The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1919-01-31
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


Another panacea for the present un-
satisfactory condition of the tobacco
market is proposed by Hon. j. c. Han
son, assemblyman from Dane county,
in the introduction of a joint resolution
calling upon the Federal Trade commls-
sion to investigate the Tobacco Trust
which is broadly charged with attempt
ing to depress prices. Being president
of the Dane County Tobacco Growers
association, we take it MIR. Hanson
ought to be in position to bring specific
charges, telling why and how the trust
is doing an injustice to our tobacco
growers, though his resolution failed to
do so. The so-called Tobacco Trust
has been 80 frequently investigated,
hauled into court, dismembered and
told how to conduct its business that
still another "once over" by the trade
commission might not be out of order,
or accomplish much good either in the
present emergency, for if the commits
sion were set at work ON the job now a
year or two might elapse before their
report would be compiled and relief
under their findings obtained. In the
meantime our farmers would become
very tired waiting for something ilIe-
gal to be uncovered. Would it not be
a move of wisdom to look about and
see if some other reason might be
found for the unfortunate market con-
dition we find ourselves in? A New
York trade paper in recent issue claims
the recent organizations of growers es-
tablishing minimum prices ''is nothing
more or less than confession on the
part of farmers that the commodity
offered cannot be trusted to the natural
law of supply and demand bat must be
artifcially bolstered by some arbitrary
agreement The attempt has been
made repeatedly in the past with the
same discouraging results. " A short
cut to end the trouble would be TO ap-
peal to the government direct TO take
over the present crop at war inflated
prices, same as it is doing with the
farmers wheat.
~
Ths4 4e@was- nosssaspicion a year ago
when one branch of the Trust which is
credited with taking over 60 per cent
of the field frosted and shed frozen 1917
crop at the highest prices ever paid in
the state that it was treating the grow
ers unfairly. Since the component
parts of the old Trust opened up mar
ket for low grade Wisconsin leaf the
state has profited immensely and grow
ers have been able to dispose of such
leaf at more than double the ordinary
price. Just why they should be singled
out now for distrust and odium from
the larger manufacturing concerns who
are their main competitors is difficult
to understand. The Trust is no more
to blame for failure to take over our
tobacco at inflated prices than other
concerns who help move the crop.
Above all things, let us try and be
fair.
A singular coincidence possibly, but
the minimum price of 30 cents which
the farmer meetings have fixed for the
balance of the 1918 tobacco crop is ex-
actly the price the u. S. Agricultural
Bureau of Crop Statistics says was paid
up to December 1st in the early buying
of the crop. So if an average of 80
cents is to be obtained for the balance
of the crop, it is plain that much of it
must bring from 35 to 40 cents or
around the figures paid in the fall. In
this connection it might be mentioned
that the government estimates that the
1917 Wisconsin crop brought the grow
ers an average of 172 cents pound and
the 1916 crop 123 cents. 1t might be
we'll to keep these figures in mind while
discussing tobacco prices, for the Bu-
after exhaustive investigation.
There has been a good deal of loose
talk indulged in at several of the TO-
bacco growers meetings regarding the
cost of producing the 1918 crop. One
farmer said he had studied the ele-
ments Of cost and found it reached
$286.65 an acre or about 22 cents per
pound; another thought a round figure
of $3.50 Jan acre about right, which a
Rutland grower said was too high and
that 5000 was nearer the cost or about
II cents pound What is needed to
throw proper light on this question is
an itemized statement Of actual cost,
including fertilizer, interest or invest
Yner1t of land and ShedS-SomnfhinU fan-