The news & observer., 1905-10-26
Winston Salem Car Short
age Now.
SITUATION DESPERATE
Tobacco Crop Short, Demand I'm
mense, the Railroads Giving
No Accommodations. Man
ufacturer and Farmer
in Same Boat.
Especial to News and Observer

Winston Salem, n. c., Oct 25.-The
tobacco association held a called meet
ing this afternoon and discussed the
very unsatisfactory service now being
given by the Southern Railway in re-
gard to the handling of freight in this
city. 1t was decided to hold a joint
meeting of the tobacco board, the mer-
chants association and the board of
trade Friday evening, when commit
tee will be appointed to go to Wash
ington and confer with the officials
of the Southern Railway in regard
to the grievances of the business men
of this city. A letter will be issued
giving a true statement of the facts.
A telegram was sent to the Cor
poration Commission at Raleigh this
afternoon asking that a representa-
tive be sent here at once to investigate
the situation cannot be improved
of freight cars here every week and
the situation cannot be in improved
without more trackage and enlarge
ment of the yards.
Manufactures States Conditions.
Especial to News and Observer
Winston Salem, n. c., October 25.-
A big indignation meeting of the
Winston tobacco board of trade was
held here this afternoon and entered
lstrenuous protests against the South
ern Railroad on account of the inef-
| ficiency of it's accommodations to move
the tobacco from the tobacco sections.
| Thousands of dollars are lost by to-
| bacco damaging in the depotS. No
| trains were run Monday and Tuesday
! from the biggest tobacco section. At
this season of the year the tobacco
sales should be blocked but ware
| houses are only selling half the usual
! quantity. Farmers are being forced
to take their tobaccos to smaller mar
kets and sell at lower prices or lose all.
The situation is very alarming. Presi-
dent Smith was ordered to send tele-
gram to the chairman of the Corpora
ton Commission requesting him to
come upon the scene at once. The re-
tail merchants association and the
Winston board of trade have called
joint meeting for Friday night to en-
ter further protests. Letters have been
written to the railway officials at
Washington, Raleigh and other places.
Unless the trouble is remedied at
once. it will mean bankruptcy and
hard times for the farmers through
out this entire section.
Hundreds of terccs of tobacco are
moulding in the depots. Farmers who
had shipped them over week ago
are still here awaiting their arrival
and the shipments that have come are
in q bad state and damaging More
trains and better facilities for handling
the tobaccos are demanded. The sec
tion affected embraces the great to-
bacco growing belt, being just north
of Winston where three-quarters of
the big output is raised, including the
counties of Stokes, Rockingham, Surry
and also Carroll, Henry and Patrick
counties. Virginia.
The manufacturers cannot afford TO
lose pound of the crop, the demand
far exceeding the visibb supply. Neith-
er can the farmers afford to have
present conditions continue, since
their crops are short and have en-
tailed added cost to make this season.
The condition of tobacco is quite SEN
sitivc. so that it cannot be stored
away as cotton can without elaborate
precautions against damage.
The Winston market is and has been
for more than a generation the natural
goal of the tobacco grower, for here
are located the great consumers, who
give the highest prices obtainable for
the weed. Owing to the inadequate
facilities for shipping this season, how
ever, the farmers are being forced III
many instances to dump their tobacco
in the smaller markets convenient to
them, where, of course, they Suner
in profit-taking. AS an instance of
this truth, the little market at Madison
is over-crowded this week and large
quantities of the weed are being sold
at whatever prices may be had, rather
than risk the delay in shipment to
Winston In round numbers Winston's
output of manufactured tobacco will
aggregate about 40,000,00 pounds.
The enormity of this shows how i'm
portant it is that the raw supply, which
will be scarcely more than $4,000, 900
pounds should be gotten here.
LateT.-President Smith, of the To-
bacco Board OF Trade, received
telegram stating that Chairman Frank
lin McNeill, Commissioner E. G. Bed
dingfield, and Clerk II. c. Brown, will
be here Friday morning to hear the
complaints of all shippers in regard to
vice.
NJ d. BAILEY, JR.,
Vice President of Bailey Bros.
The Commission to Act.
Chairman MacNeill, when seen last
night, stated that he had receive thde
telegram from the Winston tobacco
men and that the Corporation Commits
sion would take action as promptly as
possible. He and Mr.. Beddingfield and
Clerk to the Commission. Mr. Brown,
will be in Winston on Friday morn
ing In the meantime the commission
will. of course, make every possible
attempt to secure such amelioration of
the conditions as may be effected.