The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-02-06
TO HIT TOBACCO
CONSUMERS SOON
PRICE OF LEAF TOBACCO SAID TO
BE ADVANCING BUT sMoK-
ERS HAVE NOT BEEN
HURT YET.

One product Of the soil on which the
price has been appreciably increased
OF late without the consumer being
visibly affected, is tobacco. Though the
manufacturers of cigars, smoking to-
bacco and chewing tobacco are being
called upon to pay constantly increas-
ing prices for the leaf, the increases
have not yet reached the jobber, the
retailer or the consumer, but further
advances in the prices of the raw
material are likely to affect the mar
ket generally.
One may still buy his cigar or favor
lite brand of smoking tobacco at the
same price as he paid year ago. but
i'm the case of smoking tobacco the size
of the package has been slightly cut
down, i'm many instances. Formerly, the
retailers bought smoking tobacco at so
much per pound; now it is sold at so
much per gross or package. No weight
Is given on the packages. and though
they appear the same size as before, as
Il matter of fact, fourteen ounces of to-
bacco are now made to fiji the same
number of packages as did sixteen
ounces formerly. Retailers are begin
ming to fear that If the price contln-
ues to advance. that either the quail
ty of standard brands of cigars and to-
bacco will be impaired, or prices to the
consumer will have to advance.
There has been a marked scarcity
of clear Havana leaf for the past six
months and that, together with the
strike of cigar makers who closed fac
tories at Tampa, has greatly reduced
the available supply of straight Hav-
ana cigars on the market" said cigar
dealer yesterday. 1.-The strike has been
called off i'm Tampa, but many Of the
cigar makers have left there and have
located elsewhere so that the volume of
manufacturing will not be normal for
some time. Many people believe that
Tampa cigars are better than any
others for the money. and while be-
lieve very good straight Havana cigars
are made elsewhere, there is something
in the theory. Labor is cheaper In
Tampa and conditions are better there
for the manufacture of cigars from
! Havana leaf.
I'm consequence Of the strike and the
scarcity Of Havana leaf. n large num-
Der of straight Havana brands have
left the market and smokers have
been compelled to turn TO new brands
for straight Havana. on account OF
the difficulty experienced in securing
stock, some manufacturers of cigars
have changed their brands from
straight Havana to broad-leaf and tho
broad-leaf cigar is constantly gaining
in favor. Domestic brands will always
be popular, but the devotees of domes-
tic cigars on the one hand and Havana
and broad leaf cigars on the other are
so widely separated that what may af-
feet one wouldn't affect the other.
Il don't believe that the advances in
the tobacco market will affect the con-
sumner If no greater advances are
made. Manufacturers cannot afford tC
impair the quality of their goods, foi
discriminating smokers would soor
discover the fact The manufacturers
would rather reduce their margin OF
profit. If advances are made to the re-
taller, they will be in the shape of in
creases of 10-cent cigars to 10 cents
The price of some brands of chewing
the retailer.