The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-31
The laps to do Indepeh-
denr Buying.
GOOD FOR FARM Frs
This Will Give Active Competition Fer
Bright Tobacco and Must of Course
Send the Price up to Point
That Will Aid the To-
bacc0 Farmers.

Something has struck the American
Tobacco Company, and this something
is of nature to aid the tobacco farm
erS.
1t is not because the American To-
bacco Company wants to help the
farmer, but it is because the trust
simply cant help it. 1t is one OF
those things which come as the uneA-
pected, and if it is true. of which there
seems little doubt, it may have al
ready helped.
The report is that the American
Tobacco Company has lost its foot
hold in japan, because OF conditions
now existing there, and that the Japa-
nese government is going TO 90 the
tobacco business for itself The report
is that the American Tobacco COM
pany representative in Japan mas peen
recalled to America, ana Will pc sent
to Canada to do business thefe iof 'he
trust.
Another item which shows that the
American Tobacco Company is seek
ing for new fields is contained IN tele-
grams sent out from Lisbon, one of
these being as follows:
"rrbough the government Will not
disclose the names, it has been learned
that a big American tobacco company
has made an offer for the control OIL
which is far beyond the terms which
the present Portuguese company ia
willing to pay. If the Portuguese DO
not advance their figures the Anerl-'
cans will secure control The Suppo-
sition is that the American Tobacco
Company is the bidder.
Shut out of it's Japanese market ana
that source of profit cut off, with per-
haps an additional force of buyers TO
compete with, u smaller crop OF TO-
bacco on hand than for many years,
and with the knowledge that the farm
ers will still further cut the crop next
wear if fair prices are not PAID TINS
wear it is seen at once that fear VIII
be the motive that will make this Giant
Trust pay better figures than last year,
and that there is no philanthropy De
hind it.
The facts as known in this country
about the situation in Japan comes
from q reliable source, and in an IN
tervicw with gentleman who has q
thorough knowledge of the tobacco
situation he said:
81 am reliably informed that the
Japanese government has taken over
to themselves all the manufacturing
tobacco business of Japan and Will
hereafter buy their leaf tobacco on
the markets of North Carolina indie
pany.
"As tho American Tobacco Company
for the mast two or three years has
virtually been controlling all the to-
bacco business of Japan and buying
the leaf tobacco through their regu.
lar buyers, this step will give tC
farmers considerable competition oil
the warehouse floors for their tobac-
co. a competition that they haze not
CT ar Il
is reported that the Japanese govern
mcnt has already given out orders to
the independent buyers for twenty
million mounds of bright tobacco suit
able for making cigarettes and as thd
trade is increasing on North Carolina
brights in Japan it is thought that III
a very short time the japanese gov
eminent will need some where pc
tween forty and seventy-five million
pounds of North Carolina brights.
'.,The prospects are Frightening Tor
the tobacco farmer. While prices ara
very satisfactory at present on all thd
markets averaging from three to TOUR
cents per pound more than at the
same time last season, still IL cotton
continues to advance or even averages
the farmer 10 cents at the present
prices of tobacco there will be an
other cut in the crop of tobacco next
season IN all the COllOll DSllo VI i-''N'"
ern North Carolina and South caro-
lima. The present crop OF tobacco IS
not now estimated as bigh in pounds
as it was the first day OF August.
Scarcely a man whom l met is est1-
mating the crop over 40 per cent OF
what it was last year, and some put IT.
down as low as rs per cent OF a
crop.
"And now with another cut next
season Eastern North Carolina anc
South Carolina will cut very small
figure in the tobacco business. AS
the 'old belt cannot possibly raise
enough tobacco to supply the pres
ent demand. it looks to me like self
evident fact that the manufacturers,
now composed of the Imperial To-
bacco Company. the American Tobac-
co Company, the Japanese government
and the independent manufacturers
of the United States are compelled
to pay much higher prices Tor to-
bacco to get enough of it raised III thq
cotton belt to supply their wants, an
they cannot manufacture pound OF
tobacco without the raw material and
we all know that they are not goinS
to close their factories.
No.