The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-30
TOBACCO Demand
FROM EUROPE IS
RAISING PRICES
Holders of Leaf May be Able
to Dispose Of it at Good
Prices.
BY WILLIAM r. SANeoRN

price of cigar leaf at the present writ
Ing are: First. an increasing demand
from Central Europe, and decline in
home consumption Of leaf. because of
strikes in the cigar industry. That
there Is tobacco hunger in war raw
aged countries Is matter Of course,
and this fact Is emphasized by the &C.
ton of Germany. The very first thing
that Germany has demanded of the
United States is million dollars
worth of cigar leaf from Lancaster
and York counties, Pennsylvania. 1t
will not be surprising If Ohio leaf
packers are next called on.
This order has been placed with
the largest buyer and shipper of leaf
tobacco at Red Lion, in York county,
pennsylvania, a man who exported
ninety.two carloads in ten days last
spring. to France, Of which we made
mention in our correspondence after
seeing part Of that tobacco loaded
during our visit east in April.
Now, as a matter of fact, not q
pound of cigar leaf remains in the
hands of the York county farmers.
Less than $50 acres remained to be
sold on May 10th, as we happen to
know. True, there Is a lot of tobacco
in store in York county, but that there
Is half enough to supply this first or
der from Germany is to be doubted.
York county is practically cleaned out
Of desirable leaf, even in packers
hands, as we have previously stated.
The contract will be filled from 9th.
er Pennsylvania districts and possibly
from New York State.
Cigar Makers Strike Spreading
The most serious strike that New
York cigar manufacturers have ever
experienced, still continues. Manu-
facturers claim that the demands OF
the workmen are of such a character
that they can not possibly be complied
with, II they hope to continue in busi-
ness. and to have any say as to how
that business shall be run. Manufac-
turers claim that they are standing
with our backs to the wall" and that
to concede what the strikers are ask
ing would be business suicide. With
reference to this trying situation the
editor of The Tobacco Leaf says:
With retail prices already crowded
almost to the top.notch of public en-
durance, and with leaf tobacco prices
tightening day by day, the increased
wage scale and the encroachment
upon factory management insisted
upon by the strikers would, if granted,
spell the doom of New York and its
environments as a cigar manufacture
ing center"
Cigar Production Cut
The strike has not only tied up the
cigar factories in New York City. but
also throughout the metropolitan SUI
burban district 1t has spread to the
large plants in Philadelphia, and there
are strikes in some other Pennsylva-
MIA districts. There Is already short
age of many popular brands and the
manufacturers are dividing their or
ders so as to give all buyers a few.
In some instances large jobbers are
calling in their men for time, not
being able to get goods to distribute
This means that leaf is not being
consumed as expected and this must
surely have its temporary effect upon
demand and prices. But even so, leaf
prices are advancing, or have been W
to this time, for some weeks.
Leaf Tobacco Prices Higher.
Our Ohio readers will note the To
bacco Leaf editorial remark: "Ano
with leaf tobacco prices Tightening
day by day" with considerable inter
est. That Tightening" has been sc
effective that packers of Ohio 1917
leaf are getting out from under at
MuCIl UctlSl llSulCS lAdA SouAo ho Z
been obtained three months ago. or a
any time previous in a year.
Not that they are making any
money as yet. There has been quite
a demand for 1917 Ohio tobacco dur
ing the past six weeks and the more
the real situation sinks in on the per
ception of the cigar manufacturer, the
more daylight the nervy holders of
this packing begin to see. A large
eastern cigar manufacturer Dough
1000 cases of Ohio resweat Zimme
late in June, and another lot of 90
cases went to Detroit the same week
1t is safe to say that the holders o
1917 leaf will realize fairly high price
on what is still on hand. if not in to-
big a hurry to sell. But remember
that this leaf cost them whole lot @
money, and they have held it a Ion
time, with interest and shrinkage t
figure on.
1t is not to the interest of leaf grow
ers to have the packers lose money
nor to see cigar manufacturers los
money, either; it Is much better tina
the industry should prosper as
whole, each getting what is rightfull
his.