuts many thousand wrappers g.
| day the work all being measured by
weight. and the girls 8r women to whom
/ the wrappers or filters are brought ready
! Tor use make from son 10 SOD cigars a day.
! ono hundred and eighty-eiSht women and
girls. from sixteen To twDuty-eight years
n age work ten hours "A day In the cigar
I departing Ut and only one of them earns
as high as 81 per day. The situations are
very desirable. and there is now list of
EppicatiouS for places containing over
"a" names There Is one filler machine. on
lay. A cunning machine in use here. in
vented by an emplOye. makes the head
Oh cigars after they are rolled. and does
me work Of about a dozen hands An
ether machine. which, / think, Is an
/ American invention. makes 10000 cigar
| tics per day. Most Of the boxes in
which the cheap cigars are packed are
made OF cardboard. The wooden boxes
. axe manufactured from the heads Of hogs
heads IA which tobacco comes here from
t1" United States The price Is marked
. / by the Government on every box Of eli
+ cars and on every package OF cigarettes
3 | OF paper or tguaccu-
ID that %