The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1912-11-01
NOTE sOoK SKETCHES :
:,

representative Stanton WarDurton,
OF Washington, proposes to increase the
internal revenue taxes on tobacco to
build national highways. At the last
session he introduced bill increasing
the taxes on tobacco to very high
point, but it received no serious atten-
tion from the Ways and Means COM
mittee. Mr. Warburton now conceives
the idea of basing the tax on the prop
osltlon to use the revenue for good
roads building, and thereby capture the
votes of the good roads enthusiasts, of
which there are not few in congress.
Briefly, Mr.. Warburton proposes that
from the increased tax on tobacco the
government shall build great trunk
lines to connect the capital of each
state with the national capital. The
roadways are to be of asphalt or brick.
He proposes to raise the funds for their
construction by restoring the internal
revenue tax on tobacco which was TAX
n.off in 1879. The highways, he es-
Inmates, would cost about $500 a
mile, and the tax would bring in a fund
Of $50, 900, 600 annually. With this an
nual contribution to the work the Is, 600
miles of road comprehended by the plan
could be completed, so far as cost is
concerned, within five years. Mr.. War
burton announces that at the session in
December he will introduce a bill for
the construction of these paved road
ways, 16 feet wide.
*&*
Fear of government interference with
the organization of trusts has appar-
emily not deferred the organization of
another million dollar corporation to be
known as the Tobacco Products Corpo-
ration which has recently been incorpo-
rated at Richmond, Va, and capitaliz-
ed at $50, 900, 900, divided as follows:
$50, 0O0,00 to be Z per cent preferred
and $50, 900, 600 common, the par value
to be 500 share. So far the Surburg
and Melachrino companies of New York
are the only firms acquired, both being
manufacturers of cigarettes. The
former company, according to letter
sent to it's stockholders by President
J. W. Surburg was in financial distress,
but the price paid for it has not been
given out. To acquire the brands Of
the NJ Melachrino Company new
S3, 500 600 corporation was formed, all
of the stock of which is owned by the
new corporation. Only $4,000, 600 of
the preferred stock and $4,000, 900 of
the common have been issued. For
this par was paid for the preferred,
and considerably less than par for the
common. The principal offices will be
in Richmond, Va, though the leading
men behind the project, including Hen
ry C.. Frick and Daniel G. Reid, are
New Workers.
The, cigar leaf crop of tobacco in the
United States for 1912 is about 583, 600
cases of $50 pounds each, according to
the reports of correspondents in New
England Homestead living in the pro-
ducing states of Connecticut, Massach-
usetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin, Texas, Georgia and Florida.
Taking the crop as a whole, it is good
one and should net growers much more
than crops of late years. In the United
States the yield and acreage fell off
slightly this year, decreases being re-
ported in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wis
consin. A gain was made in other
states, but not great enough to over
come the reduced output of Ohio. The
acreage was slightly increased In New
England this year on sun-grown, but
shaded tobacco occupied only about
1000 acres. Early in the year the
shade growers were talking $500 acres.
The average yield per acre is about
1900 pounds and the crop was harvested
and put in the sheds without damage
from frost. Better than 80 per cent OF
the crop is sold. For crops cut in the
ordinary way Is to FL cents per pound
was paid, although in some instances
prices were as high as % cents. Prime
tobacco averaged a to 10 cents per
pound more than the cut tobacco. Hail
damaged crops sold around 10 cents, a
figure paid in recent years for sound
tobacco The growing of cigar leaf to-
baceo is confined to a comparatively
small area in eight states. Much more
care is required in growing this type
of tobacco than in the production of
heavy leaf, and this is one of the prime
reasons for the area being limited. An
other reason is because of markets.
The industry is well established in each
state, and because of the expense of
growing and the necessity of certain
kinds Of soil it is not likely to broaden
out. The third largest acreage is found
in Pennsylvania, about AZ, 900 acres.
Wisconsin is another large binder and
filler producing state, growing annually
close to 40, 600 acres. Massachusetts is
credited with about 5, 500 acres. Much
damage was worked to portions of the
Wisconsin crop this year by hail, al
though taking the state as whole,
loss from hail is not great. 1t is es-
timated that the damage worked to the
crop will approximate $3.50, 900. Wis
consin tobacco is very uneven. One
correspondent in writing of the crop
says: ''There is small tobacco in al
most every field. Purchasers are pay
ing different prices for tobacco on the
same field. The best crops bring II to
131 cents, while the poor ones sell at
about cents, hail-cut at greatly re-
duced prices. The acreage was cut
considerably this year, and that, COM
bined with the light yield, has made the
output from Wisconsin about 137, 600