The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1919-09-19
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES

The unsettled conditions prevailing
at this time in all phases of life in this
country, and to an even greater extent
in Europe, are not unusual when viewed
in their relation to the great war. The
period following Immediately after the
civil war had many points of similarity
to the conditions as they are today.
Prices were high, speculation rife, and
there was general unrest which made
many men predict dire results. The
country weathered the storm then; it
will do so now. The surprising thing
is not that we are experiencing social.
industrial and political unrest, that is
to be expected, rather it is assuring
that things are not worse. The mag
nitude of the recent war is unparalleled
in history, but the disturbance it has
caused in our country has not as yet
reached any unexpected proportions.
There is, of course, tendency to mag
Nifty the dangers, create fear and breed
q feeling of apprehension, but this ten
dency is being checked by the cool
heads and the general good sense Of
the American people as whole. We
realize that the prewar standards had
to be discarded when we entered the
war. The government took charge and
fixed new ones to meet the emergency.
During the war we moved along under
standards which were abnormal and to
large extent artificial. Values and
prices during the war must be judged
in their direct relation to war emergen-
cies. With the coming of peace, ad-
justments must be made, but normal
conditions cannot be hoped for at once;
it would not be fair to any interest to
demand it or expect it. A world that
has been lashed into violent motion by
the fury of four year hurricane of
war can only gradually return to its
former calm. Just now we are in the
chaos of the interim between the war
conditions and the coming normal con-
ditions. The artificial prices of war
times are not yet replaced by the nor
NAL prices of peace, which must pre-
vail, not as result of an emergency,
but be determined by the old law of
ssgpply and demand. The movement
toward more stable conditions have
been, and are, moreover, checked by
extensive upheavals in the labor world.
The strikes, especially those affect
| ing all industries that are engaged in
turning the raw material into the fur
nished product, retard or hinder pro-
duction and thereby limit the output.
The demand at the same time being
strong, the check upon normal produc
tion is at least one of the factors in the
soaring prices. Under these conditions
| it is well that sober counsel prevails.
This is not the time to encourage un-
reast and turmoil, but rather to counsel
conservative opinions as we'll as con-
servative speech and action.
The Wisconsin cooperative crop re-
porting service, Division of Agricul-
ture, estimates the yield Of tobacco as
follows: Based ON September / condi.
ton, tobacco will yield 1878 pounds per
acre, or total of 81, ,344, 900 pounds,
compared to the August forecast of
| go, ,662, 900 pounds, $4,000 pounds
produced in 1918 and 5-year average
| of 81, ,226, 600. And according to the d.
S. governmental statistics the quantity
of wrapper tobacco remaining in bond
| June 80, 1919, shows remarkable
jump from the same date of last year.
This year the bonded warehouses are
credited with holding $500, 600 pounds
| of wrapper leaf, valued at over S5, 500, :
| 600, against, for the same date of last
year, 100000 pounds, worth 3,2l1,-
900.
-.
| In his resume of the cigar leaf mar
ket, the editor of the New York To-
| bacco Leaf in the issue of Sept. 4th
says: "Water Street packers report a
continued strong demand for Connectl-
cut sBroadleaf, in spite of the strike
/ tie-up, which has so materially affected
the demand for other types of domestic
cigar leaf tobaccos There is already
/ distinct shortage in the floating sup
| ply Of stocks of light wrappers and
seconds which have been rapidly abb
sorbed at prices ranging considerably
higher than last year. Naturally the
strike and the probability of an early
end to the labor troubles, indicated by
the settlements effected in various
points outside New York. is the topic
of paramount interest in Water Street,
as IN all other branches of the industry
just now. The majority of packers are
confident in their assertion that when
the end of the existing strike troubles
does arrive, it will bring with it a very
pronounced activity in Water Street
In the meantime the packers, accept
ing the existing situation philosophical
ly and biding their time in the appar-
emily well-founded and comfortable as