Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1905-12-07
Tobacco Growers Association.
CHAyEY, CALVERT Co. MD.
To the Tobacco Growers of Sc.
Mary's County.


Mary's County.
AS Secretary TO the Tobacco Grow
ers' Association of Maryland, l wish
to ask you few questions which
bear upon our common vocation. |
am seeking information for myself
and my reighbors at home. as well
as my brothers in a common pursuit
in Maryland.
After keeping a careful account
OF your every expense in the growth
Of tobacco, do you find that the cost
Of its production is met by the net
pfaceeds whsch you received from
the sale OF the product during the
marketing season OF 19O4-19O5?
2 II such has been the case, will
you kindly give to your brothers in
in Maryland your system of con-
Quoting the business by which you
have attained this end
3 If your experience has been the
same as 80 per cent. of the men to
whom | have spoken, then such is
not the case. Can we as growers OF
tobacco continue the production of
this staple with any expectation
other than financial ruin for our
selves as well as our families?
4 Is it true that we have been
paying three dollars and sixty
cents from the sales OF each hogs
head OF our tobacco, viz 2:-commis-
sion, 81 so insurance, 10 cents out
age, 50?
Let US not deceive ourselves, nor
let us permit others to deceive US
by stating that this "outage"is paid
by the purchaser of our product.
1t is a well known business princi-
pie that the purchaser of any article
discounts the cost of the article
purchased in proportion to the ex-
penses incident to the purchase of
the article. 1t is a perfectly plain
proposition that the buyers OF Mary
land tobacco could pay the growers
of tobacco in Maryland seventy
thousand dollars more, we're the
outage not a charge against the
crop. 1t is not contended that it is
not a necessary charge as it is ex-
pended for our inspections.
Is it possible that as growers oil
tobacco, we have not in our ranks
the business ability to market our
staple crop and pay for it from these
charges against our gross receipts,
and also maintain an agency for
market purposes? ?
6 The growers of tobacco in the
dark tobacco district of Kentucky
and Tennessee not only grow their
staple but prepare and market their
crop. Why cannot Maryland do the
same2 The cotton growers of the
South are doing it +; the fruit grow
ers OF California are doing it the
truckers of the Eastern Shore are
doingit. Are we so poorly equipped
in business qualifications in our to-
bacco district OF Maryland that we
must rest from our labors at the
point OF production and preparation
for market and supinely turn the
result of all our labors over to be
sold at any price which may be of.
fered for it, without any reference
to the cost Of production
In any other business all pro
ducers fix the selling price for their
product somewhat after this manner
l Cost of raw material and it's con.
version into completed product 2
cost of transportation to market cen.
tre; 3, Interest on capital invested
4. Wear and tear on agencies requir.
ed for production 5, A profit that
will enable the producer to live in
q manner which should make for
freedom from harassing anxiety as
to the requirements for q livelihood.
8 Do you not realize that reliable
labor is well nigh impossible tc Sc
cure? You cannot pay such labor
from the result OF your efforts. 1t
therefore, seeks other fields. Until
you can pay the price it demands,
you can never have it again. You
are certainly in no position today to
attract such labor to your farms.
9 Are our young men clinging TO
the homesteads OF their fathers, or
are they fleeing from them like rats
from a burning building? If they
found the condition prevailing that
honest toll was bringing q commen-
surate remuneration, do you believe
that this would be the case?
10 Many of our young men are
fighting the battle still, with the
odds against them. Under present
conditions they cannot continue the
unequal contest. What then?
II Look the world over and read
the solution of the problem. Single
handed effort fails whenever it is
| arraved AGAINST combined effort