The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-10
NORTHWESTERN BUSINESS GOSSIP
English Manufacturers Will Fight the American Tobacco
Trust in the United States Northwest Partial to
Trust Brands-The Gould Railway System and the
Northwest. .~*..* ....':... 49,. IT, ~ ~:a: ~

English tobacco manufacturers intend
to carry the war in manufactured tobac-
CO back to America. A delegation of vet
Grams in the English tobacco trade is on
its way here now to form alliances with
independent concerns and take other
means to fight the big American tobacco
trust on it's home ground. This is an in
stance where competition between trusts
is carrying the fight for business. around
the world and the American consumer
stands a good show of profting by it.
The northwest, especially its jobbers, re-
tailers and travelling statesmen will be
greatly interested in this new turn Of af
fairs. No part of the United States has
become more partial to those brands of
tobacco manufactured by the American
tobacco trust than the northwest. 1t so
happened that when the two big tobacco
companies were formed, the11American and
Continental the factories they purchased
were those doing the greater part OF the
business in the northwest. The consumer
is loyal to his brand of "plug, fine cut"
or smoking" through many years, and
although he has been taxed more money
for the goods as general thing, he has
continued the use Of those brands which
bought Pierre Lorillard's string of thor.
oughbred horses, enabled Paul }. Sorg
of Ohio to become philanthroplst with
money, made the name of Liggett Mey-
west and gave Daniel Scotch and other,
men in Detroit prominence in the manu-
facture of "the weed.
Competition in the northwest has been
gradually reduced to a minimum. The In
dependents which had business here few
years ago have been absorbed The indie
pendent concerns now in the business get
their trade principally from other sections
of the country nearer the place of manu-
facture. The threatened Johnny Bull in
vasion of America promises the only
"hotfoot" for tobacco trade In the
northwest and the plans of the Imperial
company of Great Britain will be Of In
cago with the possible exception Of 'Miz
zoura," where local manufacturers still
compete.
In spite of the fact that the number Of
travelling tobacco statesmen has been
greatly decreased by, the trust, the trust
has more statesmen on it's staff than any
other concern in the world. The travel
ing staff of every wholesale concern
handling tobacco is working for the trust.
They are not warm champions of the trust
idea but the big combination makes it a
matter of real profit to the statesmen Of
the United States who sell tobacco. In
order to interest them in trust brands and
enable them to forget the names of the
brands made BY independent companies,
it hangs up a long list of valuable premi-
ums which the travelling men secure by
selling required amounts of tobacco 1t
enlists the clerk behind the counter in the
retail store by list Of premiums for
turning in to the trust certificates found
packed in each package of plug tobacco
or each case of smoking tobacco. It at
tracts the consumer my making him
present Of pipe, watch, or numerous
other articles when he sends a certain
number of tin tags or labels, as the case
may be, to the premium department of the
big corporation
All of these schemes We're worked"
before the bic trust was formed but not
on such a magnificent scale. Paul Sorg
presented the travelling men Of the coun-
try with bicycles several years ago for
selling a certain amount of his brands
always including new brand just on the
market, but this was temporary. Now and
then Pierre I.orillard opened his heart in
the same way. But the trusts offer is
permanent. It's list of premiums is re-
vised in the first Of November each year
and is usually increased by several items
ranging in Joint of value from silver
spoon for the baby to a piano for the
salesnnan's wife or a shotgun for himself.
In the thousands of travelling mems homes
throughout the United States the per-
centage is small in which there is not
some contribution in the way Of furniture