Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-08-21
BUYING CAMP Align OPENS
TOBACCOMEN RENEW PURCHAs-
ING OPERATIONS
Compact Removed and About the
Earlier Prices Prevail--Many on
the Road-An Important Decision


the ROad-An Important Decision
It's free-for-all again in tobacco
crop grabbing and the public high
| ways and byways are being covered
/ by olcal and outside buyers.
According to agreement entered in
4 to last month, Representatives of all
the tobacco handling firms of the coun-
I try met IN Lacrosse last Friday.
| Then and there the earlier agreement
to drop canvassing till the crop was
developed-Was suspended. In conse-
quence the activity in riding and buy
ing is renewed with all the vigor
which characterized the move at the
time. On Monday of this week the
ball opened and all the agencies EN-
ployed in July are busily going over
the growing sections inspecting and
making contracts where ever possible.
The Censor gets it first-hauded that
price offerings opened about where
they were suspended month ago
from so to IS cents.
As a whole the crop has developed
well during the past fortnight and
farmers now have something substan-
tial TO show buyers. There are some
wonderful fields while others are small
and uneven Harvest proceeded in a
small way during last week, but open
ed with more zest and under better
conditions, By the close of this cal
endar week, should the weather con-
tinue favorable about 20 per cent of
the county acreage will have been
housed. But it will be a month or
more from present date before work
lao
stages of work of hoeing, topping.
suckering, cutting and shedding is
proceeding at one and the same time
in our tobacco industry.
Good weather, free from damaging
storms, only is necessary to insure
the greatest acreage, heaviest and best
quality tobacco crop Vernon county
has ever harvested, and it will be sold
at the most eXtravagant figure grow
ers have realized from years crop
of the industry in all time.
A decision of much Importance to
the tobacco trade was handed down by
Judge Grimm in the Rock county cir
cult court, which holds the Paul law,
a statute pertaining to the purchase
and sale of growing crops, invalid.
The action of Strander VS.. Mcintosh
Bros. has been hanging in the courts
since the 1924 crop. in which the plain
tiff sought TO recover the full price
contracted for regardless of the con-
dition of the crop al time of delivery
The case was not brought to trial but
submitted TO the judge by stipulation
on the sole issue of the validity of this
statute. The decision in the case fol-
lows:
Section l670-n Of the revised stat
utes manifestely applies only to the
purchase. of farm and garden crops,
whore the contract fixes "a standard
price per unit of weight and is silent
as to quality. There is nothing in the
lawp prohibiting the seller and purchas-
er from agreeing upon causes and
methods for cancellation of the con-
tract.
In the instant case the contract
deals with the purchase of the wrap
pers, binders and filters of four
acre crop Of tobacco at stated price
for cash. Each grade was TO be bund-
led separately, and the whole was to
be delivered in sound packing condi-
ton. Provision was also made for adj
iustment or cancellation of the con-
tract in case any of the tobacco was
found to be damaged at the time Of
delivery. Such a contract does not
come within the terms of the statute
and is subject to its penalties; it is
subject only TO the usual remedies ap-
plicable to all contracts.
Further, am fully convinced that
Section 1670-n violates constitutional
guarantees, and cannot be sustained
as a valid exercise of the police power
of the state"