The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1919-01-03
NOTE BOOK SKETCHES


A GAINESVILLE friend of The Reporter
writes under recent date saying: Il
rave been greatly amused at the num-
her of bricks that have been thrown at
you on the tobacco question, and /
must say that believe for the delicate
position which you occupy between
grower and dealer that you have edited
your paper with the most impartial
methods imaginable. If your editorials
could tell the truth and predict higher
prices. they would be throwing roses
at you. We all know that it is hard to
face 8 loss, especially after having
been offered higher prices, and we can
not see how The Reporter Is in any
way responsible for these changes.
Read any newspaper published in to-
bacco sections and we read the same
news that there is more old tobacco
than we expected; that the European
countries do not expect to handle to-
bacco that is as high as ours 80 long as
they can be supplied by countries with
much cheaper tobacco that must an
swer the purpose. You certainly have
done remarkably well is the opinion of
yours truly.
~
Editor Tobacco Reporter: AS there
is SO much being said in the tobacco
journals these days about the rapaciOus
and unreasonable tobacco grower, /
would like to ask, who is to blame for
the inflated prices Of tobacco last sum-
mer? Was it the farmer who is in his
fields from early morning till late at
%~xy 70
little help, unless it was his tired wife
and little children, and il he had any
hired help at all, paying $50 90 per
month with board and washing? Or
was it the buyers who went in mad
scramble over the country before even
the tobacco was harvested, offering 35
/ to 30 cents for tobacco that stood IN
danger of every calamity that tobacco
| is heir to many times taking all the
risk for the sake of securing a crop and
getting ahead of the other fellow! But
now when tobacco is safe in the bundle
and ready for inspection (and finer
crop was never raised in the state),
they are talking prices that are about
| half they paid in the summer, when
/ they took such tremendous risks. Is
this treating the farmers fairly who
have not sold. and who have never had
a buyer on his place, who have had
no oschance to sell-and their names are
| legion-who have set no price on their
| tobacco; men who wish to see the to-
| bacco business on firm, sane founda-
1 ton: who have worked faithfully to
| prlduce a good crop and put it up
/ ready for the market? / would say
sshold on to the tobacco" Do not sell
pound till the buyers get back to
somewhere near where they left off in
| the summer. There is probably no
bank in the country but that will lend
money to farmer who needs it.
A. K. WALLIN.
The writer of the above has doubt
less learned by experience that there is
very little sympathy in business and
the selling of tobacco crop cold
blpoded proposition in most cases.
What happened six months ago is an
cient history now, for it is the present
conditions we have to face. No one
can satisfactorily explain the reckless
ness of crazy tobacco buying cam
paign on any theory of sound business
conduct for it can't be done.
/ -
| Looking forward to 1919 it is my be-
lief that gradually the law of supply
and demand will be reborn, and that
both in the leaf field, as we'll as In the
cigar field, type and quality will agar
be an essential factor. The apparent
present surplus seems to me today
more matter of psychology than
| matter of fact. Stocks are not as
great as under normal conditions in the
tobacco market, and it is my firm be-
lief that gradually, as production IN
creases, there will be larger ant
larger demand for all types Of cigal
leaf tobacco, and that the cigar lea
trade and the cigar manufacturing
trade can look forward to 1919 Will
great expectations. There Is ever.
reason to expect that there will be
constant increasing demand for cigars
and that when production comes n0a
reaching the demand for cigars, th'
public will again be In position to dis
criminate in its smokes between th'
good and poor cigar In 1914, whe1
the terrible war started, owing to th
lack Of basic adjustment for such
/ calamity. we experienced a similar sit
uation to that which we are experiene
ing now at the close of the war. Jos
eph F. Cullman Jr. in U. 5. Tobace
J Journal.
HIGH prices for cigars must remain
f,,ntil the present stocks of leaf tobacc
lnave been worked up, declares Chas
liz. Eisenlohr, president of Otto Eisen
llohr & Bros. Continuing, he declare
! that manufacturers of quality cigar
lhave excellent prospects of satisfae
tory business in 1919. "a certai
amount of chaos has prevailed in tn
cigar manufacturing business sine
IAmerica entered the war, occasions
Inv increased revenues and soarin,
Inr;ces on raw Materials" he declared
Rehabilitation of cigar prices has bee
Preached only recently, and these price
Imust continue for some time to come