Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-07-20
DEARER HAVANA CIGARS
PRICES LIKELY TO ADVANCE BE
FORE LONG.
Supply Tobacco Now Short, Says {
Cuban NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Will
Be Extra Good.

That the smoking public will have to
pay more for imported cigars within the
next three months is the opinion of one
of the best known cigar manufacturers
in Cuba, who is paying a visit to New
York, but he adds that the cigars will be
of exceptionally good quality.
In the last year or 500 said the
manufactures, I'VE have been working at
clear loss of So ON the 1000 cigars
that is, a loss of fully 10 per cent. The
cause of this is the high price of leaf
tobacco.
Taking everything into consideration
our tobacco costs us just three times as
much is it did before the Spanish war.
The 1906 crop was a failure, and there
is not older tobacco in the island. Conse-
quently the warehouses are cleaned up
absolutely and in the factories stocks are
exceedingly low.
1T is true that the 1907 crop is large,
but it will not be ready to work for
some time to come. This crop is of pc
culiar character.
''At the beginning Of the year it
looked as if it would be destroyed by
drought. Rain, however. came in the
nick of time and saved it, but the leaf
as result of lack of moisture in the
earlier stages of its growth is thick and
heavy and will take a long time to cure
Much of it, indeed, will not be ready
for the manufacturer until well on iIr
next year. In the meantime tobacco will
be exceedingly scarce and prices Will
probably rise higher than ever.
Again, the cigars made from this to-
bacco will naturally be heavier than
those sold now. and as greater part of
the duty on cigars is assessed by weight
there will be an increase in the cost of
the cigars landed in this country, and
part at least of this will have to be
borne by the manufacturer.-~I~es estimate
that the increase in weight will be at
least 10 per cent, and you can figure
what that would mean at $3.50 pound.
THAT the manufacturer losing money
at the rate of 10 per cent, as he is,
should endure this additional burden
without an attempt TO recoup himself is
hardly to be expected. The matter has
been informally discussed by the manu-
facturers several times and the unani-
nous opinion has been that cigar prices
must go up.
Il think the advance will be about 10
per cent, with which we should do little
more than break even. As regards the
effect on retail prices, they will have to
be raised too. | do not think that there
viii be any change in the 10 cents, %
cents. so cents or 81 straight cigars, but
the dealer will have to charge more for Tor
those sizes now selling at two for 70
cents, three for 80 cents, and three for
81 and the like.
However, / can give much consolation.
the consumer will get value for his
money. For the thick, heavy tobacco
will make cigars of, exceptional richness
and aroma, and it is my opinion that the
cigars put on the market in 1908 will be
the best since 1881, the banner year
Concerning the domestic made Ha-
vana cigar, l am hardly in position to
speak. but / should think that the do
nestle manufacturers will also be COM
PEELED to raise their prices sooner or
later, for they declare that with present
prices of tobacco they are losing money.
and there is every indication that they
will soon have TO pay even more for
their raw MATERIAL