The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1915-12-24
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


The annual report of the Commits
sioner of Internal Revenue contains a
fund of information of interest to the
tobacco trade. AS was expected the
statistics show a marked falling off in
the production of cigars, amounting
very close to 400 millions over 1913.
How much of this decline is due to the
depression of business in general is a
matter of much speculation. The con-
sumption of large cigars has always
been more or less affected by the cusi-
ness conditions of the country. When
the wage learners are fully employed
their purchasing power for the more
expensive smoking articles is increased.
However, our production is slightly in
excess over that of 1906, eight years
ago, but indicates that the cigar indus
try has not kept pace with the growth
of population. Another feature of the
report deserving of attention is that
there were nearly 400 less factories in
operation in 1914 than there was the
year previous. In the past ten years
nearly ne-half of the number OF fac
tories have been crowded out of busi-
ness, showing that the absorption and
consolidation of the manufacturing
business is still going on. 1t indicates
also that the days of the small buckeye
are numbered, and the big concerns
will eventually manufacture the cigars
of the country.
-.
The u. S. Tobacco Journal points out
that perhaps some of the apparent de-
crease in production has been supplied
by our insular possessions and thinks
the continental trade is entitled to
know what proportion of the total out
put of our cigar industry is made with
in the borders of the United States and
how much is represented by the cigar
production of Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines. For, as we consume in this
country, it is roughly estimated, over
250, 900, 900 cigars produced in Porto
Rico and the Philippines, the total pro-
duction for the year, as given IN the
Internal Revenue report, does not there
fore indicate exactly our continental
sAoduction. The increase in the con-
sumption of cigar leaf for large cigars
has risen in the past ten years about
forty-six million pounds; for small CT
gars about million and a half pounds;
for cigarettes fifty-nine million pounds
and for manufactured tobacco and snuff
about twenty million pounds. An item
of interest to the leaf trade will be the
quantity Of tobacco consumed, which
amounted to 153, 954, ,271 pounds, or five
million pounds less than in 1913. In the
production of little cigars there was an
increase of lis, 900, 600, which consumed
little over four million pounds of to-
bacco. The output of cigarettes dur
ing the year was 16, 855, 625, 104, show
ing an increase Of ], ,299, 933, 443. These
were manufactured by 381 concerns.
There was an increase of 13 cigarette
factories during the year. The output
of manufactured tobacco of all kinds
was 440, 935, 721, showing decrease of
about three million pounds. The de-
creases are accounted in plug and snuff
while the increase of smoking tobacco
amounted to 6,OOO,OO pounds.
Pennsylvania continues to hold its
rank as the largest cigar manufactur-
ing state in the Union. Its Ninth Dis
trict is the banner producing district of
II II n IL = - L u -