The bee., 1906-06-07
TOBACCO
GROWERS NOT ALL
Other People and Countries Have
Their Troubles.
PROSPECT NEXT CONGRESS
WILL WORK ON WATERWAYS.

Washington, June 4.-(Spec-
ial. while Kentucky tobacco
growers are having their own
troubles with the tobacco trust,
figures just furnished to the De,
partment of State show the
revenues of tobacco trusts and
government monopolies in other
countries. In Australia there is
a tobacco trust which last year
had a revenue of $7,000,000,
with a population of 1000, 900.
There are now SIX factories as
against nine before the com bine,
but the operatives have increased
II per cent, with an increase of
wages. The revenue per pound
is ga cents, the revenue per
capita $1.694, and the average
wages per hour 1874 cents. In
France, Austria and Italy, to-
bacco is a government monopoly,
and, though it may seem strange,
the people fare worse under this
system than in Australia under
the trust. The revenue per pound
in France is IS cents, In Italy 90
cents, and in Austria 80 cents,
while the average wage per hour
as compared with Australians
1874 cents Is only 4 cents in
France, fraction over 3 cents
in Austria, and 3 cents in Italy.
From these figures it would seem
that those countries having a
government monopoly, have their
tobacco troubles, as we'll as Ken
lucky.
Now that Congress is in its
last weeks, the regular scanning
of the field for the large issues of
the next session is going on.
Having dealt with one means of
transportation this year-that is,
the Railroads.&c. seems certain
that next year Will see demand
for legislation corning
another means, that is, navigable
streams all over the country.
There is a growing feeling that
the government should take an
important and active part in de-
veloping the waterways of the
country, and the enthusiasm
with which the efforts of the
National Rivers and Harbors
Congress to this end have met
indicate that this feeling will
bear fruit. Such improvements
as this Congress is working for
would be of great value to Ken
lucky in developing the river
commerce of not only the Ohio
and Mississippi, but also of
tributary streams within the
State. There seems to be a gen.
eral recognition of the fact that
broad policy on the part of the
rational government in dealing
with this subject will do more
than anything else to insure COM
mercial growth and prosperity,
and for this reason there can be
little doubt that it will occupy
prominent position in the bust
ness of the next Congress, which,
like its predecessor, will thus
deal with the question of trans
portation, butin a constructive
method.
While the rate bill has lost the
center of the Congressional stage,
it has by no means been retired
into the wings. There is con-
siderable interest manifested in
Just what changes the conference
committee of the Senate and
House will make in the measure,
but it is not believed that these
changes will affect it vitality.
The exposures made at Kansas
City, Philadelphia and in other
places of gross violations of the
rebate laws prove that the real
virtue of the new law lies in the
added strength it gives to the
provisions prohibiting t ii csc
transportation abuses. AS the
Senate has Incorporated in the
Hepburn bill the most stringent
anti-rebate provisions, making
liable to fine and imprisonment
both the shipper accepting or
soliciting such a rebate and the
carrier granting it, the end of
transportation abuses has come,
provided the law is strictly en-
forced. With a logical rate max
ing power vested in the Com
mission together With provision
for a comprehensive court re-
view, there remains nothing in
the bill for the conferees to fall
out over, except few minor
Continued on Page A.