The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-07-05
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

: NOTE BOOK SKETCHES :
::..:.:*:.:.: |:
Probably never before has there been
so large proportion of tobacco crop
planted in a given time as has been
! transferred to the fields in this state
during the week past. The lateness of
| the season has given growers an impetus
to issue rush orders to complete their
work. All conditions, too, were favor
able to the transplanting. Plants were
| in abundance ready for the fields, the
soil contained ample moisture and the
| weather cool and comfortable for long
| hours of outdoor labor. While the crop
| is not entirely out by any means, the
! great bulk will be safely in the fields by
! the close of this week, and the thrifty,
| progressive growers even of large acre
age have finished Another week ought
| to see the be!ated ones also in line,
! though it is hardly probable that full
intended acreage will be planted. The
greatest fear the growers have is that by
| rushing the planting the harvest is like
| ly to be punched at time when extra
labor is hard to get.
-
Secretary Fisher of the Wisconsin To
bacco Growers and Dealers Association,
| is sending out circulars to township Sec
retaries asking for report on the con-
dition of the new tobacco crop July 10.
An effort will be made to get at the
acreage as compared with a year ago,
the progress of the planting and the
general condition of the crop on that
date. BY that time the transplanting
will be so near at an end that reliable
estimates ought to be secured. 1t is to
be hoped that the correspondents which
| cover practically the entire tobacco
growing sections of the state, will give
this matter prompt attention, so that the
first preliminary report will give very
| fair idea of how the crop is starting out.
Later reports will be asked for after the
harvest, which ought to keep the public
| informed as to the prospects of the year.
A summary of the statistic gathered
7ill be given by The Reporter as soon as
compiled.
! ***
The tobacco trust is to be the next
| ombination against which the govern
| ment will bring proceedings in the
| United States court for violations of the
| Sherman Antitrust law The opera
tions of this trust, and particularly its
selling methods through which it has
been alleged all competition has been
stuffed and driven out of business have
been under investigation for several
months by special agents of the Depart
| ment of Commerce and Labor and by j
| G. McReynolds, former assistant attor-
ney general. When the Department OF
Justice some months ago began an ac-
tive inquiry into trust methods of bust
ness following a special appropriation by
congress for that purpose, Mr.. Mickey
nolds. who has made speciality of that
! class of work, was prevailed upon to give
| come special counsel in trust cases. He
| was assigned to the tobacco trust In
ouiry and has devoted vast amount OF
time to study of the operating methods
of the American Tobacco Company, com
! monty known as the tobacco trust. The
papers in the case are about ready, and
all the the testimony has been carefully
gone over It is believed that the suit
will be brought within very short time
! in which the government expects to show
that the tobacco trust has been con
ducting it's business in violation of the
antitrust law and combining to prevent
that free competition which the law
they are charged with violating is sup
posed to guarantee. Although the pros
ecution will be inaugurated at once in
the United States circuit court in New
York city, it will be in the form of a
complaint, setting forth that the Ameri-
can Tobacco Company not only has
monopolized the wholesale tobacco trade
of this country, but it also has control ol
the retail business, and that it is resort.
| ing to unlawful and unscrupulous meth
DDS to drive competitors to the wall
The bill of complaint will ask the court
| to issue an order dissolving the trust.
*
The u. S. Tobacco Journal is making
a vigorous protest against the ruling ol
the internal revenue department requir-
ing government books to be kept in each
collection district, and it looks to US as
if the argument used was good one. Il
says: ga blunder has been committed
from lack of knowledge of the technical
requirements of the cigar leaf trade by
Commissioner Capers in insisting that
the obnoxious and illegal ruling OF
March 9th, concerning the keeping OF
books in packing houses must stand
without modification. AS his justifica-
ton he cites Section 26 of the Act OF
October l. 1890, which provides that
every such dealer of leaf tobacco
shall register with the collector of the
district his name. or style, place OF busl-
ness, trade or business and the place
| where such trade or business is to be
carried on That is plain enough. But
as there is no trade or business carried
on in the warehouses where the tobacco
is merely received in bundles and there