The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-07-22
SMOKERS MUST PAY MORE
FOR CIGARS IN FUTURE
Strikes Among the Makers and
Other Causes viii Increase
Present Prices

New York. July pa message,
clear and well-defined and almost as
blue as a smoke from pure Havana,
has been waited from the inner sane
tums of the big men in the business to
the tobacco consuming public. When
it got fairly out and into the nostrils
Of the same public it was easily recog-
nized and interpreted to read:
''Soon your smokes are going to
cost you more"
That was the message, easy, simple
and terse. 1t was quickly followed
by an assurance from the tobacco men
that the fault was not theirs. Haven't
they kept the price of cigars and Gig
aretts down all through the war
down to mere Is or 80 per cent in
crease over the old prices? And wasn't
part of the increase due to the gov
eminent tax?
But now when near peace is at
hand, and everybody is looking to see
the props knocked from under the
old high cost of living scheme of
things, along comes this discouraging
announcement, just as if the tobacco
dealers and the street car companies
were forming a private league of
gougers.
The whole truth, it appears to the
manufacturers, is caused by the cigar
workers. II became known that prac-
tically So per cent OF the cigar work
ers in the metropolitan district 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 to a
SO per cent wage increase. This the
dealers say, is exorbitant and out of all
reason particularly in view of the
fact that within the past year they
have had an average increase Of bet
ter than 80 13 per cent in pay and
a reduction of two working hours a
day.
The result, according to d. A.
Schultz president of the Schultz
chain of cigar stores is that within
the next 80 days or so there will be
a marked shortage of many smokers
favorite brands and a corresponding
increase in the price of the available
commodity. The situation is aggrayat-
ed because of the six months strike
that has been in progress among the
workers OF Havana and Porto Rico,
which has resulted in pretty general
depletion OF these imported stocks.
These difficulties. however, have
been overcome largely and majority
OF the Cuban and Porto Rican fact
cries began operations again on July
l, but it will be some time before the
effect of this is felt in the local mar
ket, and even so it will not help the
situation out to any great extent in
the event of a prolonged strike among
the workers in this country
The nicotine users in New York city
are dependent for their supply to the
extent of about so per cent upon the
factories in and around New York city
Estimating the imported cigars at
about 10 per cent of the to.al con
sumed, the other 40 per cent must
come from other places. But in these
places the local demand is even great
er than in New York, so that there viii
be even less than usual of the product
with which 10 supply outside demands
Cigar manufacturers made no sec
ret of the fact that they expected to
have to concede something to the
workers along the lines of their de-
mands. But they were even more GER
tain that they would close up shop
before they would consider giving them
anything approximating all they ask
for.
A year ago or less, according to one
manufacturer, the average cigarmaker
was earning S22 week for a 10-hour
day. Today he can make $50 a week
for an eight hour day. The demands
call for from 40 to so per cent in
cost OF production.
According to Mr. Schultz, more
than 10000 of the cigar workers in
the New York district are idle, with
little possibility of an understanding
being reached with the manufacturers
until they bring their demands down.
to basis that will admit of discus
sion.