The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-08-07
CIGARS GOING UP.
Public Will Have to Pay More For
Havanas.

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 man.
ufacturers in Cuba. who is paying a
visit to New York, but he adds that
the cigars will be Of exceptionally
good quality.
I'm the last year or So" said the
manufacturer, I'VE have been work
Ing at a clear loss Of IS on the 1000
cigars-that is. loss of fully 10
per cent. The cause of this is the
high price of leaf tobacco.
Taking everything into consider
alton. our tobacco costs us just three
times as much as It did before the
Spanish war. The 1906 crop was a
failure. and there IL no older tobacco
left In the island. Consequently the
warehouses are cleaned up absolute
ly and In the factories stocks are ex-
ceedingly low.
ut is true the 1907 crop is large,
but II will not be ready to work for
some time to come. This crop is of
a peculiar character.
"At the beginning of the year 1t
looked as IL It would be destroyed by
drought. Rain, however, came in the
nick of time and saved 1t, but the
leaf as a 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 1t, indeed, will not be
ready for the manufacturer until
well on in next year. In the mean
time tobacco will be exceedingly
scarce. and prices will probably rise
higher than ever.
again. the cigars made from this
tobacco will naturally be heavier
than those sold now, and as a greater
part of the duty on cigars is as
sessed by weight there will be an in
crease in the cost of the cigars
landed in this country. and part at
least of this will have to be borne
by the manufacturer. estimate
that the increase in weight will be at
least Is per cent. and you can figure
what that would mean at $500 a
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 manufacturers several times
and the unanimous opinion has been
that cigar prices must go up.
II think the advance will be about
10 per cent, with which we should do
little more than break even. AS re-
CARDS the effect on retail prices. they
will have to be raised too. | do not
think that there will be any change
in the Is cents. 25 cents, so cents
or 81 straight cigars. but the dealer
will have to charge more for those
sizes now selling at two for %
cents, three for so cents, three for a
dollar and the like.
However, i can give this much
consolation, the consumer will get
value for his money. For the thick
heavy tobacco will make cigars of
exceptional richness and aroma, and
1t 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
Havana cigar, i am hardly in a po-
sition to speak, but should think
that the domestic manufacturers
will also be compelled to raise their
prices sooner or later, for they de-
clare that with present prizes of to-
bacco they are losing money, and
there is every indication that they
will soon have to pay even more for
their raw material"