The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1908-06-19

account of the American Tobacco Co.
So it is not fight they want-it is their
money.
Enough of the new crop of tobacco
has already been set to indicate clearly
that, taking the country over, there is
decrease in the acreage devoted to cigar
leaf types. New England Homestead
has thoroughly canvassed the situation
in all important producing sections and
finds that the shrinkage is more pro-
nounced in the west than tits in New
England. Growers in important pro-
ducing counties of Wisconsin say that
curtailment there is close to 10 per cent.
In the leading tobacco producing dis
tricts of Ohio, embracing such counties
as Warren, Wayne, Montgomery and
Darke, reports show more or less reduc-
tion in acreage ranging from 5 to 15 per
cent. Dealers have maintained the past
fortnight or so that Lancaster county,
Pa, would devote as much land to to-
bacco this year as it did in OF. However,
reports from special correspondents re-
siding in the heart of producing districts
of that county are to the effect that
there is curtailment. Some say that
the shrinkage is light, not exceeding 5
per cent, while others report 10 to % per
cent. The holdings of '07 leaf by grow
ers have been pretty we'll reduced, owing
to steady purchasing during the last few
months. The market proved most in
active all last fall, and this dullness gen.
orally continued until we'll into the win
ter When buying once opened, how
ever, it started with rush, the Ameri-
can Tobacco Co., or "trust" proving an
aggressive purchaser. 1t has acquired
large proportion of the Wisconsin and
Pennsylvania crops. Some believe that
the action on. the part of the monopoly
is a shrewd move, and indicates belief IN
trade circles that there is no more cured
leaf in the country than will be needed
for consumptiVe requirements before a
new crop is on the market
~
It will be remem bered that the con-
tention Of the domestic tobacco trade in
resisting the passage of the Philippine
tariff bill was that there would be no in
creased importation of leaf with reduc-
tion OF duty, but that the United States
would become a dumping ground for
cigars made In the archipelago with
cheap Oriental labor. Notwithstanding
the fact that Philippine filters now pay
,1x,s = -, q
rate than is levied on any tobacco COM
ing into the United States from any 9th
er quarter no leaf was imported from
the Philippines during 1907, while no
less than S24, 200 worth of cigars came IN
through paying duty at the rate of
$3.3715 per pound and 1871 per cent al
valorem. There can be no doubt that
free trade with the Philippines would
mean that the manufacturers of Manila
would secure practically all the desira-
bic leaf and ship it to the United States
in the form of cigars. This tendency is
fully developed in the case Of Porto
Rican cigars ana leaf tobacco when free
trade between the islands and mainland
was established. The fallacy of the claim
that the Philippines have lost any part
of their market for tobacco as the result
OF the coSSlOn OF the lSlauuS 10 sn6
United States is graphically shown in
the figures for the calendar year of 1867, j
when the shipments of leaf to Spain ag-
gregated Il, ,2490l0 pounds out of total
of 23,589.657. Spanish sovereignty ab-
sorbed practically all the exports of
tobacco which did not go
to Spain. Notwithstanding the very
large increase in the consumption of ci-
gars in the Philippines since the Ameri-
can occupation, the exports continue to
grown. Y. Leaf.