The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-12-06
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


Much as the growers would like to
see the balance of the 1918 crop move,
the tone of the eastern market reports |
indicates we may hardly need to ex-
pect the resumption of buying until
after the new year. If it is waiting
game the larger interests are playing,
having stayed out of the market so
long few weeks more wouldn't mat |
ter. Wisconsin growers. however, have
an advantage over those of Ohio and |
Pennsylvania because fully one-half our
crop is under contract, while practical |
ly none in thuse states has yet been
lifted. Matters such as the new rev. |
enue duties, prospects for an export
outlet, the releasement of labor from |
war activities will all help stabilize our
industries by the time a new year
opens, SO that the cigar leaf market |
may stand. on better footing TO lay |
their plans for future business. Under
the present conditions we can hardly |
hope to see much receiving or ware !
house handling of the new crop during
the remainder of 1918.
-
The November crop report issued by |
the department Of agriculture places |
the prospective yield Of the 1918 tobac- |
co crop of Wisconsin at 1880 pounds |
per acre, as against ten year avearge
of 1138 pounds. The total production
of the state is given at rs million |
pounds, by far the largest crop the |
state has ever produced. The quality |
of the crop is put at 81 per cent, in |
contrast with ten year average of |
g. The deduction to be made from /
these figures is that Wisconsin has |
grown big crop and good one as |
well. Were it all to sell at the prices |
early contracts were placed at it would |
bring to farmers of Wisconsin over 20 |
million dollars.
~
In an appeal case of Jones VS.. Wixom |
in the circuit court Saturday, involving |
the sale of crop Of tobacco, Judge |
Grimm directed a verdict in favor of |
defendant for absence of mutuality of |
contract. The Judge held that both |
parties to binding contract must |
agree to perform certain things.
***
The senate committee on finance has |
decided to lop off some of the proposed |
double internal revenue tax on manu- |
factured tobacco. The revision so far |
decided upon makes the taxes on tobac
CO and snuff Is cents per pound; cigar |
cites $3.50 per 1000; large cigarettes |
| ST. 20: small cigars 81. SO; nickel cigars |
| g.; to cent cigars $5.4O; 8 to Is cent |
cigars SO; Is to 20 cents $]2; over 20 |
cents SIS. A delegation of cigar man
ufacturers of the Tobacco Merchants
association were given hearing be- |
fore the committee last week but 40 |
per cent increase was the best conces-
sion they were able to secure. That a |
40 per cent increase would defeat its |
own object by further curtailing con-
sumption, while even under the present |.
war taxes the cigar output has shown |
steady and alarming decline, was the |
mittee introduced statistics showing |
that the industry had already been |
called upon for more than it's normal |
output could withstand without decrease |
in volume Further advance in taxes |
could not fail to have the effect of re- |
ducing production, and internal revenue |
payments, to an extent substantially |
below the income derived at present |
rates, it was pointed out
-
The trade is vitally interested in |
watching whatever developments there |
will be that will tend to make shipping |
available, and the feeling is that the |
prosperity of the general industry de- |
pends largely upon the attitude that |
the authorities in Washington take in |
this matter. To put the matter briefly, |
the end of the war has brought the |
trade face to face with an opportunity /
for enormous expansion and develop |
ment. The world is hungry for tobac- |
CO, and we are in position to supply |
| it, in every particular except that ship /
ping is entirely in control of the Gov /
ernment, and exports depend upon the |;
willingness of the Government to grant |
| licenses and allot tonnage. If the Gov |
ernment will adopt cooperative and
| liberal attitude in the matter of facili- |
tating exports of tobacco, the possibili |
ties just ahead OF the industry are tre- |
| mendous. Every tobacco farmer. in the |
United States, az well as every tobacco |
merchant, to say nothing of our manu- |
featuring industry, would feel the bene-
| fetal effects of a wise and judicious |
handling of the situation upon the part |
of the Government. Of course, nobody |
expects tobacco to be allowed to go |
ahead of foodstuffs, but next after |
foodstuffs, there is in all probability |
nothing that would be more welcome in
Europe than liberal tobacco supply. |
Some idea of how badly Holland, for
instance, needs tobacco may be gather |
ed from the Sumatra inscription in Am /
sterdam on September 20. At that in