Arizona republican., 1902-02-17
BIG TOBACCO
 FIRM BOUGHT
Combine Secures Large Chi cago Firm From List
 of Independents
In Line With Plan to Absorb Out siders and Prevent Forming a Strong Rival Japan May Be in Competition.

New York Feb. 16-An official of the Continental Tobacco company. a sub sidiary concern of the Consolidated To- bacco company. confirms the report that the Continental has purchased the plant and good will of Spaulding X Nerrick of Chicago. The plant is con- sidered a very important one. It was learned today that the Consolidated company is negotiating for the pur- chase Of other independent plants throughout the country. and that its rival the Universal Tobacco comPans, is also active in this line.
 The statement was made some time ago rllat a movement was on foot to consolidate the independent tooacco companies of the United States. and it would appear that the so-called tobacco combine is endeavoring to block the plan by purchasing the best plants on the market.
 Within the past six months something lil5, half dozen independent tobacc1 companies have passed either to he control Of the Consolidated Tobacco company or 10 tE- Universal
 Some announcement concerning the plans of the committee in charge of the affairs Of thc Havana Commercial com pany is expected in few days. It is more than likely that the outcome will be % consolidation of the Universal. Havana Commercial and Henry Clay Bc,k companies. When the merger plans of the latter group of tobacco in tcrcsts are completed an aggressive campaign for a part of the. tobacco business CT Europe wifi be begun.
 Tn view Of the campaign Of American tobacco companies for European trade. tho following from the Kobe Herald Of Jauan is of interest:
 American tobacco interests have not succeeded in getting a complete hold upon the cigarette trade Of this toun- my. Al they have succeeded in doing has been to increase the sale of the American Toba.c company's own brands Of cigarettes in Japan. From our Knowledge of the trade we can say that the American trust has not yet made any profits out of Japan worth speaking about.
 '''rha joint NuIaf-American company ccrld very easily have obtained abso- lt.t. command of the whole cigarette trad- of Japan by a relatively small expenditure. The combine secured two af jhs larSest-Jhe largest and the third areast-factCri5s in Japan. The second d manufacturing from native tobacco. and it does an enormous trade.
 -"The combine ran away with tine Idea that it could kill many important in depend d7nt companies or freeze them out. whereas yhey are still in existence and continue to compete with the Nurai company. The Americans have not succeeded in increasing AIuraTs business. or if they have. it has only been by the addition of their own brands to Murais.
 "One tobacco manufacturer expressed the view that if a strong English to- bacco company. adch as Wills, hal sufficient enterprise to come along to Japan with a sum of perhaps ffCo.000 to put into the country. it might make a. very paying thing of it. and even drive out the American combine, or at least esfcctually prevent its capturing the entire trade. It thus appears that the first attempt to exploit foreign capital in Japan in conjunction with Japanese has not been completely successful. al though il is impossible to be positive on this point.
 As a matter of fact we have reason to believe that at this time a year ago the representa- tives of the trust in Japan were very well satisfied with the progress the joint company's interests were making.
 As matter of fact. at the present ment the Murai-American company is having a sharp fight with one of the big rival Japanese concerns-Iwaya s- and the latter has by no means had the worst of it up to the present"