The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-15
UNIVERSAL AFTER
RICHMOND FACTORIES
a Reported That ills Trying to Get
a Foothold Here.
Y1MPERlAL MEN AT EXCHANGE
- E.I,..- ,,... ca.e Nothinr Con.
y1MPER|AL MEN AT EXCHANGE
! har. Gum Talks, bu. Says Nothing Con-
corning the Object of His Visible
lief That Wells-Whitehead VIII
Sell Out Is Growing.


j here to the effect that the Universal To-
bacco Company, Of New York, is after
{ +. curing q foothold in this city. and Ia
J row negotiating with certain OF the In
- dependent factories here 1t is reported
T; that overtures have been made to Butter
- and Bosher manufacturers Of this city,
r. ,.nd also to r. A Patterson & co.
- Whether there is any prospect that
IN deal will be eventually made cannot be
= learned
9 Several tobacco men here are inclined
q 20 discredit the rumors believing that
v the Universal has no immediate oesIe
II to come into Richmond. It Is learned,
how ever from high authority that some
ri Thing of this nature is really on. and
81 that If matters can be brought to sue
q cessfuI head a factory will be purchased
Y lere- The company has ALREADY estao-
Z .irhed itself in Lynchourg and appar-
& entity wants to do the Same in this city
II OF In Danville II negotiations here are
~ not successful there will probably be
scme effort to get into the other place
IA The Universal meanwhile Is placing its
! Rtods on sll the markets throughout this
& section. 1t Is gradually moving south
= ward. and expects soon to have this
= field entirely covered.
I strenuous efforts yesterday to learn
4 more concerning the plans and purposes
4 Of the visiting members of the Imperial
oeCCO COMPANY were dpSV1NlO'S AioAI-
Press. The three gentlemen visited Shock
n oe Slip and the Exchange yesterday after
E,.oon and were introduced to several of
9etne local tobaccon!sts, but revealed them
r. Ce,ves to none of them. They alto
IS g.ther uncomnunicative when the plans
L Of the Imperial are concerned.
] Local members Of the trade appear to
d be at loss concerning the matter. The
& usual amount Of ru1nors is evident, but
* none of them appears to be entirely sat
satisfactory. The belief that n deal is likely
2 between the Wells-Whitehead Tobacco
a Company. Of Wilson. N. C.. and the I'M
n perial IS growing. 1t IS thought that If
4 some settlement has not already been
i reached in this quarter, it will not be
J long before it is. The officials Of the
q Whitehead Company here decline
4 TO discuss the matter in any of its
) phases.
z One of the visiting directors of the
] Imperial, Mr. Ernest II. NJ Gum. Of
4 Bristol England, was seen yesterday,
5ect of his visit. He very courteously, hoE
] ever, submitted to be interviewed, and
spoke in general terms Of the big tobacco
| war now in progress. lie said. for one
thing. that he and his associates are
much pleased with Richmond and intend
| to make this the center of their opera
tons or their headquarters. They had
not as yet visited other places, and he
could not shy whether or not they would
do 80. How much time they would spend
in this city on the present visit was stlll
an unsettled matter.
Concerning the Imperial Tobacco Com
pany and its fight against the American
trust. Mr. Gum said that his company
was in the business to stay. when the
British put their foot anywhere he said.
referring both to this country and to
England they put il their to stay.
1--WE are now extending operations in
England and are buying up new fac
tories" In Mr.. Gums opinion the
> British trade will stick by the Imperial.
The people there. he said. do not buy a
cigarette because it is cheap. but because
they like it. For that reason the Amer
lean Tobacco Company might cut prices
SO much as it pleased, but If its goods
did not satisfy the British public it would
be no good.
thought of the success of Mr.. Dukes
/ venture in England He evinced a con-
I siderable interest, however, in the stat
us of the American Tobacco Company in
this country and declared that he did not
believe that Mr. Duke had gotten a hold
on all Of his own home trade yet There
/ are many independent firms, he said, re-
/! ferring In this connection to the Caro-
dina Brights'' manufactured by the Wells
Whitehead Tobacco Company. When
asked whether the Imperial would buy
up any of these independent firms Mr.
Gum declined to talk. He would state
nothing concerning what might be done
IN the future.
At the time Of the Interview Mr.. Gum
! was smoking a Sovereign cigarette,
the new brand just put into this territory
aby the Universal Tobacco Company. Ho
said that he thought the cigarette very
; good one He remarked also that the
American public Is not altogether unac-
!, uuainted with the wares Of the Imperial.
! Several brands OF the concern are being
, sold &n this country.
Mr.. A. B. Eddins. well-known tobac-
conist Of this city. will furnish tho Fir-
Stnia tobacco FOR the French Government
next season. Cable advces received
here yesterday stated that Huffer & Co.,
OF Paris, had captured the contract. and
also large part Of the Western con-
tract The representatives in New York
j OF this firm are Tael & Co, who in turn
are represented here by Mr.. Eddins
The contract for Virginia calls this
year for about 1000 hogsheads, as fol-
lows: Thirty per cent. a, 40 per cent. Il
and 80 per. cent. c. The tobacco is TO be
delivered in three equal parts before Oc-
tobcr 10. 1902: January TO- 1908, and April
no. 1908. for the past two years the con
tract has been held by Williams &
Rehiing of this city.
The sales on the Exchange yesterday
were of an unusually high order. A
large number OF packages We're offered
and the prices received were excellent.
Stonewall Warehouse. George a Haynes,
proprietor, sold one package at SS5. The
following fine sales We're reported by
Shelburne's Warehouse:
Tor Mr. Edgar Loving-No. package at
SCI. No. 2 package at SIS, No. packa Sc
at SIS Average. S3i.a.
Make Lcving-No. package at SIS,
No . package at S2S No. 5 package al
500 No. package at S2l.50. No ) package
at sl7. Average, $2i.
A small loose sale was held al Shockce
Warehouse. The highest price received
was S25 per hundred pounds.