The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-12-20
TOBACCO :.
MONOPOLY CROWS
Governor Controls Industry
and Nets Great Sum
From its Operations.

asF sFAf16 Nect -90.-Th6 governments
tobacco monopoly brought a net In
come to the state last year OF $685.
0o0,o 900. or the largest return since
years ago. This vast profit was made
out Of a capital of about $30,000,000,
or about one-third the capitalization
Of the lately dissolved American To-
bacc0 company.
Visitors to France are inclined to
criticize the quality of tobacco sup
piled them, principally because they
brands such as are on sale at home.
but as Frenchmen have no knowledge
of tobacco in any form, except such
as is supplied them by the govern
ment, they are quite content with the
qualities of tobacco. although they
may grumble at the prices Much OF
the tobacco smoked in trance is
government keeps a sharp eye on all
raisers of the leaf. and the whole OF
the crop must be sold to the state at
a fair appraisement.
Twenty Great Factories.
Twenty great factories work up the
whole of the tobacco manufactured
in France, and the right to retail is
tealously guarded by the state. Per-
mits to open tobacco shops are usual
ly granted to widows of officers Of the
army and navy, or of other employees
of the government The widows usual
ly lease their permits to other persons
in consideration of fixed annual pay
ments The price Of cigar of a given
quality is the same all over France,
and the same If one cigar or 4 thou.
sand are purchased. The hotels and
restaurants buy their cigars at the
same price as they are sold to the
public, but they add from so to 100
per cent as their own profit. There
are 47,25O authorized tobacco plant
ers in France, who grow about 40.-
100000 pounds of tobacco on $4,000
acres. The monopoly, besides buying
all the tobacco grown in France. pur.
chases 55,000,000 pounds of foreign
grown tobacco. most of it being Amer.
lean leaf
May Fly Across Sahara.
A French aerial squadron viii
Sahara desert, and the National Aeria
league has published the following
itinery:
The airmen will start from Orar
and follow the railway lines as fal
as Figuig: afterwards they will cross
the line of GASES as far as Aoulef. Be-
Of fight will lie across desert waste
completely lacking in landmarks fol
the squadron's guidance. Genera
Raillbud believes the flight to be III
exceedingly dangerous one. and has
suggested sending a caravan to erec,
stone pyramids at various points fol
the guidance of the airmen.
Alfonso Cigarette F1crd.
King Alfonso Of Spain. dur:ns his
recent visit to Paris. amazed the
French officials who attended hin,
during the hunt mt Ramboul!et by the
number OF cigarettes he smoked.
He appeared to use Il fresh box OF
twenty every hour, and yet he did not
give the least indication of the effects
Of excessive smoking. Alfonso is
known to be the greatest cigarette
smoker among all crowned heads. His
mother almoat always has cigarette
between her lips. except when asleep
and she lays down the principle that
smoking ia a great aid to thought
Among other royal women smokers
and the reirnine Russian empress.
Send Children to France.
ACCORDING to information received
here from England the king of S'pain
has decided. in due time. to send his
son ard heir to Etc. to receive the
groundwork of his education. That
this news will ba denied goes without
saving, but the Engl'sh source is con-
fident Of its correctness.
The king WAS doubtless Influenced
os much nv the he"lthv life the boys
lead at Eton and the encours cement
Of snort there. as he was by the
schooling his son will receive. His
decision will. nevertheless. meet with
lot Of opposition in Spain. where
the srandees already think there is
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