Evening journal., 1919-07-18
nrgHiEInp IN
WAU[ DLMANU0 III
RAISE CIGAR COST
n. Y. Workers Striking for
50 Per Cent. Increase
and Shorter Hours
HAVE 8 HOUR
WORK DAY NOW

NEW YORK. July ia message,
clear and well defined and almost as
blue as smoke ring from a pure
Havana. was waited yesterday from the
inner sanctums Of the mig men In the
business TO the tobacco consuming
public When il got fairly out and into
ihe nostrils Of the same public 70 was
easily recognized and interpreted to
read
soon your smokes are going to cost
you more
That was the message, easy, simple
and terse 10 was quickly followed by
an assurance from The iobocco men
that the fault was not theirs. Haven't
they kept the price Of cigars and Gig
arettes down an through war-dOwn TO
q mere % or 30 per cent increase over
the old prices? And wasn't part Of The
increase due TO the government laX2
But now when a near peace Is at
hand. and everybody is looking 10 see
the props knocked from under the 'old
high cost Of living scheme Of things,
along comes this discouraging an
nouncement just as II the tobacco
dealers and The street car companies
were forming a private league Of
eougers. n a smoker could even up
by using a cigar band for a street car
transfer things might not be so bad.
but IL might appear from Information
given out yesterday that soon they
viii take the bands off the cigars, so
there's no hope there.
The whole trouble &. appears 10 the
manufacturers is caused bv the cigar
workers 70 became known Yesterday
that practically % per cent NJ the
cigar workers In the metropolitan dis
trici Of New York are idle and have
been idle for three weeks or a month.
They have been presenting demands for
shorter hours and Increased pay that
the manufacturers say amount 10 a 30
per cent. wage increase. This. the
dealers say. is cXorbiiant and out Of
an reason. particularly In view of-the
fact that within the past year they
have had an average increase ~ better
than 33 i-3 per cent. On pay and a re-
duction Of two working hours a day
The result, according 10 II. A. schultz
president Of the schultz chain Of cigar
stores is that within the next thirty
days or sol there will be a marked
shortage Of many smokers favorite
brands and n corresponding increase In
the price Of the available commodity
The situation is aggravated because Of
the six months strike that has been IN
progress among the Workers Of Havana
and Porto Rico, which has resulted i'm
a pretty general depletion Of these i'm
ported stocks.
These difficulties. however, have been
overcome largely and a majority of the
Cuban and Porto Rican factories began
operation again on July 4, but It will
be felt I'm the local market. and even so
IT Will not help the situation out to any
great extent in the event Of prolonged
strike among the workers in this coun-
try.
The nic0tle users in New York city
are dependent for their supply 10 the
extent Of about 81 per cent. upon the
factories IN and about New York city.
Estimating the imported cigar at about
30 per cent Of the total consumed. the
other 40 per cent must come from
other centres like Boston, Chicago. Gin
cinnati and other places. But In these
places. according 10 Information given
20 The sun the local demand Is even
greater than IN New oYrk. so that
there will he even less than usual Of
the product with which to supply out
side demands
Cigar manufacturers Yesterday made
no secret Of the fact that they expected
10 have 10 concede something 10 the
workers along the lines Of their de-
mands But they were even more GER
tain that they would close up shop be
fore they would consider giving them
anything approxmsting all they ask
for.
year ago or less. according to one
manufacturer. the average cigarmaker
was earning S22 a week for a ten-hour
day. Today he can make $50 a week
for an eight-hour day. The demands
call for what would smount 70 an in
crease OF from 40 to 30 per cent. In cost
production.