Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-04-18
MONOPOLY IN TOBACCO.
An Account of the Working of a Dis
appointing Experiment in
Japan.

Ii Is now over four years since the
Japanese government established its to-
bacco monopoly. So far it has proved
anything but the grand source Of revc-
nue. expected OF il. Its promoters
thought that apart from the increase of
revenue, il would improve the growth
aud enlarge the export, hut in these
respects also il has been disappointing.
There are no large tobacco planters in
THIS country. Numerous small farmers
raise each a small quantity. hence, in
order to prevent OifenSeS against the mo-
nopoly laws, a small army of officials is
required, yet Illicit dealings and SNUG
Cling are by no means uncommon. In
the second year of its working the mo
nopolN department reported the detec-
ton of over 1000 eases The number of
undetected cases may be imagined. So
far from helping to increase the export
trade in the lear, the monopoly has
Killed it. Prior to the establishment OF
the system the stock of japanese leaf in
the United Kingdom-the only country
to which it was exported was usually
about lo,0oO bales, now it is nearly nil.
The working of the system Is as fol.
lows: First of all. intending growers
must apply for permission 10 the mon0p-
Oily department. stating the area they
propose TO cultivate. When grown all
nopoly Office on or before March 81 of
IN" following year. The price TO he paid
To the growers is fixed beforehand. II
Is arrived at by dividing the crop into
grades. In the year 1900 there were
eighteen grades. Each of these again
was divided into first. second aud third
quality. Then, again. in each quality
he rear was separated into four sorts
W., top leaves, upper middle leaves,
lower middle leaves and ground leaves,
thus making PIG grades and prices. On
he'ng brought to the local office of the
monopoly the tobacco IN inspected. grad
eel and paid for Ii is then distributed
10 other places, each bale being marked
by q little wooden ticket. giving its
grade and weight, and also number.
The leaf thus packed is sold by the
kwnmme tahout SA pounds on it's orig.
maj weight. The monopOy's profit was
originally hNed AT cent per cent, hut has
now been increased to 1870 per cent.
Among the causes which have initiated
and viii most likely continue to initiate
against TINS experiment may be men
toned the following: The growers chiof
obJect Is TO get his tobacco off his hands
as soon as he possibly can, thus throw
ing any risk of deterioration onto the
monopoly. and the earlier il is taken
away the better for him. as the moisture
contained IN II means more money to
mum anu itN LHdi ne mas sure, mar
ket he does not take he same carc us
formerly, and thus the tobacco NOT snl.
dom goes into the monopuly's ware
houses IN Il half-cure~i state and OWING
to scarcity Of competent experts il some
times Spoils and becomes worthless. Ii
is believed that there are considerable
quantities of tobacco held by the monop-
oily in this state.
To these drawbacks must be- added
deterioration Of the culture An ad va
loren prohl of $50 per cent. is gradually
but surely FORCING the finer kinds of TO-
hacco out of cultivation because every
rise in the percentage OF profit causes
the manufactures TO use y lower Grade.
thus the standing Of tobacco used il
lowered without the revenue being benr-
fitted. Again, while the profit is collect
ed on original weights. there rs always n
considerable Shrinkage Ivy driving, rang
ing from II 70 - per cent: hence tho
manufacturer has t. pay 100 per cent.
on tobacco which does not exist. and
though the precautions against Snug
Cling are largely Intellectual. the Il
pcnScs Of working the system are waste.
fully high. Finally. the import Of for
cign leaf. which is also in the hands Of
the monopoly. has been very small. The
profit being the same AZ on the native
leaf 100 per cent London Globe.