The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1915-01-15
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

In its annual review of the leaf trade
of the past year, the U. S. Tobacco
Journal says that 1914 will indelibly be
inscribed on the pages of history as the
year which witnessed the start OF the
most titanic murderous, devastating,
ruinous clash among the greatest pow
ers in Europe, involving in its conse-
.quence a complete change of National
ambitions, political aspirations, geo.
graphical divisions, and economic ac-
complishments. And while our country
stands aloof from direct contact with
this gigantic conflict, the modern rela-
tionship of the nations OF the world
have become so close and intimate, are
weaved so indissolubly in each other,
that untouched as we are physically by
the sanguinary strife, we have never
theless become deeply suffering VIC
tim of the ruinously economic European
upheaval. Both our imports and eX-
ports have been deeply cut into. And
in the unavailable embargo laid on our
exports the vast interests OF our South
ern leaf tobacco raisers have been Sc
has been inflicted with heavily felt
diminution in it's foreign exchange of
commodities. These sinister war ef-
fects, however, were only an aggrava-
tion of the yacillating conditions exist
ing already in this country. For the
wear commenced with the most ominous
forebodings, created by the radical pol
icies of our new Administration. The
wilful eradication of most of the pro-
tective features in our tariff threatened
to upset and disrupt the traditional
standards of our industaial life. Fac
tories and mills became panic-stricken.
Work was lessened and an army OF un-
employed recruited. But not satisfied
with breaking disastrously into our IN
dustrial life, the Administration at
tackled also our commercial life by leg
islation destined to curb and repress
corporate enterprises. The result was
sitting on the energies and activities
of business. The financial resources
ebbed in, legitimate exploitation ceased
and depression set in throughout the
entire pulse of our economic existence.
Everybody saw and felt the sliding
downwards of the nations prosperity:
Not so, however, our optimistic and
verbose President who characterized
the country's general depression as
''merely psychological. The Presl-
dents euphonistic denial of the hard
facts, against which the people had to
knock, did however not change the re-
ality of the depression. which became
most noteworthy in our cigar industry.
The slump in its output from nearly
month to month was symptomatlc OF a
genuine panic. True, it did not openly
proclaim itself But there was running
an underground current that kept the
nerves shivering at the possibility of a
sudden collapse. But be it recorded to
it's credit, our cigar industry kept on
plodding bravely against all adverse
circumstances during the year For
tunately it was one of the industries on
whose fortunes the European war had
no perceptible influence. It's retrogres-
sion was due to domestic causes, chiefly
to the general depression into which
the entire commercial and industrial
life of the country was forced by the
perverted policies of our Administra-
ton. If the capacity of general con-
sumption is cut down. the consumption
of cigars must naturally share the loss.
And vet, in spite Of it's diminished re-
sources, the Government saw fit to i'm
pose additional financial burdens on it,
which naturally did not help to accel-
crate its advance in prosperity. Nor
was this burden lightened by the op-
portunity of recuperation IN other dl-
rections. For the raw material for it's
supply was soaring higher in price in
spite of the hard times which generally
are supposed to reduce the cost of pro-
duction 1914, therefore, is not likely
to be most pleasantly remembered by
the cigar industry. In strange con-
trast with the depression Of our cigar
industry during the year stands out the
extraordinary activity which prevailed
in our cigar leaf markets. We do not
remember year and our memory
runs back over a quarter of century
in which the volume of business done
in cigar leaf was ever greater than in
1914. In binder leaf it was an excep-
tionally prolific year. Domestic shade
grow leaf, to use slangy phrase, had
almost walk-over. Never before had
this type such an extensive sale and
gripped itself into the confidence of the
cigar industry as in the year just pass
ing. And the Sumatra shared likewise
in rush of consumption, exceeded per-
haps only in the so-called Mckinley
year. The falling out of Fall inscrip.
tions, due to the European war, un-
doubtedly helped to swell quicker and
larger transactions in the Sumatra leaf.
The filler market was less favored, al
though the much neglected Pennsyl-
vania enjoyed profitable resurrection.
For the contention has been general
that in proportion to the business done
the profits were too inadequate as their
largest margin had been absorbed by
the cigar leaf grower. The unprece-
dented activity in the leaf market,
therefore, has not resulted in the ex-
pected prosperity. 1t has left living
but nothing for accumulation The
cream was taken off by the farmer and
nothing but the SKINNED milk seems to
have been left to the packer and deal |
er. Considering, however, the depres-
sion suffered in other lines of commerce |
and trade. the losses incurred by them |
through reduction of output and lower |
inp of vali1aS the leaf trade should not |