The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-01-30
TOBACCO WAREHOUSE BILL.
j. ID. Kings Letter TO Hon. j. w;
Ragsdalc of Interest To Tobacco
Growers OF South Carolina.

AS you no DOUBT are aware there
has been Cor will be at an early date)
a bill introduced in the State Legis-
lature to force or compel the farmers
of South Carolina to grade and tie up
their tobacco before they can sell
same.
Being warehouseman of the State
for the past twelve Years I am fully
acquainted with the tobacco situation
both from the standpoint of the farm
er and the buyer, and knowing what
do along this line, feel it my duty.
IN justice to the tobacco growers OF
South Carolina, to request that this
bill be held up until the masses Of the
tobacco growers can be heard from.
as | am positive that the larger pro-
portion Of the tobacco growers are
against such movement. especially
when the true facts are put before
them.
The communication from Mr.. n. A.
Mcmillan, appearing in The Enter
prise Of the 14th inst. is i'm @ large
measure misleading. No doubt MIR.
Mcmillan is honest in his assertions.
but evidently he has based his con-
clusions from information obtained
from small number Of the tobacco
growers and a very few Warehouse
men. l feel that Mr.. Mcmillan should
not push this bin until he has heard
from the majority of the tobacco
growers.
Below ] will give you a few of the
misleading points in Mr.. McMillan's
communication:
F1rst-"To amend the law regulat-
ing warehouse charges so they will
be reduced to the North Carolina
scale. This word reduced used in
this connection leaves the impression
with the farmer that he would sell
his tobacco for less warehouse charges
which is not true. After the tobacco
is graded into several piles and sold
as on the North Carolina basis Of
charges, the charges will be more per
thousand pounds instead OF less than
they are today in South Carolina
Second-In the comparison Of pric-
es it is unfair for Mr.. Mcmillan to
quote the prices on one particular
market. He should have quoted the
average prices for the entire States
Of North and South Carolina, and not
take out the Wilson market from the
hundred or more markets in North
Carolina. Wilson is located i'm the
heart Of an exceptional tobacco ter
ritory--a territory that grows the fin
est cigarette and smoking tobacco and
The iinest wrappers in the world, and
has long been noted for this type or
tobacco. In a general average tho
old Palmetto States average is right
up with any tobacco producing State.
The actual loss is weight and cost i'm
grading and tieirg is over two dollars
per hundred pounds, which claim at
most every farmer will agree1s true
All tobacco sections have their own
true value and eastern Carolina stands
first and has for many years. The
Winston-Salem market, the leading
market in the State of North Carolina
and the biggest manufacturing point
in the world for tobacco, is now av-
eraging less for it's tobacco than the
State Of South Carolina averaged for
the past season.
And about all the re-drying plants
in South Carolina are equipped for
handling South Carolina tobacco In
the leaves and it would cost a hun
dred thousand dollars or more to
make the change, and very likely
could not be done in time to take care
Of the coming crop, which would be
n great drawback to the situation.
Every tobacco grower in the State OF
South Carolina is well aware that
when the middle of September comes
that most of the buyers leave for the
markets. Then the bulk of their to-
baccO would be left at the mercy Of
| the few.
| am aware that large per cent @:
the tobacco growers would not plant
tobacco at all if they had TO go to
this extra trouble and expense and
an sure this proposed legislation
would be Il great drawback TO the
| farmers of your State. / trust you
will look into this matter and obliSe.
Yours truly,
]. ID. KING.