The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-28
Trying to Grow
British Tobacco
Experiments Being Made in lis Cult
Nation in England Are 10 Last
Five Years.
Special Dispatch.)
London, Decenb Der 81.
OBACCO," wrote the Irish rhym-

GO oBACCO,' wrote the Irish rhym-
ster' lis an Indian weed" but how
ever that may have been II Is now
Doing acclimatized in the British Isles.
Already 1t IS grown IN Ireland and many
experiments are being made in it's cu!,iva-
ton in England.
Tho patch nearest London IS the eight
' acres grown by Mr. Trevor Williams at
byfIeet-about l.2to pounds an acre: but
The largest crop in the kingdom is grown
at Fleet. Hampshire. by Mr.. Brandon,
Chairman OF the New Tobacco Growers.
Society. Al Methwold. In Norfolk. Major
Whitmore has tobacco farm OF six acres,
growing cigarette tobacco--yellow Or.uoco
and Il !!ttlc Latak!a.
ne experiment being made by the To-
pacco Growers Society and the Develop
ment Commission is 10 last for five years.
by thc end OF that time II IL expected
mat the question whether tobacco can DO
crown 10 profit on "a very large scale in
Britain VIII be settled
IN the new Nineteenth Century Nc.
>; W; Eobertson-Scott in an article ON
/ English and Welsh Tobacco" alludes TO
me tact that Britain imports S2oooo 90
worm every year, and says there is no
doupt that tobacco can be grown In Eng
4dilu' IT Is not the question OF English
tobacco, he declares, for the tobacco OF
commerce Is nearly always a blend Tha
!rish cigarettes now on the market are A
piend OF liish ana foreign TOBACCO. The
pIopiein Is the problem OF growing to a
profit,
HOPE FOR AMERICAN TOBACCO.
what are declared 10 be autocratio
methods on the part OF the Imperial To-
"dcco company. which is believed TO con-
'roi eighty per cent Of the business In this
country nave fo5iered II discomfort in the
trade which makes conditions f,vorab,a
Tor American
statement made TO tho writer by Mr.
Henry Jerroid Nathan, a cigar and cigar
cite Importer
MI Nathan thinks that IL Mr.. John Sur
Drug VINO Is here In London considering
tho entrance OF the Tobacco Products
| Corporation of America into the English
1ield, were to lay before the independent
manufacturers a satisfactory plan of cam
paiSn the absorption of many Of the best
OF them would be an easy task 1t would
also be advantageous TO the latter, many
i"l whom are doing little more than paying
their way and some not even that. The
only danger Mr.. Nathan sees in such a
scheme Is that ultimately the two big COM
panies. American and English, might
amalgamate or enter into working agree
ment. He thinks legislation should inter-
vene to prevent this.
The trader Will welcome an oppositiop
| by a powerful combinations" said Mr..
athan, "as lie is dissatisfied at the
uiiS.!ahe return which he derives from
the sale OF the Imperial goods
WHOLESALERS and retailers obtain an
average OF 81 per cent gross profit OH tn.
Imperial Tobacco Company's proprietary
goods. This includes bonus of IL pcr
cent, which they are liable to lose il they
offend the company. If for some alleged
offence they are blacklsted their names
are circulated around the trade with n
threat that anybody supplying the Offend
ing trader is liable to have his supplies
stopped. Thus he is boycotted. and unless
he can succeed in secretly obtaining bts
supplies he must fall 10 the ground
METHODS or THE TRUST.
~ trader Will also have his bouus
stopped If he gives greater prominence in
his windows to an independent manufac-
turers goods. and the Imperial hoids'
nine months bonus in hand the loss to tho
trader OF one-third af his profit Is fac-
tor which at times has serious effect
upon him financially. The Imperial no
bacco Company has inspectors whose soIs
duty is TO wa I'll these windows and tI,,
trader Is punished on tho ex-partc STATE
ment OF of these inspectors. az ~
Imperial forms its own bench Of Judges
before whom the trader Is denied tho nrivi
lcge OF appearing to refute any statnmer.
shat may be made by these overzeaIo,,s
officials.
when Mr.. Duke came over from Amer
lea to capture the English tobacco traIc
In 1902, his first move was TO purcbas
oSoens lIFcrpool business, and through
his American methods the Ogden brand.
rapidly took the field This brought about
the amalgamation of the Ogden comnmn,,
and tho Imperial, and Mr.. Duke left ~.
land with ono and half millions 40 I9
share of the profit. The Imperial ,rohacn.'
Company then popnlarized the brands or
their leading branches and left the OgdeI,
brands to exist only on minor scale th,,s
proving that II is no hard task to famii'
iariae the English smoking public with now
brands