The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-06-02

NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

!.
There probably never was a time
since Wisconsin became a tobacco
growing state when there was better
opportunity to corner the visible sup
ply Of Wisconsin binders than the pres
ent. With the country districts swept
almost bare and local packers holdings
smaller than ever before known, a few
thousand nollars judiciously invested
might control about all the leaf outside
| the holdings of the big trust and larger
| manufacturers who purchase direct
| from the producers. Some big deals
noted in our market column this week
indicate that the suggestion is already
being acted upon. When less than ten
thousand cases of binder goods COM
prise all the holdings of local packers
of the state of the 1910 crop it is not
such difficult thing to accomplish
either Just what effect such busi-
ness coup might have on the manufac-
turing trade we shall not attempt to
predict, but If it unnecessarily raises
the price of binder leaf and drives more
of the trade into the use of tobacco OF
good to Wisconsin tobacco interests.
*A*
The return of cooler weather has
been very satisfying to the tobacco
growers as it has had tendency to re-
tard the growth Of the plant beds, per-
mitting the young plants to get a
r,%,.>
through hardening process, and in
the meantime the farmers were en-
abled to go forward with the prepara-
ton of the fields. The coverings of
the beds ought to be removed now and
the beds given all the airing possible
to prevent rotting in case of continued
rains, and if the plants are too forward
it might be necessary to thin the beds
in order to improve the quality of the
plants until transplanting can be ac-
complished It is so rare that the
plant beds are ahead of the prepara
tion Of the fields that these suggestions
appear timely the present season.
~
The United States Supreme court on
Monday declared the American Tobac-
co company, commonly called the to-
sbacco trust, is an unlawful combination
in restraint of trade and an attempt to
monopolize the manufacture and sale of
tobacco. Applying the rule of rea-
son. laid down in the decision of the
Standard Oil case two weeks ago, the
court stamped the tobacco trust as a
gross example of offense against the
Sherman antitrust law and ordered it's
dissolution within the next SIX months.
The lower court is given broad powers
of enforcing this dissolution. The COM
bination is enjoined from extending its
operations in any way. The lower
court is empowered to extend the SIX
months period to eight months if it is
found impossible to readjust the con-
cern's S affairs to the decree in that time.
But the court is to enforce the dissolu-
tion within the ultimate limit by en-
joining the transportation Of tobacco
or by taking the extraordinary course
of appointing a receiver for the trust.
One of the most sensational results
of the decision is the fact that it opens
| the way to a criminal prosecution OF
men who conceived and carried out the
vast plan to gain absolute control of
| the tobacco business, not only In this
country but abroad There are twenty
nine of these defendants against whom
| the lower court dismissed the proceed
ings. The Supreme court holds they
were as much parties to the combine as
the American Tobacco company and
orders them reincluded in the proceed
ings. Inasmuch as the court holds the
combination is conspiracy OF colossal
| greed, the way is opened for the gov
| ernment now to move for the criminal
| indictment of the tobacco trust officials
and seek their conviction and punish
ment under the clause of the Sherman
act providing penitentiary terms for
| offenders
! In the cigar leaf territory embracing
part of the states Of Connecticut, Mas
sachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania
| and Wisconsin the tobacco crop has
made an uneven start. In none Of
| these states are conditions as favorable
and the crop as we'll advanced as DUR
| ing a normal year. New England
| weather was cold until late in the
spring, and until last week no rain had
/ fallen for several weeks. Seed beds
| had been started under these adverse
conditions, and beds which We're not
well watered or well taken care of had
to be planted over again in many in
| stances. However, there is no fear OF
scarcity OF tobacco plants. 1t would
take very severe weather conditions to
cause dearth of plants in the Connec-
ticut valley, or any Of the other cigar
leaf districts, since growers are IN the
habit of producing more young plants
than they set. Until late last week
beds could not be said to be in a good
condition, but since the rain tobacco,
beds, like other vegetation, have been
given a new lease Of life, and although
growth is irregular in some beds, very
good plants will be secured. In New
York acreage devoted to cigar leaf will
be reduced slightly, according to re,
ports received by the New England
Homestead. and PENNSYLVANIA acreage