The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-11-11
PREPARE TO PAY
: MORE FOR SMOKES,
SANb0RN WARNS
By WILLIAM r, SANBORN

Ni6-S<%Vt oS<iNoonN
If you are curious as to the future
price OF your favorite cigar, and as to
what has happened in cigar manufac-
turing circles where strikes have held
sway for months; or if the crops and
stocks Of leaf tobacco interest you, you
may consider what follows as being
printed for your especial information.
AS to the future price OF the weed
you prefer, it is going higher; just So
too, Of the cigar the other fellow
smokes. There isn't single reduc-
ton in sight, on any brand, or any
where. Nor is there any apparent
tendency to lower prices on any to-
bacco product, whatsoever.
The cent straight cigar the many
cheerful, smoha BILE brands having body
and flavor which contented such a
large constituency, disappeared over
night. The siX-for-a-Quarter article
made an earlier getaway, and both
were replaced by &C and &c lines, from
the same factories and under the same
old label.
Leaf tobacco was bringing more
money, as indeed it should in the cir
cumstances. Uncle Sam increased
and graded the taxes on cigars in &C
cordance with the scale of selling
prices; cigar makers naturally clamor-
ed for higher wages, and statesmen de-
needed it in their business, both on
the road and behind the counter.
Sell on Closer Margins.
All of this applies to cigars nation
ally famous. In every town where
the local ciearmaker is trying to live,
you will find his prices still cut to the
bone. He is doing business in a
mighty small margin these days, and
III the main, gives better cigar for
, the money, the country over, not eX-
cepting Richmond.
Nor are the home distributors max
ing a fair living profit on many of the
lines now handled SO largely in this
market They are, in fact, paving
much more for the goods and selling
on closer margin than in the good
old days when good cigar was rot
simply luxury for the rich.
But if prices have advanced quality
has not been maintained, as a whole.
This may be denied but, we know ii
10 be true Tobacco which had never
been used except for scrap. fine cut,
smoking, and for plug, was long since
introduced into the cheaper grades OF
factory-made cigars, in the effort L.
cheaper production, first Of the stoglc
class and later OF the nickel and &c
and &c grades.
Carload upon carload OF the burleys
and southern tobaccos were especially
procosycd and reprocesscd by forced
sweating in that endeavor, and
shipped into northern cigar making
conterS. Our personal trips to the
cigar leaf districts and investigation.
at centers Of production confirmed
this months ago. One of the largest
dealers in leaf in the entire country
assured US that he had himself dis
covered this process and had applied
it to world Of southern leaf.
About Havana Cigars.
The Ie%ollt was q cOnglOmoratiOn OF
smokes which, however banded, label
Cd and advertised. failed to satisfy
Well. tho next move was to use a
better grade Of leaf and to advance
II" c-Con;er to &C and the best to Sc
and this we think now very generally
applies. But even 50, the man who
can detect tho flavor Of Havana leaf
in the average cigar selling up tc
10 cents. will bo hard to discover
But AL Of this has nothing to
with all-Havanas. or good Seed an,
Havana, or with Suma tra-wrappeC
of course. but are ever so much more
costly than in prewar days. More
than that they are advancing in price
and are hard to buy. These have beer
advanced recently, and the same is
true of &c and Sc domestic lines
which have recently been jumped S
to SO per 1000 cigars on a few OF
the best known brands.
The New York Strike.
The most notable strike in the
clear industry began in New York il
July. and spread RAPIDLY to the entiry
eastern cigar belt, then hit he west
tr'nc uD CHICAGO and Milwaukee very
effectively. The strikers in New
York and Boston made the mos
radical demands, in effect demanding
that the industry be turned over t.
them.
On top of a so per cent advance or
the highest prices then paid by an.
eastern factory they demanded the
right to control the kind of cigars OIL
shapes to be made, set t,:eir owr
prices per day or per 1000, and in
sisted that any member Of the uniOr
working two weeks in any plant coulC
not hc DISCHARGED by the shop owners
Radicals were in control Of the uniOT
and after issuing an ultimatum walked
out.
1t was fight to finish and now
that the WOrkmen have finally gone
back to work, in spite Of the struggle
of their leaders TO keep them in line