The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-01-16
TOBACCO LEGISLATION DEEDED
WAREHOUSE METHODS CAUSE
HEAVY LOSS TO TOBACCO
GROWERS.
Practice Of Selling Leaf Tobacco Un-
graded Is Peculiar to South Caro-.
lins and Results I'm Serious Discrim-
fnation Against South Carolina To-
bacco-Changc Demanded by tho
Farmers.
Editor Sumter Daily Item:

Editor Sumter Daily Item:
Since the farmers started the move
ment to get better marketing condi-
tions on their tobacco, so much has
been said which was misleading, we
would be glad II you would give us
space to explain to your readers what
we wish to do.
We have asked the legislature to
put a license fee Of IS on every tobac-
co warehouse In the State and to en-
act q law restricting them to the sale
Of leaf tobacco witch has been grad
ed and tied. o. Surse to except bag
scrdap. At the same time to amend
the law regulating warehouse char ges
30 they will be reduced to the North
Carolina scale.
Now what we hope to accomplish Is:
i. An extension Of the selling sea-
son to avoid the terrible congestion on
our markets.
y. To keep down production.
8. To receive better price for our
Tobacco.
For tho past few years We have had
to rush our tobacco to market with
out getting any Improvement in the
bulk. Any good tobacco farmer
Knows what a big improvement he
gets on the appearance Of his tobacco
by bulking II for a month or six
weeks. He also knows that the buy
ers buy his tobacco by the way It
looks when placed on floor for sale.
We are confronted with conditions
this year which have not prevailed
heretofore. When cotton was selling
well and labor was scarce, and We
needed all the room we could get for
our cotton. then we were raising
normal crops Of tobacco, the demand
exceeded the supply. Competition
was keen and the buyers greedy for
our tobacco. Then we could afford to
handle our product In a careless man
ner. and sacrifice on the price, for we
were making good money anyway.
Blu. now conditions are different. Last
year with very poor seasons over the
entire belt We raised over forty-one
million pounds. Had the seasons been
good We would have made sixty MIL
Hon. Eastern North Carolina. made a
big crop and as 1t Is also a cotton
Country 1t Is but natural that they will
increase.
Now We had just as we'll meet the
situation squarely. Our tobaccos are
being Disseminated against. and 1t is
due to our method Of marketing them.
Eastern North Carolina went into to-
bacco raising at the same time that
South Carolina did. We followed the
sarne methods Of raising and market
ing until a few years ago when they
were forced-mark the word forced
to grade all Of their tobacco. Up to
this time. we were received about the
same price for our tobacco. Since
then they have on some years nearly
doubled US. / have taken the trouble
to get the averages from the Wilson,
N. c., market for several years. This
market Is centrally located in the fat
sandy eastern coast part of/the State,
where the lands. the climate. the sea-
son and the people are similar to the
South Carolina section. They make
the same types Of tobacco we do.
They grade and tie every leaf. They
commence to sell In August and sell
until March.
Now let us see what they are do
Ing. The Wilson figures were gotten
from the president Of their board Of
trade and the South Carolina figures
from our state Commissioner. e. ].
Watson.
Year Wilson, n. C. s. c. DIFF.
in av-
erage.
1919. .. :. ....s19.ss 1920 SOS
1si3.. =. :. 80. 1903 1877 $40
1914. estimated. 1900 s.6s 6.s2
The average loss per year to the
South Carolina farmer Is s6.5s per 100
pounds
South Carolina sold during these
past three years 9s.73s.124 pounds.
Total loss to the South Carolina
farmer at $3.50 per 100 pounds. is
s6.tt764479. Now granting an ex-
treme allowance for grading and loss
of weight Of $3.50 per 100 pounds, we
still have net loss Of si.966.577.93 to
the South Carolina farmer for three