The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-29
AS Manufacturing Point
Richmond Leads All
Cities In Virginia.
INDEPENDENTS"
I'm EVIDENCE.
AS Much Tobacco Manufactured
BY Trust Fighters AS Ever
Before in History---To O. 81 VI
bacco Manufacturing sls
Has Undergone
Many Changes. &

Perhaps there is no business transacted
In Virginia that has Undergone as much
change or rs many changes within the
past two decades as that Of tobacco
manufacturing. 8i3H
The time was when tobacco ntanufac-s
turing was an industry that was peculiar
to Virginia. A. few factories existed I'M
border counties In North Carolina and i
perhaps In Tennessee in ante-belum days,
i but at least ninety per cent. OF the to-S
bacco that was made into plug and twlst&
and that was granulated into smoking to-&
bacco was manipulated In Virginia? PEE
tersburg, Danvillc, Lynchhurg, Farmvlle.s
sClnrksvle and BOydton were tobacco
manufacturing towns before the war, q nd
there were many factories In the country
districts, notably in Halifax, Pittsylvania.s
Franklin, Patrick and Henry counties.
In the last named county, especially, were \
some Of the most noted country factores--
factories that established brands which
have become famous throughout the
length and breadth OF the country The
Gravelys, the Spencers, the Dyers, thea
Testers and the Stultzs established their
regulations as manufacturers and q the 4
regulations for their famous brands cot
chewing tobacco bearing their namessins
Henry county. In Franklin county tho
Browns were famous tobacco manufac-#
$turers, and up in Patrick, Just on the
border Of Henry county, the Penns, sons /
of Jefferson Penn, became famous as
plug makers. 38$ gisf
The country factory has about passed
out of existence, and tho sons Of these.
famous old-time tobacco makers have
moved their plants to the towns and cities
The Spencers have gone to Martinsville,t
some Of the G ravelys to the same town.
Z and Others to IOanvllle, the Penns q Dan
willie and to Reidsyllle, over u N ortlS
Carolina, he q LISTERS totN1artinsvilie,3
Browns have N run oilt, ana Y all o tli9S
Hall fax fac tories have entered ,inS South
3Roston The trust has sWall wed III inv
sFarlnyillc, Boyd ION and Clarlssvi le.fantl
the song of The factory hands 81 are no
longer heard in hose town
Richmond the Lead er.
u Yes, Virginia has always been pr e-enil Y
nent In the manufacture OF tobacco M and
from time ,nmemorlal Richmond has led
all the other towns in the matter of OUT
put The cities and towns mentioned
above, as we'll as the country factories
referred to. have In old times put out "a
great deal Of tobacco, and the cities and
towns do yet, but Richmond has always
led leads now, and probably always WILL
In old times tobacco was manufactured
almost entirely by hand. no machinery
being used except In the prize room. and
there the machinery was very primitive
and was operated entirely by hand and
arm power. Nowadays nearly all the
work in tobacco factory Is done by
machinery and steam power. or COURSE,
there Is much hand work, and 1t requires
large number OF skilled workmon and
workwomen to manage the machinery
and the steam, but modern improvements
have knocked out the old-tlme tobacco
workers--the rollers, the twisters. the
granulators, the cappers, the bench work.
ers. and even the stemmers. for they
have machines now that will stem to-
bacco-not entirely perfected yet, but
they do very good work. ~
Been Revolutionized.
No business In the country has been
more thoroughly revolutionized than that
OF tobacco manufacturing In old tines
Il man with Il few hundred dollars and q
little credit at bank could start UP a
factory Mt any old cross-road and go
into active business with n certa lnty Of
profits Now 1t requires a tremendous
capital to start up a. tobacco factory, and
tho trade condi tons are such that fac
tory In the country stands not 4 ghost
OF u chance against one In city or ~
town. Hence all kinds OF tobacco manu-
featuring have come to town. II there,
is q country factory. off from the rail-
road anywhere In Virginia, the writer
does not know where It Is. The practical
closing of the old b. i. Gravey factory
at Leatherwood. in Henry county and IT'S
removal to Martinsvile. closed the history
OF Off railway factories in Virginia. Such
of tho country factories as have not died
of dry rot or have not fallen into the
hands of the trust. have moved 10 town8
TO take nll necessary advantages OF mod
ern improvements In machinery. changed
labor conditions. changed shipping condi-%
lions. better banking facilities, etc. Thas
country tobacco factory Is no more IN
virginia. It's record is now part Of
comparatively ancient history.
Newspaper and magazine readers have +
heard a great deal in recent years OF
the encroachments of the American fo-#
hacco Company wonderful comhlna-g
ton OF capital, that Is popularity known y
as the tobacco trust There is a ponll- "
lar hue and cry against the trust, and tja
is alleged that 1t has CIT off competition
PLAYED the Wild with free trade, smothereI
competltion, oppressed the tobacco grower i
and all that sort of thing. The trust
NAV have done all OF these bad things,
and il may DO wonderfully wicked
and oppressive concern, but the f,Hnres
do not show that It has knockeh the In
dependent concerns OF Richmond out Of
the ring Figures are not at hand to show
lust what the trust has done or has not i
done In other localities, but a few fgures
that have been gathered by Times
dispatch representative show that the
independent tobacco manufacturers OF
Richmond are very much In evidence. AMI
have not been ram into g hole by thu
trust. ssH
The Independents.
II is true that the trust has absorbed
some OF Rlchmond's big CONGRATULATIONS \
is the pity-but II is also trae that there
are some esta blishments that declined to
be absorbed. preferring to take theifs