The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-01-15
NOTHING IN It
TO THE RA|SERS
Growing Tobacco at &C
a Pound,
THE PRICE THE TRUST Fixes
Careful Estimate of Years
Hard Work and Apt
Comparison.
ORGANIZATION Is NECESSARY

The buyers for the big tobacco
companies are quoted as saying
that six cents a pound average is
as much as they can afford to pay
for the 1912 crop.
Let us see what that means.
One man can grow four acres of
tobacco.
The average yield is approximate
ly eight hundred pounds an acre a
season like last one.
The farmer produces about 5000
pounds on those four acres, half of
which must be deducted for the use
of the land, barn room, team, tools
and incidentals.
The man who grows tobacco on
his own land must figure the deduc-
ton just the sams as the renter, so
the estimate is applicable to all.
At six cents a pound a one-man
crop brings s192.
Half of that sum is 500.
So you see, the man who cult
Yates four acres and sells it at six
cents a pound gets less than hun
dred dollars for his years work.
He may raise a little corn and
some vegetables, but he depends
mainly upon his tobacco crop for a
living.
Some of the growers manage to
produce five or six acres by putting
their children or their wives in TIE
field during the rush days, which
are usually the hottest days of the
year,
But the original figures are fairly
accurate. and We will stick to them
until somebody who can prove that
he knows more about it than we do
comes along and disproves them.
The officials and principal stock
holders of the tobacco companies
that operate in the market pay
more than $50 to each of their soul
lery maids in a whole lot less than
year.
And yet we are assured that six
cents a pound is enough for The
crop the Stemming District Associ1-
ton is trying to sell.
The japanese coolies who work
in the cane fields of our Island pos
sessions are paid dollar a day
practically all the year.
In the Southwest, Mexican greas-
ers among the most tritiing laborers
on the con iEe1t, get dollar fnl
half for rough work wh'ra rccairts
no skill.
And yet mpanies-independe
of course!-tell us that 500 is
enough for sweating over a crop of
tobacco.
Yes, they are quite sure that they
cannot make any profits themselves
and pay eight or ten cents.
But the futility of begging the
companies to pay fair price is OBJ
vious to all.
About the only way for the tobac-
co farmers to get fair return for
their labor is to show firmness and
patience.
IL the buyers-probably we
should say the concerns. for the
buyers are only agents acting un-
der orders-refuse to pay enough to
justify the peop in growing to-
bacco. the only thing to do is for
the farmers to stand together in
their organization and refuse to
grow another plant until they are
guaranteed a fair price.
They can do it. for they are be-
coming as conscious OF their power
Of resistance as the coal miners or
the railway engineers.
Organization. stronger perhaps
than what we now have. would be
necessary. an dit would have to
cover territory much vaster than
that included In two or three dis
iricts the size of the Stemming Dis
-rict, but the thing can be done.
Think over these suggestions dur
ng your quiet hours at the Preside.
We would also ask the tobacco
companies to think them over. but
'robahlv they have already thought
hem over and come to the, conclu-
lion that the tobacco growers are
ct OF easy marks. who never will