The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-04-25
BY WILLIAM r. sANeoRN.


CINCINNATI, April, 25.-In contin-
uatlon OF our remarks as to the views
of the Cincinnati editor, who acknowl-
edged being all at sea as to the pos
sible future demand and prices to be
paid for the various types Of filler"
leaf. be 1t said:
There are millions of pounds Of leaf
tobacco. including a quantity of cigar
leaf. reported in the visible supply
which have no place in those stats
tics, as applying to available stocks
Tor use in domestic manufacture, and
for this reason-it belongs to foreign
holders and to foreign governments.
Some of this tobacco was bought
and paid for years ago, dating back
to 1914, in a few instances, and from
then on up to the time we took hand
In the great conflict. Much of this
export leaf came here primarily from
South American countries and was
brought in by eastern exporters for
the European trade, to be handled in
the regular way and not through gov
ernmental supervision. A lot of this
leaf was paid for and would have
gone out In due course but for the fact
that war essentials were given the
right-of-way-food and ammunition,
for instance, long before our boys be-
gan taking flight for France.
Not Ordinary Trade Conditions.
Admittedly this South American
leaf never came into competition with
American cigar leaf, and in ordinary
times would figure only temporarily
In our statistics. But we are not liv-
Ing under ordinary trade conditions;
haven't for long time, and there are
accumulations of leaf tobacco from
the ends Of the earth and from Amer
lean fields. which will presently be
started across the briney, or II not will
never be shipped. During our eastern
trip we were informed that lot of
this tobacco has been held for four
years and that in many instances 1t
had so badly deteriorated that it is
doubtful II 1t will ever be sent across.
This latter is, however. unimportant.
II unfit to ship It will not be in con-
dition to compete in our home market.
One OF the largest eastern tobacco
concerns reports that lot Of this
tobacco 'is rotten" This is not at all
unlikely and they may be correct in
their statement; we do not know.
To the best Of our knowledge and
belief" as they say in court. every
pound of this tobacco, of all kinds and
grades, is shown in our stocks, and
will continue to be until cleaned up.
To this extent 1t is weight on the
market. Under former rulings leaf
dealers had to declare their purchases,
sales and net holdings quarterly; from
now on they will have to file monthly
reports in detail. In this way the
government gathers its tobacco sta
tistics and at certain times prints and
sends out statistical information to
the trade. Every transaction in to-
bacco is SO carefully watched and &C.
counted for that the visible supply
reports at certain dates are fairly &C
curate, but it is the invisible which
causes the guessing. The invisible is
the stock in hands of growers and the
accumulations at country points which
have not been reported to Washing
ton. The farmer makes no report of
any kind, except to the county asses
sor, once each year, and at that he
includes his tobacco with his other
crops. We endeavored to arrive al
some conclusion as to tobacco acre
age at one county courthouse but was
unable to find an official who was
competent to give even a fairly close
estimate of the number of acres plant
ed In tobacco; and as to the number
of millions of pounds grown in that
particular tobacco county not single
county official had the remotest idea.
Fixing the Floor Tax
Wherever the floor tax" was figur-
ed in relation to our new revenue re-
quirements every pound Of manufac-
tured tobacco, in all it's forms, came
instantly into sight, for taxation pur-
poses. This included the stocks in
the hands of the smallest retailer in
every village and hamlet, just as it
did those held by the largest manufac-
turers in the country. That report
would be interesting right now and
would give us a correct idea Of the
value of all the manufactured tobacco
in America at a certain date, also the
number Of cigars, cigarettes. etc. in
the hands of both manufacturers and
dealers, the country over. Whatever