The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-07

1t HiolIl'nt or weakness or Kindness
generosity. | hardly know which. !
opened this column last week to a cor
respondent who under the signature
Of Dark Tobacco Grower set forth
the complain; which. Ia his opinion. tn.
DARK tobacco growers had to make
In justlc" 10 the other side and there
arc always Two Sides TO a question /
am giving a good deal OF space this
week to a reply 10 this fellows spell
II comes to me under q Lynchblr1,
date line. ana is signed Tobacco Ware
houscman." and IS addressed to the In
dustrial Editor.
THE OTHER FELLOW CRITICIZED
AND WELL HANDLED
Here II it:
Permit me. please. through your col
umrs to comment somewhat on an az
ticlc on prices OF tobacco appca ring I'm
your paper OF May 81. and how :. few
figures, with no explanation, may on
tircly controvert facts as they rrail,
arc.
This article appeared In the Lynch
burg News OF last Wednesday by The
Same writer. but am very glad To note
mat nc has somewhat modified the
Same 10 the extent OF admitting tina,
leaf tot accos have sold little better
this season than heretofore. hone
that In his next article. IL he writes
one, he VIII frankly admit what every
tobacco man in the dark tobacco dis
tTlct Knows is a fact, that the leaf
tobIccos sold higher this season than
they lave FOR a good long time. ana
since II" is also warchouaeman.
ask fim II his books VIII not shom II,
H. makes the assertion that the order
for Italian tobacco placed with tho Or
ga li1at!on is responsible for prices
being ns good az they have been MS
season. VIII he ploasc give us some
Information along this line? We are
no; "warc OF any tobacco bcin., dc
li'crcd direct TO the organization Ly
th- farmers. with tho exception OF
Few thousand pounds. which could not
have had any effect upon the general
market Can he state tina; this order
for italian tobacco has been filled by
direct delivery 10 tho organization?
There has been none delivered from
the Lynchburg territory. the larEes, In
inc state. and I.ynchburg prices have
been as high as any in the state
SOME FIGURES THAT
SEEM TO TALK OUT
10 take the general average. which
nus year would have been right much
hiFher had not there been such 81 large
per cent OF very inferior Tugs. hail
oeatcn tobacco and worm eaten tobacco
I'm the crop. on the noor OF s7.75 and
make the people believe that this is
me price OF the Austrian tobacco to
the iarin"r when the government paws
go Tor tt is very erroneous The gen
efai average from the warehouse floor
!HciuGes pri;ninEs. many of them sell
ing as low as 81 per hundred. Tugs
damaged tobacco. short leaf: In fact
everything sold on the floor Then To
!caNe the impression on the iarrn.r's
mind that this general average is the
price ne is getting for his leaf tobacco
is absurd and very erroneous, when as
"A matter of fact these grades have hacn
bringing this year from 50 TO SIS. aver
aging Tor y and Il grades over SlO.T5.
Now. when YOU take this average of
500 on the floor and add to this the
ioss III weight. ranging from 10 to -
per cent. and add to this the handling
charges. which you cannot climina,.
freight. Insurance and interest on the
money Invested, you Will see that there
is not such II wide margin between the
price which the farmer gets ana the
pr!c" "hich the government allows, as
inns article would have Ii apDcar
How much cheaper can Mir Good
Farmer handle this tobacco? He does
not ask for any increase in price from,
inc government. the only possible saw
ing he could effect would be the diff
ference In The handling. What does he
estimate he can handle this tobacco
for? Take into consideration the loss
IN weight. the handling charges, this
cannot be eliminated. as this is air
dried tobacco; the insurance, freight.
inspection. interest on the money in.
vested, his salaricd officials, then as
he does not ask for any increase in
price show what the farmer would
realize from Il sale TO the government
Mt $40. lie must make this calculation
or he could not intelligently say that
Sl5 looks good to me-" Our farmers
nave tasted pooling" tobacco once,
and. before they would go Into Il again.
] think they would have to be shown
good the final result.
SEARCHING QUESTIONS THAT
ARE SERIOUSLY ASKED
When in Vienna who did he pro-
pose TO the government would handle
this tobacco for him? Is he not prac-
ideally working to an end that win
comb the Italian and Austrian order
INTO ;hc same hands rs we had several
years ago? Our farmers are opposed
10 this, they want this business on n
competing basis, not only between the
Italian and the Austrian governments
but they want the benefit of the COM
petition. which the Imperial Tobacco
Company and other independent deal
erS give on these grades The farmers
nave lived under the regime when the
iwo orders were in the same hands
they have also had some experience
with them separate and competing
with each other. they prefer them
SEPARATE
To "CiooG Farmer" so-caled. Il
"ouin say; Come out In the open and
Srt business. do not use the already
Gbu3ed farmer as cloak TO further
ends. which In the last analysis will
york to his disadvantage: YOU have 20:
70 per cent of the tobacco to care for
Otherwise. YOU are figuring on barely
10 per cent, give the other grades some
consideration, let not the hand that
you would fondly caress rise up in its
might and sfnito you.
Az general proposition arc the
farmers themselves fnrthpripp ic
move. or is it In the interest of a few
politicians and their friends? Our farm
crs rarely ever talk about the organ
ization, this agitation does not seem
to eminatc from them as general
proposition.
Why do you not bend your efforts to
induce the Italian and Austrian gov
ernments to give their buyers n better
limit. go that there would result some
benefit 10 the planter? Your efforts
seem TO be directed towards the meth
cd OF handling. Now we deem IL facts
pertinent to tho farmer for YOU TO
show wherein YOU will he able to save
him anything In tho handling. Have